Parliamentarians versus Royalists. Less than forty years after the death of Queen Elizabeth I, English erupted into a bloody civil war between King Charles I with his Royalist supporters (the Cavaliers) and those supporting Parliament (also known as the Roundheads). Charles’ attempts to circumvent Parliament and rule without them led to people taking sides and eventually, open rebellion between the Cavaliers and Roundheads. Ultimately, Parliament came out the victors and Charles I became the first English king to be executed, giving way to the Commonwealth period, under the leadership of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. This tumultuous period of English history is certainly rife with its own interesting facts.

Nicknames

For the Royalists, the nickname is fairly simple in origin. As Charles’ forces were largely comprised of cavalry, they earned the nickname “Cavaliers” (the Spanish word being “cavalieros”). Meanwhile, the Parliamentarians got the nickname “Roundheads” because some of the younger soldiers had their hair cut very short, giving their heads a round appearance.

Show No Fear

Charles’ execution date was the 30th of January, 1649 and as a result, it was bitterly cold. Defiant and proud until the end, Charles decided to wear two shirts to keep from shivering with cold and keeping the people from believing that he was afraid.

Trilogy

The English Civil War wasn’t just one conflict, but actually three separate wars that happened between 1642 and 1651. The First English Civil War was the initial conflict between Charles and Parliament, which ended in Charles’ defeat and agreement to make concessions to Parliament. When Charles never followed through on his promises and used the break in the fighting to raise a Scottish force to invade England, this became the Second English Civil War, which was ultimately unsuccessful and led to his execution. The Third English Civil War was mostly Parliament’s attempt to quash any lingering rebellion.

No Christmas this Year

With Parliament firmly in control of most of England by 1647, Oliver Cromwell and Parliament banned Christmas celebrations for a period of twelve years. With various Puritan forces in control of Parliament, it was felt that Christmas celebrations were a remnant of the Catholic Church and led to many sinful actions such as drinking, gambling, and other shenanigans that they frowned upon. Soldiers were even once ordered to seize any dinners prepared on Christmas Day. Further, shops and markets were expected to stay open and any churches offering special Christmas services would be penalized.

Stop Hitting Yourself

During the Second English Civil War, Sir Arthur Aston, a Royalist in command at Drogheda met with a particularly gruesome fate. When the town was captured on the 11th of September, 1649, Parliamentary forces beat him to death with his own wooden leg.

Hide and Seek Champion

Charles I’s son, the future King James II, was imprisoned at St. James Palace, along with his siblings, following the arrest of his father. His eventual escape from the palace was facilitated by a game of hide and seek. James was so adept at the game that it once took a half-hour to find him. One such game on the 20th of April, 1648 was used as cover to sneak him out of the palace grounds and down to the river, where he was dressed in women’s clothes and escaped London to stay at the Hague with his sister, the Princess of Orange.

Reenactment

Today, the Sealed Knot Society is a historical recreation group that often re-enacts battles from the English Civil War. The original Sealed Knot was a secret group that plotted the restoration of the monarchy during the Commonwealth period and staged several unsuccessful attempts to bring about the Restoration. The modern incarnation is a registered charity with its own coat of arms.

Astley Prayer

Sir Jacob Astley is famous, in part, for the prayer that he uttered before the Battle of Edgehill, which went: “Oh Lord, thou knowest how busy I must be this day. If I forget Thee, do not Thou forget me.” After surrendering his army at the Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold, he told his soldiers, “Well, boys, you have done your work, now you may go and play—if you don’t fall out amongst yourselves.”

Death Toll

It is estimated that 190,000 people died from the fighting and diseases caused by the conflict, though it is believed each side had only 15,000 soldiers at any given time. In Ireland, 600,000 people died from illness, famine, and disease caused by the conflicts.

Cannons

While small cannons were generally more effective, sometimes the Royalists and Parliamentarians used cannons that were so large they had to be drawn by sixteen horses. The size did not make them terribly accurate, so they were mostly used to strike fear into opposing forces.