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How did Charles I’s religious policies in Scotland lead to the Bishops’ Wars?

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Painting of the Battle of Naseby shows cavalry and infantry clashing, with soldiers on horseback leading a charge and fallen fighters on the ground amid the chaos of battle. — English Civil Wars *Battle of Naseby*, by an unknown artist. The victory of the Parliamentarian New Model Army, under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, over the Royalist army, commanded by Prince Rupert, at the Battle of Naseby (June 14, 1645) marked the decisive turning point in the English Civil War.

Charles I’s religious policies in Scotland triggered the Bishops’ Wars by attempting to impose Anglican-style rituals and royal authority over the Scottish Church without the consent of the Scottish Parliament, the General Assembly, or the Privy Council.1

Driven by his advisor William Laud, Charles introduced a new Book of Canons and a prayer book based on ceremonialist practices that many Scots feared were a step toward Roman Catholicism. These innovations were authorized solely by royal prerogative, which offended Scottish sensibilities regarding both religious tradition and the rule of law.21

In response, the Scottish people united under the National Covenant in 1638 to resist these changes and defend their Presbyterian form of worship. When the General Assembly subsequently abolished episcopacy, Charles attempted to enforce his will through military force. The resulting conflict exhausted the king's financial resources, forcing him to summon the English Parliament and ultimately precipitating the English Civil War.2341