The Thirty Years' War began as a conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the weakening Holy Roman Empire. It quickly spread, however, to engulf almost all the major powers in Europe. The Thirty Years' War is often remembered as one of the most brutal wars in European history. It devestated Central Europe and decimated the populations of modern-day Germany and the Low Countries.

The English Civil War pitted Parliament (Parliamentarians or "Roundheads") against the monarchy (Royalists or "Cavaliers"). It ended in victory for Parliament and the Roundheads and the execution of the reigning monarch, Charles I; however, Parliament's rule, under effective military dictator Oliver Cromwell, lasted less than a decade before the monarchy was reinstated. 

The English Civil War was fought between the forces of the English Parliament, called Parliamentarians, and the forces of the English monarchy, called Royalists. Although the Parliamentarians were Protestants and the monarchy was partially Catholic (or at least sympathetic to Catholicism), the war was fought more over secular control. It ended with victory for Parliament, the execution of the King, and the decade-long reign of Oliver Cromwell.

Following the defeat of the Royalists and the forces of the English crown in the English Civil War, the reigning monarch King Charles I was publicly executed, to the shock of the rest of Europe. He was the first reigning monarch to be executed by his own people in European history.

The English Civil War was fought between royalists and parliamentarians during the 1640s and resulted in victory for parliament and the abolition of the English monarchy. The parliamentarians were led by Oliver Cromwell, who became the de facto dictator of the country. His rule was widely unpopular, and following his death England reverted back to a monarchy.

During the Restoration period of English history two political factions emerged in the English Parliament—the Whigs and the Tories. The Whigs favored the supremacy of Parliament over the crown and desired a codified Bill of Rights to ensure the continued indepenence of Parliament from the abuses of the monarchy. 

The Puritans were a powerful religious group in seventeenth-century England. They fought on the side of the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War, and following the victory of Parliament they gained control of the political and religious life of the country. Puritans wanted to reform the Anglican Church from within, taking it further away from Catholicism and ensuring that the English cultural values were in keeping with those advocated in the Bible. 

The Gunpowder Plot was a plan designed by a group of Catholic extremists to blow up the Protestant-dominated Houses of Parliament, in 1605. It was foiled when the conspirators were discovered below the Houses of Parliament, setting up fuses and explosive devices. 

During the English Civil War, the Scottish allied themselves with the forces of Parliament. At the Battle of Marsten Moor, the combined forces of Scotland and Parliament defeated the Royalists. 

The Clarendon Code is the name given to a series of laws passed in England during the Restoration period following the English Civil War. The laws were designed to ensure the uniformity and supremacy of the Anglican faith in England, and to prevent the conversion of the English people to Catholicism or other forms of Protestantism. The Act of Uniformity and Conventicle Act are both aspects of the Clarendon Code.