Of all mid-seventeenth-century revolutions, the “English” Civil War is the most complex and fascinating, not least because it resulted in the first and only time a monarch has ever been put on trial in Britain. The British Civil War that started in 1642 has been described as an “accidental war”: some form of crisis war inevitable, yet an actual civil war was far from the inevitable result. Charles I, beheaded on a cold January morning in 1649 inherited a troubled throne from his father James I. James left him all kinds of problems yet in the early years of his reign, Charles did little to defuse them and by the beginning of his personal rule, he had made enemies of the Scots, Protestants and Parliament. And this was to come to light when in 1637 there was a riot in St Gyles in Edinburgh because of resilience to a new prayer book being introduced which seemed suspiciously Catholic. By the end of Charles personal rule, he was running out of money and had no option but to call parliament. However, there was such a lack of cooperation and trust that nothing got done. Charles was fighting a losing battle so in August 1642, he raised the standard and war was declared. The subject of the causes of the civil war has been a widely debated one among historians. Some believe that it was down to deep rooted problems, others look to more recent events in its lead up. However, it can also be debated that Charles character, the fact that he had an obsession with control and authority, was the main cause of the civil war.
Charles had a very complex personality. He was weak as a child - having rickets and a speech impediment. Charles was never intended to be King, he had always lived in the shadow of his older brother yet his death put Charles next in line for the throne. As a King, Charles was very insecure. He was jealous of all the young, handsome men and he thought that anyone giving criticism towards the Monarchy was being disloyal to him. Charles, like his father,...