The Stuarts, the Civil War, and the Commonwealth Timeline

  • Queen Elizabeth I of England died

    Queen Elizabeth I of England died
    She was succeeded by her cousin King James VI of Scotland.
  • James VI of Scotland became King of England

    He united the crowns of Scotland and England.
  • Gunpowder Plot failed in England

    Gunpowder Plot failed in England
    It was a failed assassination attempt against King James VI by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.
  • The King James Version of the Bible is completed

    The King James Version of the Bible is completed
  • Charles I became King of England, Scotland, and Ireland

    Charles I became King of England, Scotland, and Ireland
  • King James VI dies

    King James VI dies
  • Pétition of Rights

    This Parliament's complained against the King's non-parliamentary taxation and imprisonments without trial, plus the unlawfulness of martial law and forced billets. So the petition of rights is about :
    -no taxes without parliament autorisation
    -no English subject imprisoned without cause
    -no quartering of soldiers in citizens homes
    -no martial law may be used in peacetime
  • King Charles I dissolves parliament

    King Charles I dissolves parliament
  • Ship Money imposed

    Ship Money imposed
    Ship money was a non parliamentary tax of medieval origin. It required those being taxed to furnish a certain number of warships or to pay the ships' equivalent in money.
  • Period: to

    Wars of the Three Kingdoms

    They were civil wars throughout Scotland, Ireland, and England.
  • The Long Parliament

    The Long Parliament
    The ‘Short Parliament’ was dissolved by Charles I in 1625. However the Long Parliament was worried about the King’s finances and expenses. It is called the Long Parliament because it lasted for twenty years.
  • Triennial Acts

    Triennial Acts
    The act required that Parliament meet for at least a fifty-day session once every three years. It was intended to prevent kings from ruling without Parliament, as Charles had done between 1629 and 1640.
  • Progression to War

    Progression to War
    A document listed by the parliament’s grievences with Charles’s rule, challenged the arbitrary power of the king, and asserted the authority of parliament.
  • Period: to

    First English Civil War

  • Battle of Naseby

    The Parliamentarian New Model Army, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, destroyed the main Royalist army under Charles I and Prince Rupert.
  • Charles I surrenders

    Charles I surrenders
    Charles travelled north and surrendeed to the Scottish army. From there, the Scots moved with Charles to Newcastle and eventually sold him to the English Parliamentarian army in January 1647.
  • Charles I escapes

    Charles I escapes
    In November 1647 Charles escaped his captors, fleeing to the royalist forces on the Isle of Wight. Here he renewed secret negotiations with parliament and the Scots.
  • Period: to

    Second English Civil War

    The Presbyterian majority in Parliament failed to dissolve the New Model Army in late 1647.
  • The execution of Charles I

    The execution of Charles I
  • Period: to

    The Commonwealth of England

    The monarchy is brought back during the English Restoration.
  • Period: to

    Third English Civil War

  • Oliver Cromwell proclaimed Lord protector

    Oliver Cromwell proclaimed Lord protector
  • Death of Oliver Cromwell

    Death of Oliver Cromwell
    From being an army officer in the Civil Wars and defender of the execution of Charles I, Cromwell had, in 1653, become Lord Protector.
  • Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England

    Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England
  • Charles II becomes King of England

    Charles II becomes King of England
  • Act of Uniformity

    Act of Uniformity
  • Charles II marries Catherine Of Braganza

    Charles II marries Catherine Of Braganza
  • Period: to

    The Great Fire of London

    The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London.
  • James II becomes Kings of England

    James II becomes Kings of England
  • King Charles II dies

    King Charles II dies
  • Birth of James Francis Edward Stuart