How would life follow after history showed a cavalier victory and not a roundhead one?

Question

That is unlikely however not impossible, just very remote.

Answer away.

Answer 1

rounders would have returned a year later and beaten the cavs. inevitable. the agrarian lordship society of the cavs was a doomed prospect - eventually industrial progress would quell their social/cultural preeminence.

Answer 2

I'm not sure I accept the arguments put forward earlier that 'all would have been the same' and Charles II would have succeeded and history would have got back 'on course'. Charles I was only 49 at his death so might have lived another 20 or more years which takes us to say 1675. Having won the Civil War, he would likely have become even more autocratic and, indeed, may have totally abolished Parliament. Charles II would have had no reason to be any different upon his accession and would have ruled for only 10 years. There would not have been the problems with James II which led to the Glorious Revolution (Dutch Invasion) and the Stuarts may have remained as the ruling house for some considerable time. In deed - an abolished parliament - no one to invite William of Orange in any event. I agree that the likely later scenario would have been a revolution around the time of the French Revolution. The two countries would not have been the bitter enemies that they were to come in the 18th century, and one could foresee a possibility of some kind of Union between the two countries, particularly had there not been to opposition to Napoleon. What would the history of Europe been like then? Then there is the question of the USA. I wonder whether there would have been many more Puritans etc. seeking to escape from a rigidly monarchical England? Would they have wished to remain colonies of England/Great Britain until 1776? Or, alternatively, with France allied with GB would the colonists have won the War of Independence?

This question is very interesting and raises many issues.

Answer 3

Simon,

If I understand correctly, you are saying what would have happened in England, if the Cavaliers under King Charles I had defeated the Roundheads under Oliver Cromwell? Actually, the history of the English people show a restraint and pragmatism. In short, Cromwell became repressive and more dictatorial than the politicallly inept Charles had ever been. When Cromwell died, his son did not replace him, and there was a Restoration, with England going back to the monarchy.

Charles II, known as "The Merry Monarch," did not want to lose his head, and he accepted having much less power. There was a steady process from then, through the Hanovers, and to contemporary times of the British kings and queens accepting loss of power with grace. James II was an exception, but the Glorious Revolution, unlike the English Civil War, was not bloody. As long as James abdicated than King William (Mary his wife) sought not retribution.

Maybe the most lasting result from the Roundhead victory, was that Cromwell was able to brutally subjugate the Irish in a manner Charles never could have (Cromwell was largely a military dictator). Therefore, Irish bitterness against England would not be as great today, had there been a Cavalier victory.

Answer 4

Speculation on this subject is not too difficult bacuse after all the Monarchy was restored - and the surviveing leading republicans executed - in 1660. Had the Cavaliers won the Civil War, there would have inevitably been a monarchy with greater powers, naturally becomeing closer to the French model of absolute monarchy (King Charles I's wife, Henrietta Maria, was French), arousing popular hostility on political and religious grounds - most likely resulting in a conspiracy to mount a coup d'etat to get rid of the King and replace him with a monarch who favoured constitutional government - much like what in fact happened in 1688/89.

Answer 5

Good thought, but what changed after the restoration of Charles II, he would have followed Charles Ist so no difference I think. Just wasted years of the Protectorate and all that killing. Civil War set the nation back politically, but possibly prevented another Civil War in the 1790's when things looked dodgy everywhere after the loss of the American Colonies and war with France was crippling the Exchequer.

Answer 6

We would probably be a republic, the Civil War was fought over absolutism, if Royalty would have won that belief would have still been in place and still as repugnant to the masses, and a Second Civil War would have been inevitable.
There would be no talk of a British Empire and there would have probably been either a larger French, Russian or Dutch Empire, as the British Empire was post restoration.

Answer 7

There would still have been a revolution at a later date. King Charles I or his heirs would have not have got away with the concept of the Divine Right of Kings as in France.
Without the intervention of Oliver Cromwell et al when they did, and the way the France revolution turned bloody we may well have had a lasting republic.

Answer 8

For the monarchy, in the long term things would have turned out roughly the same. Charles I would have been able to live out his natural life of course, instead of being beheaded. His son Charles, invited back to the country after the parliamentarian cause fizzled out, then became Charles II - as he would have done anyway in the natural course of events.

Politically, however, things could well have been very different. But who knows? All we can do is speculate!

Answer 9

We would most likly still be a Monarchy with a king or queen in full charge with no parliment, for all the anti monarchs like Cromwell and his symperthisers would have been beheaded.

Answer 10

To be honest, not much different.

Charles II would still be crowned, wouldn't he? And Puritans would still go off to some god-forsaken dump the other side of the world. And people would still get sick of James II. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In fact, are you quite sure it didn't happen?