The wars between Charles I (reigned AD 1625-49) and Parliament devastated the nation and tore families apart. Charles’s arrogance and insistence on ruling without Parliament, unpopular taxes, and a disastrous failure to make the Scottish Church conform to English practice, led to confrontation with Parliament by 1640. The king was forced to accept a series of laws abolishing his right to act unilaterally. A Catholic rebellion in Ireland in 1641 increased religious tension. Charles was suspected of Catholic sympathies, and war broke out.

To begin with, the Royalists were successful, but when the Scots came to Parliament’s aid, the tide turned at Marston Moor (1644). The leader of the Parliamentary forces, Oliver Cromwell, created the New Model Army, whose training and organisation helped Parliament to victory in 1646. As Charles dragged out peace negotiations, the Army revolted (over arrears of pay), seized the king and invaded London. Generals Cromwell, Fairfax and Ireton struggled to prevent radicals taking over the Army.

In 1648, Royalist uprisings supported by the Scots led to the second Civil War. This was crushed by Cromwell who won a decisive victory at Preston and occupied southern Scotland. It was partly to prevent further rebellion that Parliament orchestrated the trial and execution of the king in 1649.