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The First English Civil War ended with King Charles I defeated, his armies broken, and his cause apparently lost. But military victory for the Parliamentarians brought no real peace. Instead, the months that followed saw an even more volatile struggle, as Parliament turned on itself, and the captive King continued to bargain, delay and deceive. As the search for settlement gave way to renewed fighting, the conflict evolved into outright revolution. And when the extraordinary solution to the problematic monarch was finally enacted, it would shock even many of those who fought against him.
Why didn’t the military defeat of Charles I bring the kingdom back to peace? How did Parliament’s victory give rise to deeper division and more radical politics? And why did a war fought to limit the power of the monarchy end with the King on trial for his life?
This is a Short History Of The English Civil Wars, Part 2 of 2
A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Mark Stoyle, Professor of History at the University of Southampton, who specialises in the English Civil War.

