What Was the Main Cause of the Civil War?

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What was the main cause of the civil war? The civil war started in 22nd August 1642 when Charles finally snapped. Many MPs thought that Parliament had gone too far: Charles did too. In this essay you will see why in four sections; Money, Religion, Power and the Triggers. Charles got off to a bad start. He broke away from Parliament to rule without them. Now that Charles did not have a Parliament, he had to find new ways to raise money. One method he used was ‘Ship Money’. This was a tax to improve the navy in times of war. It was usually paid only by countries on the coast and only in wartime. But in 1635 and 1636 Charles demanded Ship Money from all countries even though no war took place (yet). People who refused to pay were arrested. There were no more sources to receive money from. In the 1630s Charles made changes to the Catholic Church. He decorated them and he told the clergy not to preach sermons about the Bible. These ideas upset the Puritans (extreme Protestants). Many thought he was attempting to bring back the Catholic Church. Charles’ wife was a Catholic and had her own chapel and priest. Many believed Charles to be Catholic too. Many Puritans wrote small leaflets insulting and complaining about the church and the monarchy. In 1637, three Puritans were put to trial by Archbishop Laud. They were found guilty and were punished severely. Charles tried to make the Scots use the English Prayer Book in 1637. They refused so Charles sent in an army. Charles’ army was defeated and he was in deep trouble. Charles had run out of money and no one was paying their taxes. His last resort was… Parliament. In 1640, Charles came back begging for help. Parliament compromised with Charles. They made a list of demands in return for not arresting Charles. They wanted him to: * Hold regular meetings of Parliament * Punish his ministers for how they
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