People, events and ideas of the British Civil Wars explored and explained by leading historians

Historians often refer to these debates as a founding moment in the history of democracy in Britain and the wider world. At the time they were also directly linked to the Regicide which followed.

Religious divisions between the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland were a fundamental cause of the Civil Wars and throughout the Interregnum sectarianism between Protestant factions constantly challenged the republican government and ultimately destroyed it.

The proceedings played out in front of thousands of spectators within Westminster Hall and in print were read by many more. The Rump Parliament intended the trial to serve propaganda purposes. However, this aim was subverted by the king’s surprisingly fluent defence in which he recast himself as a defender of the people’s liberty in the face of a new, arbitrary power.

The British Civil Wars and their aftermath marked the beginning of formal state recognition of its unique obligations to the welfare of military veterans and widows Armed Forces Covenant. This unique webcast will bring the past and present together.

The British Civil Wars provides an exciting opportunity to engage learners of all ages and as Denise Greany, Learning Officer at National Civil War Centre explains, it brings compelling stories with a diverse and colourful cast of characters to the classroom.

The battle of Naseby finally destroyed the field army of the King and in two hours changed the history not only of Britain, but every modern democracy.

By the 1640s, Parliament was at the very centre of British history. The accession of Charles the First to the throne in 1625 began a bitter rivalry for dominance with a King whose political and religious views brought him into head-to-head conflict with an increasingly assertive Parliament.

The Civil Wars changed the lives of families all across the British Isles, and inevitably children became involved not only as passive bystanders, but also as child soldiers fighting in both the Royalist and Parliamentary armies.

An introductory step-by-step guide to the causes, conflicts and consequences of the British Civil Wars. With Professor Peter Gaunt in three 30-minute podcasts.

How culpable was Charles I in causing the British Civil Wars? Why did his army lose and why was he executed? Answering these questions are two noted historians, Edward Vallance and Andrew Hopper.