The English Civil War
The roots of the modern England
The XVII Century begins with a new dynasty in England: the Stuart. James I and Charles I — the first two kings of the dynasty — were contested monarchs because they fought against the Parliament until the Civil War broke out.
Let’s discover the events that brought towards the conflict. Download and read the texts about the reigns of James I and Charles I in order to recreate the historical context of the Civil War
As you had reported reading the information about James I and Charles I’s reigns, this period was very chaotic. Try to imagine what were the people’s feelings.
The world turned upside-down
Downloading the paper three people will be introduced you; they represent three different positions in English society. Discover the differences of each group of English society.
The historians claim that Charles I made many wrong decisions in the run up to the Civil War; considering the three people you have already known in the previous activity, state which decision each of them would prefer in any circumstance.
Charles I and the road to war
The paper — available for downloading — presents you four real cases that Charles I faced. Which decision do you suppose Jeremiah, Edmund or Mary wanted the king to make?
The war broke out
In 1642, the conflict between the king and the Parliament led to the Civil War. The country was split into two opposite sides, separated by religion, wealth and thoughts.
Look at the slide show: it sums up the main events of the war. Download the slides in pdf
Is Charles I guilty?
After seven years of war, the Parliament is victorious and the king is in jail. The question is what to do with Charles I. The MPs debated vehemently about the destiny of the king. Read the paper and do the assignment to discover what were the different points of view.
How do you punish a king?
Among the Parliament there were three main groups with different opinions: the radicals, the moderates and the royalists. Download the paper to do the assignment
Parliament decided that Charles was untrustworthy and a danger to the peace of England. He was put on trial in January 1649 accused of High Treason against the nation.
Charles argued that the trial was illegal and that could not be tried by Parliament. However, the decision was taken that he was guilty of High Treason against the nation, the sentence for which was death.
The final task
It’s up to you, as usual! You are requested to be a historian who has to report about Charles I’s execution. Study the sources from XVII century and make up the assignment.
Considering the picture and the sources submitted by the paper, write a report about Charles I’s execution describing
- the event
- the place where it occurred
- the reaction of the people who stood there
Eventually give your opinion about the fairness of the king’s beheading.