Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland

This article is about the specific polity Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

The period during which England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and associated territories were joined together in the Commonwealth of England, governed by a Lord Protector as a consequence of the Third English Civil War.

Summary

The Stuart dynasty that followed the Tudors was marked by increasing tensions between crown and parliament, culminating in the English Civil War in the 17th century.

The victory of the parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell led to the execution of King Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England. After Cromwell's death, the monarchy was restored under Charles II in 1660.

Establishment

April 1654: In 1654, under the rule of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, the Ordinance for uniting Scotland with England was issued, leading to the creation of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. European wars of religion

Were a series of wars in Europe (and the overseas possessions of European countries) the 16th, 17th and early 18th that started after the Protestant Reformation. Although the immediate causes of the wars were religious, the motives were complex and also included territorial ambitions.

1.1.Wars of the Three Kingdoms

Were a series of intertwined conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They resulted in victory for the Parliamentarian army, the execution of Charles I, the abolition of monarchy, and founding of the Commonwealth of England, a Unitary state which controlled the British Isles until the Stuart Restoration in 1660.

May 1659: The Protectorate Parliament was dissolved by Richard Cromwell.