The Parliamentarians, often referred to as “Roundheads” by their opponents and later historians, supported the English Parliament during the English Civil War (1642–1651). They opposed King Charles I and his Royalist supporters, known as the Cavaliers, who defended absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings. The Roundheads sought to place the executive power of England under the authority of Parliament rather than the sole control of the king.
Most Roundheads favored a constitutional monarchy instead of the absolute monarchy promoted by Charles I. However, by the end of the Civil War in 1649, widespread public hostility toward the king allowed republican leaders such as Oliver Cromwell to abolish the monarchy entirely and establish the Commonwealth of England.
Although many Roundhead leaders, including Thomas Fairfax, Edward Montagu, and Robert Devereux, still supported constitutional monarchy, Cromwell and his radical allies gained greater influence through the backing of the New Model Army. They capitalized on Charles I’s alliance with the Scottish against Parliament, which many viewed as a betrayal of England.
The Roundhead movement attracted strong support from Puritans, Presbyterians, Independents, and other religious groups, though some members of the Church of England also sided with Parliament. Political groups within the movement included the Levellers, Diggers, and the Fifth Monarchists, each advocating different social and religious reforms.
The term “Roundhead” originally referred to the short-cropped hairstyles worn by some Puritans, which contrasted sharply with the long, fashionable curls of the Royalists. Initially used as an insult, the term became widely associated with supporters of Parliament during the Civil War. Over time, “Roundhead” became linked with republican ideas until it was eventually replaced by the term “Whig” during the political conflicts of the late seventeenth century.
.jpg)
