What's covered
Key facts
Causes and course of the war
Cavaliers were King Charles I's supporters during the Civil War.
Execution and the Interregnum
Charles I was executed in London on 30 January 1649.
Causes and course of the war
The Civil Wars were fought over the rival claims of king and Parliament to political and religious authority.
Execution and the Interregnum
Immediately after Charles I's execution, the Rump Parliament abolished the monarchy and declared England a Commonwealth (republic).
Causes and course of the war
Charles I's quarrels with Parliament over taxation, religion, and royal prerogative triggered the conflict.
Execution and the Interregnum
Oliver Cromwell ruled England as Lord Protector during the Interregnum.
Causes and course of the war
The English Civil War broke out in 1642.
Execution and the Interregnum
Cromwell took the title Lord Protector in December 1653.
Causes and course of the war
The two sides were the Royalists (Cavaliers), who supported the king, and the Parliamentarians (Roundheads), who supported Parliament.
Execution and the Interregnum
During the Interregnum England had no king and was technically a republic, formally the Commonwealth of England.
Sample questions
A taste of the 20 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What names were given to the two sides in the English Civil War?
- •Catholics and Protestants only
- ✓Royalists (Cavaliers) and Parliamentarians (Roundheads)
- •Whigs and Tories of later party politics
- •Yorkists and Lancastrians as in the Roses
Who ruled England as Lord Protector during the Interregnum?
- •Charles II in exile
- •John Pym
- ✓Oliver Cromwell
- •Thomas Fairfax
Why did Charles I rule without Parliament from 1629 to 1640?
- ✓He disagreed with MPs over taxation and religion
- •Parliament had voted to dissolve itself permanently
- •Plague had killed most of the MPs of the time
- •The Pope had banned all English Parliaments
What happened in England immediately after Charles I's execution in 1649?
- •Charles II returned from exile and reclaimed the throne
- •Cromwell was crowned King by Parliament within a few months
- ✓Parliament abolished the monarchy and declared England a Commonwealth
- •Scotland invaded and briefly took control of southern England
Which 1644 battle in the north of England was a decisive Parliamentarian victory over the Royalists?
- •Battle of Edgehill
- ✓Battle of Marston Moor
- •Battle of Naseby
- •Battle of Preston
What was the period without a monarch (1649-1660) called?
- •the Glorious Revolution
- ✓the Interregnum
- •the Reformation
- •the Restoration
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