The English Civil War refers to a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the struggle consisted of the First English Civil War and the Second English Civil War. The Anglo-Scottish War of 1650 to 1652 is sometimes referred to as the Third English Civil War.
The Battle of Naseby, 14 June 1645; Parliamentarian victory marked the decisive turning point in the English Civil War.
Charles I believed in the ‘Divine right of kings’; painting by Van Dyck
Henrietta Maria, painted by Peter Lely, 1660
A sitting of the Long Parliament, 1640
The term "Cavalier" was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration. It was later adopted by the Royalists themselves. Although it referred originally to political and social attitudes and behaviour, of which clothing was a very small part, it has subsequently become strongly identified with the fashionable clothing of the court at the time. Prince Rupert, commander of much of Charles I's cavalry, is often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier.
Prince Rupert of the Rhine, often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier
Lord John Stuart and his Brother, Lord Bernard Stuart, c. 1638, by Sir Anthony van Dyck. Both Lord John Stewart and Lord Bernard Stewart died in the English Civil War, fighting on the Royalist side.
Triple Unite gold coin of 1644: the Latin legend translates as "The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England and the liberty of Parliament. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered."
Charles I in Three Positions, the triple portrait of Charles I by Anthony van Dyck