Second Bishops' War: Scotland Defeats Charles I Again
The Battle of Newburn in August 1640 was a humiliation. King Charles I had tried to impose a new prayer book on Scotland, the Scots had raised an army in response, and his English forces were supposed to stop them at the River Tyne. The Scottish Covenanters forded the river before the English were properly positioned and routed them in less than two hours. The defeat forced Charles to summon Parliament to raise money for a new army. Parliament refused to cooperate. The confrontation that led to the English Civil War had begun. A skirmish at a river crossing started it.
August 28, 1640
386 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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