English Civil Wars
Since these wars and the events that led up to them are among the main reasons many of our ancestors came to this country, it seems appropriate to spend a little time discussing them.
Henry VIII became King of England in 1509. He was also married that year. Eighteen years later he wanted a divorce, but the Pope would not grant it. Because of the Pope's refusal, Henry and his advisors eventually convinced Parliament to abolish the Pope's authority and in 1534 they declared the King to be the supreme head of the Church of England. Henry continued to rule until his death in 1547.
Henry was succeeded by his nine year old son Edward VI. Edward, who was a Protestant, died at the age of sixteen and was succeeded by his sister Mary. Mary I was a Catholic and tried to force the entire country to become Catholic. Her Protestant opposition were captured and burned at the stake, earning her the nickname "Bloody Mary". Mary died childless in 1558. She was succeeded by her Protestant sister Elizabeth. The nearly 50 year reign of Elizabeth I was one of the most famous eras in English history. She was smart and popular and kept the country at peace. However, Elizabeth never married, and her reign ended with her dying childless in 1603.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Scotland, Elizabeth's Catholic cousin Mary was the queen. She grew up in France but moved to Scotland in 1561. While Mary was living in Scotland, the country was actually being ruled by the members of the church, who were Protestants. The Scots were soon angered with Mary. They raised an army, captured her, and forced her to surrender the throne. She managed to escape and fled to England. She was imprisoned and eventually executed by her cousin Queen Elizabeth, who considered her to be dangerous. Mary was succeeded by her son James.
James VI was only a baby when he took the throne. Because of his age, the country was ruled by Scottish Barons. He eventually grew up and became King in his own right. He broke the power of the barons and established a strong royal government. He also appointed bishops to establish his authority over the church. When Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, James was her closest heir. He therefore also became James I, King of England, in that year.
James, being a Protestant and the King of both Scotland and England, thought he could unite the two countries. That did not happen because the Scots did not want to lose their independence and the English did not want to unite with what they felt was a poorer, less developed nation. In order to try to win the favor of both religious groups, he married his daughter to a Protestant and his son to a Catholic. He only succeeded at angering both sides. He also angered his countrymen with his belief in the "divine right of kings". James believed he was responsible only to God. James continued to anger his people and remained an unpopular king until his death in 1625.
After James' death his son Charles I took the throne. Charles also believed in the "divine right of kings" and the authority of the church of England. This led to conflicts with Parliament. Finally in 1629 Charles dismissed Parliament and ruled without them for 11 years. During this time he tried to create more uniformity between the churches of England and Scotland. He did this by trying to reform the Scottish church. In 1638 the Scots officially rejected Charles' reforms.
This made Charles furious so in 1639 he formed a force to attack Scotland. He did not however have the necessary money for such an expedition and had to return to England without fighting a battle. In 1640 he called on Parliament in order to raise money for another expedition. Parliament refused to discuss finances and were opposed to any military action. Charles raised money by other means and marched his army against the Scots. He was soundly defeated by the Scots, who gained control of some parts of northern England.
Defeated and his money exhausted, Charles returned to England and called another meeting with Parliament. This meeting went no better than the last. Parliament still wanted to deal with the issues of more parliamentary power and religious reforms. There was much tension between the two sides. On January 4, 1642, Charles tried to arrest five members of Parliament. The attempt failed, Charles left London, and both sides began to assemble resources and troops.
The war began with Charles' march to London. His troops were met at Edgehill and Turnham Green, and he eventually withdrew to Oxford, which became his headquarters for the war. During the remainder of 1642 and through 1643, Charles' forces seemed to have the upper hand. Many battles however were inconclusive, and both sides looked for allies to help in the fight. Parliament allied with the Scots, promising religious reform in return for their help. Charles was able to get more troops by calling for a cease fire to fighting in Ireland so that his troops could join him in England. By 1646 Parliaments forces had all but destroyed Charles' forces so Charles disbanded his remaining troops and fled for Scotland. (I don't know why, they were fighting against him!)
Charles was eventually returned to England. He was then kidnapped by the remaining Parliamentary forces. They had refused to disband because of issues regarding pay and living conditions. They hoped Charles would be a good negotiating tool. Charles, however, escaped again and fled to the Isle of Wight, where he was again imprisoned. From there he was able to negotiate his own agreement with Scotland. He also promised religious reforms and the Scots soon joined his cause.
The second civil war was begun in July 1648 when Scottish troops invaded England. It was short lived as the Scots were soon defeated by Parliaments forces which were led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell originally believed that peace could be restored and Charles could return as king. After this second war however, he realized Charles was dangerous and persuaded Parliament to try him for treason. Charles was tried, found guilty, and beheaded on January 30, 1649.
After Charles' death, his son Charles II declared himself the king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. In 1651 Scottish troops were again sent to England, and again they were defeated by Cromwell's army. Charles II fled to France, ending the civil wars. Oliver Cromwell became the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England. He ruled until his death in 1658. After Cromwell's death, Charles II was recalled to England and was eventually crowned king on April 23, 1661.