What was the English Civil War?
The English Civil War was a series of conflicts between 1642 and 1651 between supporters of King Charles I, known as Royalists or Cavaliers, and supporters of Parliament, known as Parliamentarians or Roundheads.
The war grew out of disputes over the king's power, taxation and religion. Charles I believed in the divine right of kings and ruled for years without Parliament.
Major battles included Edgehill, Marston Moor and Naseby, where Parliament's New Model Army won a decisive victory in 1645.
Execution of the king
Charles I was captured, tried for treason and executed outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall on 30 January 1649. It was the first time an English king had been tried and executed.
England became a republic, known as the Commonwealth, and later Oliver Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector.
The war caused huge loss of life across England, Scotland and Ireland. Historians often call the conflicts the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
The monarchy was restored in 1660 when Charles II returned to the throne. The war established the principle that the monarch could not rule without Parliament.