--- title: "The King, Parliament and the Civil War" description: "Disputes over taxation, religion and control of the army led to war between Charles I and Parliament. A disputed court tried and executed Charles in 1649. The monarchy returned in 1660, and later laws" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/the-king-parliament-and-the-civil-war-mt_OGW1jWquJn source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/the-king-parliament-and-the-civil-war-mt_OGW1jWquJn.md retrieved: 2026-11-12 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # The King, Parliament and the Civil War Disputes over taxation, religion and control of the army led to war between Charles I and Parliament. A disputed court tried and executed Charles in 1649. The monarchy returned in 1660, and later laws limited royal power. Subject: History · Area: Britain Through Time · Ages 11 to 13 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/the-king-parliament-and-the-civil-war-mt_OGW1jWquJn ## Ready when they can - Say what Parliament and the king each claimed the right to do - Explain why executing a king in 1649 was different from killing one in a battle - Name a limit on royal power set out in the 1689 Bill of Rights ## Lesson: Charles I, Parliament and the Civil Wars Tudor rulers had changed religious laws. Charles I became king in 1625 and claimed that kings received authority from God. This belief was called divine right. Parliament claimed the right to approve new taxes and share in lawmaking with the king. Charles dissolved Parliament in 1629 and governed without calling it again until 1640. Religious policies and demands for money caused distrust. By 1642, disputes over religion, money and royal power had deepened. Parliament feared Charles would use an army against it and demanded control of the army. Charles resisted that demand. Negotiations did not settle the conflict, and fighting began in 1642. Parliament's armies, with Cromwell among their commanders, defeated Charles's forces. Further wars continued until 1651. *(drawing: Charles's execution in 1649 did not end all the fighting.)* In 1649, a special court created by the remaining House of Commons tried Charles for treason. The army had excluded many MPs before this. Charles denied the court's authority to try him. The court sentenced him to death, and he was executed. Unlike a battle death, the trial claimed that a king could be held legally responsible. The court's authority was disputed. England became a republic in 1649, with no monarch. Cromwell became Lord Protector in 1653 and governed using Parliament and military power. After he died in 1658, his son Richard could not hold power. Disputes among soldiers and politicians weakened the republic. In 1660 Parliament invited Charles II to become king. This return of the monarchy is called the Restoration. *(drawing: A republic has no monarch. England's monarchy returned in 1660.)* Charles II later governed without calling Parliament from 1681 to 1685. In 1688 William of Orange invaded and James II fled. In 1689 Parliament offered William and Mary the crown. The Bill of Rights required Parliament's consent for raising taxes and keeping a standing army in peacetime. It strengthened limits on the monarchy, but did not give everyone a vote. John Locke argued that government needed people's consent and should protect life, liberty and property. He rejected divine right as the basis of government. If rulers seriously violated people's rights, he argued that people could resist them. This challenged the claim that a king's authority came from God alone. **Recap.** Disputes led to war and a contested trial of Charles I. The monarchy returned in 1660. The 1689 Bill of Rights later set limits on royal power. *This lesson, its questions, worked solutions and flashcards were written for this dataset. OpenStax history records were consulted for facts, without adapting their prose.* ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Tudor England and the Break With Rome](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/tudor-england-and-the-break-with-rome-mt_RUPYnRkH7i) ## Optional connections - [Magna Carta and Limiting Royal Power](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/magna-carta-and-limiting-royal-power-mt_8ShghTx0jd) ## Opens up - [Britain, the Slave Trade and Abolition](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/britain-the-slave-trade-and-abolition-mt_va8IlbmszO)