The Impact Of The English Civil War

When the English Civil War broke out, London’s economy was diverse and dynamic, closely connected through commercial networks with the rest of England and with Europe, Asia and North America. As such it was uniquely vulnerable to hostile acts by supporters of the king, both those at large in the country and those within the capital. Yet despite numerous difficulties, the capital remained the economic powerhouse of the nation and was arguably the single most important element in Parliament’s eventual victory. For London’s wealth enabled Parliament to take up arms in 1642 and sustained it through the difficult first year and a half of the war, without which Parliament’s ultimate victory would not have been possible. In this book the various sectors of London’s economy are examined and compared, as the war progressed. It also looks closely at the impact of war on the major pillars of the London economy, namely London’s role in external and internal trade, and manufacturing in London. The impact of the increasing burden of taxation on the capital is another key area that is studied and which yields surprising conclusions. The Civil War caused a major economic crisis in the capital, not only because of the interrelationship between its economy and that of the rest of England, but also because of its function as the hub of the social and economic networks of the kingdom and of the rest of the world. The crisis was managed, however, and one of the strengths of this study is its revelation of the means by which the city’s government sought to understand and ameliorate the unique economic circumstances which afflicted it.

The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of conflicts and political struggles between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers") in England, with wider ramifications across Scotland and Ireland. The primary issues at stake were England's governance and matters of religious freedom.[2] The war consisted of three phases, with the first (1642–1646) and second (1648–1649) wars fought between supporters of King Charles I and the Long Parliament, while the third (1649–1651) saw battles between supporters of King Charles II and the Rump Parliament. The Scottish Covenanters and Irish Confederates also played significant roles. Ultimately, the Parliamentarians emerged victorious after the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651. The unique aspect of these civil wars was that they were not solely about determining who would rule, but also concerned the governance of the entire British Isles, including England, Scotland, and Ireland. The outcomes included the trial and execution of Charles I in 1649, the exile of his son Charles II in 1651, and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England under the personal rule of Oliver Cromwell from 1653 (as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland) and briefly his son Richard (1658–1659). The Church of England's monopoly on worship was ended in England, and the victors in Ireland consolidated the Protestant Ascendancy. Additionally, the wars set the precedent that an English monarch cannot govern without Parliament's consent, a concept further enshrined with Parliamentary sovereignty during the Glorious Revolution in 1688.

The Civil War fought between Charles I and his Parliament is one of the most momentous conflicts in English history. This book provides a wholly new perspective by revealing the extent to which the struggle possessed an "ethnic" dimension, and the impact of that on the forging of English national identity. Stoyle reveals the acute fear of foreign invasion that gripped England after 1640, when the insular English were placed on the brink of what they perceived as a national emergency. Stoyle sets the creation of the New Model Army within that context, arguing that its appearance represented the culmination of a campaign by Oliver Cromwell and others to forge a purely "English" military instrument, one purged of the foreign solders who had been so prominent in earlier Parliamentarian armies. This self-consciously "English" army eventually succeeded in wresting back control of the kingdom by defeating the king's forces, re-conquering Cornwall and Wales, and expelling all foreign agents.

'This day came their Mortar piece which struck the poor Cittizens into an Ague fite of trembling and gazing at the strangeness thereof, not having seen the like before.'. The inhabitant of the besieged town of Lichfield who recorded the above was not alone in witnessing the destructive impact of the English Civil Wars of the mid-seventeenth century. Towns, villages, churches and country houses up and down the land were affected. Indeed, destruction was so widespread that by the end of the Second Civil War at least 150 towns and 50 villages had suffered some damage, 200 country houses had been ruined, and more than 50,000 people had been made homeless. This book is the first detailed study of this aspect of the Civil Wars and makes available the results of many years of study and research of original documents and manuscripts in record offices and local history libraries throughout the country. Much of the material has never previously been published. The author conveys vividly, often through their own words, the feelings of those caught up in the traumatic events of the time, while also presenting a clear narrative and explanation of events. This new and valuable study will be welcomed not only by historians but also by all those with an interest in the effects of this particularly destructive period of English history upon the towns and countryside that surround us.

This popular history of the English Civil War tells the story of the bloody conflict between Oliver Cromwell and Charles I from the perspectives of those involved.

A brilliant appraisal of the Civil War and its long-term consequences, by an acclaimed historian. The political upheaval of the mid-seventeenth century has no parallel in English history. Other events have changed the occupancy and the powers of the throne, but the conflict of 1640-60 was more dramatic: the monarchy and the House of Lords were abolished, to be replaced by a republic and military rule. In this wonderfully readable account, Blair Worden explores the events of this period and their origins - the war between King and Parliament, the execution of Charles I, Cromwell's rule and the Restoration - while aiming to reveal something more elusive: the motivations of contemporaries on both sides and the concerns of later generations.

The origins, nature and consequence of the English Civil War are subjects of continuing historical controversy. The English Civil War and Revolution is a wide ranging, accessible sourcebook covering the principal aspects of the mid-seventeenth century crisis. It presents a comprehensive guide to the historiographical debates involved. Drawing on a variety of source material such as official records, private correspondence, diaries, minutes of debates and petitions, this text provides: * contextual introductions to documents * a comprehensive glossary of seventeenth century terms * a chronology of events for reference * illustrations, including contemporary woodcuts. While familiarising students with some of the main sources drawn upon by historians working in the field, The English Civil War and Revolution contains many extracts from unpublished, manuscript sources. By taking sources from all levels of society and grouping them thematically, this book offers a number of viewpoints on the civil war and revolution, thus aiding understanding of this complex period.