Not Just the Tudors – The English Civil War

Host: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb
Date: September 1, 2025
Podcast by History Hit

Episode Overview

This episode explores the origins and early years of the English Civil War (1642–1646), highlighting how a combination of religious conflict, political strife, and personal rivalries led to the collapse of monarchical authority and the transformation of British society. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, drawing from previous interviews with eminent historians, reconstructs a decade that saw the very foundation of English, Scottish, and Irish governance upended. The episode brings to life key turning points—Charles I’s fateful decisions, the ideological clash of Parliament and crown, the outbreak of interlinked wars across the British Isles, and the rise of Oliver Cromwell. Key battles, political developments, and memorable personal stories are illuminated with expert insight and vivid detail.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Britain on the Brink

• Scale of the Conflict:
  • The civil wars caused up to 250,000 deaths—about 5% of the population, proportionally double the fatality rate of WWI.
  • The conflict was pan-British: involving England, Scotland, and Ireland (“the wars of the Three Kingdoms”).
• Underlying Tensions:
  • Religious Divisions: Charles I’s marriage to Catholic Henrietta Maria raised alarms among Protestants wary of returning Catholic influence.
  • Autocratic Governance: Charles’s belief in the "Divine Right of Kings" and his suspension of Parliament cultivated accusations of tyranny.

“The consequences of these conflicts still echo through British politics and society today. The struggle between the monarch and elected representatives…all of these were forged in the crucible of civil war.” — Professor Suzannah Lipscomb (02:54)

2. Religion and Royal Authority

• Catholic Queen’s Influence:
  • Henrietta Maria suspected of being a "Trojan horse for Catholicism" (04:04), accused of fostering regressive monarchy.
• Suspicious Religious Policies:
  • Archbishop William Laud’s reforms pushed the Church of England toward ritualism—a move many saw as covertly Catholic.

“Her existence was a stick to beat Charles with…and many people were very fearful…Protestantism was being rolled back in Europe and they felt very threatened.” — Leanda Delisle, Henrietta Maria’s biographer (04:04)

3. Government without Parliament: “The Eleven Years Tyranny”

• Charles ruled alone from 1629–1640, employing controversial ‘prerogative’ taxes such as ship money to raise revenue without consent.
• Expert Analysis: Dr. Jonathan Healy details how ship money, traditionally a coastal tax, was extended inland sparking outrage as it undermined the link between taxation and parliamentary consent.

“There's no way you can get around that. So essentially what it means is that people are being taxed with the new tax without first having voted it in Parliament.” — Dr. Jonathan Healy (08:50)

4. Opposing Tyranny: Political and Legal Crisis

• Lack of Accountability:
  • Critics feared that without Parliament, no one could check the King’s power or represent the people’s grievances.
• Rhetoric of Tyranny:
  • Some writings likened Charles to historical tyrants such as Nero.

“…without Parliament being in session, there isn’t really any kind of body or organization that can hold the King to account…Some of these criticisms…making allusions to Charles being a tyrant comparable to Roman emperors such as Nero.” — Professor Ted Vallance (09:57)

5. War Sparks: Rebellions in Scotland and Ireland

• The Scottish Crisis:

  • Imposition of the English prayer book led to mass protest (“the Covenanters”) and armed conflict.
  • Charles’ failures in Scotland forced him to summon Parliament for funds—opening the door for Parliamentary opposition.

• The Irish Uprising:

  • 1641: Catholic gentry seize Ulster, massacre Protestant settlers, leading to sectarian horror stories in England.
  • Fears grew that Charles might use Irish Catholic forces to bolster his royalist cause.

“There’s a fear here that actually Charles is not unsympathetic to these rebels…there’s anxieties here that Charles may use any army that’s raised to suppress this Irish rebel, not against the Irish rebels, but against Parliament itself…” — Professor Ted Vallance (13:32)

6. The Final Break: The Attempted Arrest of Parliament

• In January 1642, Charles storms the House of Commons to arrest five MPs for treason—an unprecedented breach.
• Advance warnings allowed the MPs to escape.
• The Speaker famously declared he answered only to the House, not the monarch, underlining Parliamentary independence.

“As soon as Charles came out of Whitehall and gathered all these soldiers and trundled down this…an employee of the French Embassy was running in front of them…so they knew it was about to go down…when Charles got there, he came into the House of Commons and said, where are these five traitors? And the speaker said, they're not here. And also, I can't say anything. I can only give voice to…the House of Commons.” — Dr. Jonathan Healy (15:18)

“I see the birds have flown…” — Charles I, after the failed arrest (16:14)

7. Two Sides, Two Names: “Roundheads” and “Cavaliers”

• Origins:
  • Street violence in London birthed the terms: “Roundheads” (short-cropped Parliamentary supporters) vs. “Cavaliers” (long-haired, dashing Royalists).

“The Roundheads…because their haircuts were cropped short…and the Cavaliers were seen as…the establishment, long haired, dashing, but cruel followers of the King. And they started calling each other these terms…” — Jesse Childs (19:14)

8. Key Battles and Turning Points

a. Battle of Edgehill (Oct 23, 1642) [20:20 – 23:40]

• First major battle: inconclusive but brutal; highlighted the chaos and foreshadowed a long war.
• Notable moment: Sir Edmund Verney defends the King’s standard to the death.
  • Quote:
    “I have eaten his bread and served him near 30 years and will not do so base a thing as to forsake him.” — Sir Edmund Verney (22:48) “My life is my own…but the standard is the King’s, and I will not deliver it while I live.” (23:06)

b. Royalist Momentum & Stalemate at Newbury (Sep 1643) [24:50+]

• Royalists gain Bristol; Parliamentarians barely escape disaster, maintain control of London after hard fighting at Newbury.

c. The Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Foreign and Religious Alliances [30:40+]

• Scottish Covenanters join Parliament’s cause, sending an army across the border in 1644.
• In Ireland, the Catholic Confederate government seeks alliances with Catholic powers.

d. Battle of Marston Moor (July 2, 1644) [32:06 – 38:06]

• Largest battle of the war; Cromwell’s cavalry proves decisive.
• Vivid Depiction:
  • Cromwell’s “Ironsides” smash the Royalists, capturing York and ending the King’s power in the north.
  • Quote:
    “He takes a pleasure in bloodletting, which is relatively unusual…The fact that he would refer to other human beings as stubble to our sword so exultantly indicates again his bloodthirstiness.” — Professor Ronald Hutton on Cromwell (35:36) “God made them as stubble to our swords.” — Oliver Cromwell (37:40)

9. The Rise of the New Model Army [39:32 – 43:24]

• Parliamentary Frustrations:
  • Second Battle of Newbury reveals the limitations of aristocratic, tradition-based command.
• Self-Denying Ordinance:
  • Strips MPs (including Cromwell, temporarily) of officer roles; ushers in a professional, merit-based army.
• New Model Army:
  • Emphasizes skill, discipline, and ideological commitment; includes unique democratic practices (General Council of the Army).

“…what we see from the development of that organization is also an emerging sense that army is a single kind of political entity. It’s not, in their own words, a mere mercenary army, but an army that has been created to defend liberties and freedoms of the English people.” — Professor Ted Vallance (42:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The word of the monarch is no longer law…Parliament dares to challenge the throne.” — Suzannah Lipscomb (02:10)
• “It is a new tax…without first having voted it in Parliament.” — Dr. Jonathan Healy (08:50)
• “There’s a fear here that actually Charles is not unsympathetic to these rebels.” — Professor Ted Vallance (13:32)
• “I see the birds have flown.” — Charles I (16:14)
• “He takes a pleasure in bloodletting, which is relatively unusual.” — Professor Ronald Hutton on Cromwell (35:36)
• “God made them as stubble to our swords.” — Oliver Cromwell (37:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – 02:54: Introduction and scope of the episode
• 02:54 – 05:41: Religion and the roots of crisis
• 07:20 – 09:41: Ship money and fiscal conflict
• 09:57 – 11:03: Polarization and labels of tyranny
• 11:03 – 12:43: Scottish resistance and the National Covenant
• 12:43 – 13:32: Irish rebellion and sectarian violence
• 14:33 – 16:25: The failed arrest and loss of royal authority
• 19:14 – 20:20: Origins of 'Roundhead' and 'Cavalier'
• 20:20 – 23:40: The Battle of Edgehill
• 32:06 – 38:06: The Battle of Marston Moor and Cromwell’s rise
• 39:32 – 43:24: The New Model Army and the Self-Denying Ordinance
• 43:24 – 44:34: Transition to the next episode

Conclusion & Next Steps

Professor Lipscomb concludes by looking ahead to the next episode, promising coverage of the climactic Battle of Naseby, the unraveling of royalist hopes, and the fate of King Charles.

“Next time, how the Battle of Nasby marked the beginning of the end for royalist hopes and how King Charles played a desperate gambit to reclaim power...” — Suzannah Lipscomb (43:24)

Contact:
Send episode ideas to notjustthetudors@historyhit.com

For listeners: This episode provided a compelling, richly detailed narrative of the causes, escalation, and early battles of the English Civil War—with expert voices explaining why the political and religious structures of early modern Britain ultimately shattered into civil war.