Editing Long Parliament (section)

==First English Civil War==
[[File:Attempted Arrest of the Five members by Charles West Cope.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|King Charles' attempt to arrest the Five Members of the Commons]]
Increasing unrest in London culminated in 23 to 29 December 1641 with widespread riots in [[Westminster]], while the hostility of the crowd meant the bishops stopped attending the Lords.{{sfn|Smith|1979|pp=315–317}} On 30 December, Charles induced [[John Williams (archbishop of York)|John Williams]], [[Archbishop of York]] and eleven other bishops, to sign a complaint, disputing the legality of any laws passed by the Lords during their exclusion. This was viewed by the Commons as inviting the king to dissolve Parliament; all twelve were arrested.{{sfn|Rees|2016|pp=9–10}}

On 3 January 1642, Charles ordered his [[Edward Herbert (attorney-general)|Attorney-general]] to bring charges of treason against [[Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester]], and [[Five Members]] of the Commons; Pym, [[John Hampden]], [[Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles|Denzil Holles]], [[Arthur Haselrig]], and [[William Strode]]. This confirmed fears he intended to use force to shut down Parliament. The members were pre-warned, and evaded arrest.{{sfn|Harris|2014|pp=452-455}}

Soon after, Charles left London, accompanied by many Royalist MPs, and members of the Lords, a major tactical mistake. By doing so, he abandoned the largest arsenal in England and the commercial power of the [[City of London]] and guaranteed his opponents majorities in both houses. In February, Parliament passed the [[Clergy Act 1640|Clergy Act]], excluding bishops from the Lords; Charles approved it, since he had already decided to retrieve all such concessions by assembling an army.{{sfn |Manganiello|2004|pp=60-61}}

In March 1642, Parliament decreed its own Parliamentary Ordinances were valid laws, even without royal assent. The [[Militia Ordinance]] gave them control of the local militia, or [[Trained Bands]]; those in London were the most strategically critical, because they could protect Parliament from armed intervention by any soldiers which Charles had near the capital. Charles declared Parliament in rebellion and began raising an army, by issuing a competing [[Commission of Array]].

At the end of 1642, he set up his court at [[Oxford]], where the Royalist MPs formed the [[Oxford Parliament (1644)|Oxford Parliament]]. In 1645 Parliament reaffirmed its determination to fight the war to a finish. It passed the [[Self-denying Ordinance]], by which all members of either House of Parliament resigned any military commands, and formed the [[New Model Army]] under the command of [[Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Baron Fairfax of Cameron|Fairfax]] and [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwell]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Wedgwood|1970|p=373}}.</ref> The New Model Army soon destroyed Charles' armies, and by early 1646, he was on the verge of defeat.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wedgwood|1970|p=428}}.</ref>

[[Charles I's journey from Oxford to the Scottish army camp near Newark|Charles left Oxford in disguise]] on 27 April; on 6 May, Parliament received a letter from [[David Leslie, 1st Lord Newark|David Leslie]], commander of Scottish forces besieging [[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]], announcing that he had the king in custody. Charles ordered the Royalist governor, [[John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse|Lord Belasyse]], to surrender Newark, and the Scots withdrew to [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]], taking the king with them.{{sfn|Royle|2004|p=393}} This marked the end of the [[First English Civil War]].