Tag Archives: 1651

3 September 1651

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The Battle of Worcester is the last significant action in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

The Battle of Worcester, which took place on September 3, 1651, was a decisive conflict during the English Civil War, marking the final major battle of the war. It was fought between the forces of the Parliamentarians, led by Oliver Cromwell, and the Royalists, commanded by King Charles II. The battle occurred near the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England.

Background:
The English Civil War was a series of conflicts fought between the Parliamentarians (Roundheads), who supported the English Parliament and sought to limit the power of the monarchy, and the Royalists (Cavaliers), who supported King Charles I.
The war began in 1642 and went through several phases, including the First Civil War (1642-1646) and the Second Civil War (1648). The Battle of Worcester marked the climax of the Third Civil War (1650-1651).

Royalist Situation:
Charles II, the son of the executed King Charles I, sought to regain the English throne after his father’s death.
In 1650, Charles II was declared king by Royalist supporters, and he began raising an army in Scotland with the assistance of Scottish Covenanters.

Parliamentarian Forces:
Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the Parliamentarian New Model Army, was a seasoned and highly capable military commander.
The Parliamentarians had a well-disciplined and battle-hardened army, which was well-supplied and experienced in modern military tactics.

The Battle:
The Battle of Worcester began with a Parliamentarian siege of the city, where Charles II and his Royalist forces were holed up.
The Royalists made an ill-fated attempt to break the siege and engaged the Parliamentarian forces in open battle.
The battle was fierce and bloody, but the Royalists were outmatched and outnumbered.
Cromwell’s forces ultimately achieved a decisive victory, effectively ending the Third Civil War and securing Parliamentarian control of England.

Aftermath:
Charles II narrowly escaped capture after the battle and went into hiding, eventually making his way to the continent.
The defeat at Worcester marked the end of Royalist hopes for a Stuart restoration in the short term.
The Commonwealth of England was established, and Oliver Cromwell emerged as the dominant figure in the country.

Legacy:
The Battle of Worcester is often considered the final major conflict of the English Civil War.
Cromwell’s victory at Worcester solidified his position as the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, effectively making him the de facto ruler of England until his death in 1658.
Charles II would not return to England and reclaim the throne until the Restoration of 1660.

1 January 1651

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Charles II is crowned as King of Scotland.

Charles II lived from 29 May 1630 to 6 February 1685. Legally, he became King of England, Scotland, and Ireland on 30 January 1649, the day his father, Charles I, was beheaded. In practice, he did not become undisputed King of England until 29 May 1660: while in Scotland he had been proclaimed King Charles II by the Scottish Parliament on 5 February 1649; and crowned on 1 January 1651. The wider picture in Scotland at the time is set out in our Historical Timeline.

Charles Stuart was born in St. James’s Palace, London on 29 May 1630, and as the eldest surviving son of Charles I was made Prince of Wales and heir to the crowns held by his father. During the First Civil War the 12 year-old Charles Stuart accompanied his father at the Battle of Edgehill, and at the age of 15, took part in a number of the campaigns of 1645. Charles I was taken prisoner in 1646, and the following year Charles Stuart went to France for safety.

During the Second Civil War Charles Stuart was unable to reach the Scottish forces invading Northern England before their defeat by Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Preston on 17–19 August 1648. Charles I was beheaded on 30 January 1649. On 5 February 1649 the Scottish Parliament proclaimed the 19 year-old Charles Stuart as Charles II: while the following month the English Parliament declared England to be a republic.

From March 1649, Charles was based in the Hague, where he began a series of negotiations with representatives of the Scottish Parliament about his return. In exchange for their support, the Scots wanted Charles to sign the Covenant, and to impose Presbyterianism in England, Wales and Ireland. Charles refused, instead attempting to regain control in Scotland by force. At his request, the Marquis of Montrose, who had brilliantly led the Royalist forces against the Covenanters in Scotland during the Civil War, landed in Orkney with 500 Scandinavian mercenaries, before moving on to Caithness, reinforced by Orcadian volunteers. However, on 27 April 1650 Montrose’s forces lost to a much smaller Covenanter army at the Battle of Carbisdale, near Bonar Bridge. Montrose was subsequently executed in Edinburgh, in part because Charles denied to the Scots that he was behind Montrose’s actions.