When Did the Civil War Become Inevitable?

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When did the Civil War become inevitable? When the Long parliament started in 1940, there was no immediate prospect of Civil War. Parliament was concerned with making sure the King couldn’t return to his personal rule and took drastic measures in doing so. By the summer of 1642 the whole country was at war. On the one hand stood the supporters of Charles: the Royalists. On the other stood the supporters of Parliament: the Parliamentarians. In the two years that led to war a number of different events occurred which could be seen as causes of the Civil War and each of these events have importance. The key question is: when did the war become Inevitable? One early cause of the Civil War was The Earl of Strafford’s execution in May 1641. Strafford was a dear friend and adviser of the King. Strafford became a devoted supporter of Charles and was hated by some members of Parliament, along with Archbishop Laud. He was hated by some for his work in Ireland. Although he had some successes, he was a very harsh ruler. So, Parliament decided to impeach Strafford based on weak accusations. For example, they said that he was heard saying to the King himself “Your Majesty, you have an army in Ireland, which you may employ here to reduce this kingdom.” However, this was supposedly said in a Privy council meeting, which surely means should be private conversation. He himself pointed out that one should be entitled to freedom of speech! Another accusation was made by a man who was nearly half deaf! Once again, this is a weak accusation with no real proof. He certainly wasn’t guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Lastly, Strafford was accused of a crime that would’ve been considered very serious at the time, treason. The Impeachment was unsuccessful, his defence was too good, and so Pym had to dramatically change tactics. The Commons abandoned the trial and instead released a Bill of
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