English Civil War Research Paper

During the time period of 1642 to 1651, the clashing of religious and the political standpoints of authoritative powers contributed to the English civil war. When the two were integrated, distrust, hesitance, and suspicion diffused throughout a divided society, paving a disastrous and catastrophic future that would be the English civil war. This war was driven by long term and short term causes including the ruling of father and son, James I and Charles I, and the opposition between Puritans and Catholics. Threats and outrage were felt by civilians and high authorities tipping the iceberg for war (The History Learning).
Charles I resembled his father, James I, in many ways. Long before the resistance of King Charles I, the status of the monarchy began to decline under the reign of his father, James I. Both rulers at one point dismissed the Parliament to prevent opposing influence and later on reinstated it and both believed they were chosen by God to rule the country, also known as the “divine rights of king”. Parliament however, still had a large advantage over the irrational king: money and the control over the armed forces needed to invoke an attack on enemies (Brit Politics). Charles I, wishing to carry an Irish insurrection, needed money in order …show more content…
He had married a Roman Catholic woman who was a strong believer in her religion. Protestants became fearful that there would now be an increase in Catholic influence in the Church of England. Simultaneously the 30 Years War was ongoing, spurring distrust all around (Brit Politics). Not only did Puritans resist against Charles’s religious decisions but Catholics as well. His support of Archbishop Laud for a reformation of the Church of England led to an outburst among the people. On top of that, any opposition to these decisions resulted in severe punishments. Tensions between the people and the King escalated during this time (Historic