When did the English Civil Wars take place?

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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.

The English Civil Wars took place from 1642 to 1651. While traditionally dated to the start of fighting in England in August 1642—when Charles I raised an army against Parliament—the broader conflict, often referred to as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, began earlier.12

The period of unrest was preceded by the Bishops’ Wars in Scotland (1639–40) and the Ulster rebellion in Ireland in 1641. The fighting concluded in 1651 with the flight of Charles II to France, which effectively ended the hopes of the house of Stuart to maintain the monarchy at that time.12