Notes

In the English Civil War, the primary struggle was between Parliament and the King. The problems started with King James I. He converted to Protestantism because he became king, but he was always still a Catholic at heart. Because of this, he brought in many Catholic traditions into the Protestant church, which the Protestants didn't like. Parliament was made up of many people who did not agree with James, so they opposed him. When James I died, his son Charles I inherited his father's problems. Ireland and Scotland revolted, and Charles was at the mercy of Parliament for the war. They wanted him to yield his power, which he did not do, so war broke out.

The supporters of Parliament, called Roundheads, fought with the supporters of the king, who were called Cavaliers. Charles I was captured in battle, put on trial for treason and put to death. Oliver Cromwell created the Rump Parliament, which overthrew Charles II who was on the throne. Cromwell overthrew Parliament and ruled as a dictator until Parliament brought back Charles II to rule. It seemed that bringing a king back just put England back where they were before the war. But that is not the case. Charles II knew his place after going through all of that.

After Charles II died, his son James II was given the crown. James II did not know his place and Parliament realized that. So they invited William of Orange and his wife Mary to come and take over the country. He accepted the invitation and came in and took James off of throne with little bloodshed. He was also invited to take the crown, which he did as well as a Bill of Rights that gave Parliament all of the powers they had asked for. Parliament ended up winning the battle against the throne because now, based on their Bill of Rights, the king cannot raise an army without Parliament's approval, so he cannot forcefully oppose them. Parliament can also now make laws and levy taxes.