Ten Minute English and British History #20 - The English Civil War

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This episode of Ten Minute History covers the late reign of Charles I and his problems with the Bishops' War and the conflict with parliament. It wasn't long before Charles' duplicity and method of rule saw the outbreak of war between Parliament and the king's forces. The civil wars spanned about a decade and eventually saw the execution of Charles I and the ascendancy of Oliver Cromwell as the Lord Protector of the English Commonwealth (a republic). His rule saw the conquest of Ireland and war with Spain and the Dutch Republic and after Cromwell's death in 1658, it wasn't long before Charles's son, Charles II, was restored to the throne.

Recommended reading:
Barry Coward and Peter Gaunt - The Stuart Age: England 1603-1714. Fantastic and very detailed work which I'd recommend for undergrads but a bit dense for those simply interested in the period.

John Miller - Early Modern Britain: 1450-1750. A phenomenal book. It's an overview of the entire period and really a must have if you are looking to study Britain during the era. Cannot recommend this book enough (or the others in the series).

[simbachvazo]

So you’re telling me England was a Republic for a short time, most colonies supported the Monarchy, and a Frenchman wrote a book supporting Royalty over Democracy?

Hey just so y'all are aware,
I'm joking. You don't need to correct me on history I know, I watched the video and I took AP Euro, we covered this.

[LedosKell]

"So they hatched a clever plan: They lied."

Can't argue with a good plan.

[TakumaMimura]

“Most of the American colonies backed the Royalist side”. What a big difference 126 years makes.

[BFMandCProductions]

Fun fact: because Virginia was so loyal to the royalists, it was given the nickname the "Old Dominion" and because of that, the sports teams of the University of Virginia are known as the "Cavaliers"

[Aviationlord]

“They hatched a clever plan, they lied” nice to see politicians haven’t changed in 400 years

[Isildun]

Parliament tried to disband the army, but the army, led by one Thomas Fairfax, said no, which is pretty hard to argue with because guns. Loved it.

[anderskorsback]

One essential thing this video leaves out though is that even though the monarchy was restored with Charles II, it was a much reduced monarchy. A monarchy that had to answer to Parliament much in line with what Parliament had originally demanded from Charles I. Thus, Parliament eventually got what it wanted, though only after having endured Cromwell's dictatorship.

[thethairishsun]

Since it's been 3.5 years, am I wrong to hope for this series to continue?

[papabear]

This almost feels like it could be 2 episodes.

[SweetMelodeeASMR]

This series has the best death scenes...the "thud" says it all. My favorites are the unexpected surprise thuds.

[EndOfSmallSanctuary]

One thing that makes this channel superior to other history channels is your use of scholarly historical works (rather than pop history) for sources, as well as your clear citing of those sources (which some "history" channels even flat-out refuse to do, like Extra Credits). Lot's of respect for your obvious passion for the subject and academic integrity.

[dunctonhoney]

I love the ghost of Charles I saying 'so now it's ok?'

[damonferrara]

I know it's probably a sailed ship, but I'd love to see this series completed.

[merrittanimation]

For those that didn't watch the previous video in this series or are unfamiliar with early American history the northern colonies gave more support to Parliament because they were Puritans.

[Gregsplays]

Here's a fun fact, the Cornish largely sided with the royalists because the royal family had preserved their rights as a unique culture under the crown, and after one battle, they hosted Charles the first at Pendennis castle in Falmouth whilst he recovered. The irony that about 300 years later the Cornish culture and language would be basically completely stamped out by the Victorians.

[oneofmanyjames-es]

Yeah that republic thing didn't work out for us. Turns out handing power to an ultra-religious military guy goes badly.

[nickseebruch]

I still hope we get that 10 minute Glorious Revolution video someday.

[sirwolfnsuch]

2:45-2:52 Another important thing controlled by Parliament were the presses, allowing the Parliamentarians to unleash a war of propaganda. (This war had already been going on for some time before the civil war itself broke out.)

[bhromorrahman]

The army opted for a different strategy: RUN AWAY 😂😂😂

[mankytoes]

And then they dug up Cromwell and bashed his corpse up.