In 1642, King Charles raised his royal standard in Nottingham, marking the start of the English Civil War. The next ten years saw the Cavaliers (supporters of the king) and the Roundheads (supporters of parliament) engage in a bitter battle for their respective leaders, with the Roundheads ultimately victorious. This essay will attempt to explain why the Civil War broke out in England while summarizing the history behind the antagonism of the two sides. One of the key factors leading to the Civil War was the contrasting beliefs of King Charles and Parliament. The monarchy believed in the divine rights of kings, explained by Fisher (1994, p335) as a biblical belief that the authority of the king or queen comes directly from God and that they are not subject to the demands of the people. On the other hand, Parliament had a strong democratic position and, although it respected and recognized the authority of the king, it constantly desired and fought for more rights to power. Although they peaked during the reign of King Charles, their antagonism extended for centuries long before his birth and much of the power that once belonged to the monarchy had transferred to Parliament by the time he came to power. power. In power, Parliament would vote on the amount of tonnage and pound (the king's or queen's allowance) to grant him for his entire life. However, they only voted for one year's allowance for King Charles. Cust (2005, p. 45) suggests that the reason behind Parliament's action was due to its disagreement with King Charles regarding England's involvement in the Thirty Years' War. As this was his main source of income, King Charles was in the middle of paper... Reconciliation between the king and parliament proved futile. Relations between king and parliament had reached their breaking point. With both parties refusing to give in, civil war was imminent. Rather than one of the main reasons for the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, it was several key issues and disagreements between Parliament and King Charles that came together and evolved into a long-standing rivalry. . Slowly but gradually, the rivalry grew, with both sides guilty of provoking the other. Ultimately, their differences could not be resolved and King Charles' rash actions sparked civil war. Works Cited Cust, Richard (2005), Charles I: A Political Life, Harlow: Pearson Education Fisher, David A. (1994), World History of Christian Schools Second EditionRussell, Conrad (1991), The Fall of the British Monarchies 1637–1642