Year 8 · History · The Civil War · Lesson 1

Why did Parliament fight the King?

The causes of the English Civil War: Charles I and the Divine Right of Kings, the Personal Rule and Ship Money, religious tensions, the Scottish rebellion and the five MPs.

19-minute video lesson

Teaching, worked examples and 20 practice questions solved step by step.

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What your child will learn

Explain the Divine Right of Kings
Explain money, religion and power causes
Identify the trigger of the war
Link causes together
Judge the most important cause

The method

Group causes.
Long-term vs trigger.
Link causes.
Judge the most important.

Key words: Divine Right of Kings, Personal Rule, Ship Money, Puritan, Parliament, trigger, civil war.

Worked examples

The first three practice questions from the lesson, with every step.

Question 1

When did Charles I become king?

Step 1: After his father, James I

Answer: 1625

Question 2

What is the Divine Right of Kings?

Step 1: God gives kings their power

Answer: The belief that kings get their power from God

Question 3

Why would MPs dislike the Divine Right of Kings?

Step 1: It meant Parliament had no real say

Answer: It meant the king could ignore Parliament