Roundheads

(noun)

The name given to the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against Charles I of England and his supporters, the Cavaliers or Royalists, who claimed rule by absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings. Their goal was to give the Parliament supreme control over executive administration.

Related Terms

Examples of Roundheads in the following topics:

  • Cromwell and the Roundheads

    • What followed, is know as the English Civil War (1642–1651), which developed into a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers").
    • He was an intensely religious man (an Independent Puritan), who entered the English Civil War on the side of the "Roundheads" or Parliamentarians.

  • The First Stuarts and Catholicism

    • It was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers") over, principally, the manner of its government.