A MEETING OF THE ROUNDHEADS The English Civil War BACKGROUND GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Dais ........................................................................ 3 Letter from the Chair ...................................................................... 4 Committee Description ................................................................... 5 Context ........................................................................................... 7 Prelude to the war: Protestant and Catholic Sectarianism ............................................................. 7 Conflicts with France and Spain ................................................................................................. 8 Early Transgressions of House Stuart ........................................................................................... 9 The Trouble with Scotland ....................................................................................................... 11 Short Parliament ...................................................................................................................... 12 Dawn of the First War: Long Parliament and Oliver Cromwell .................................................. 13 Irish Uprising .......................................................................................................................... 14 The Five Members .................................................................................................................... 15 Siege of Hull ............................................................................................................................ 15 Declaration of War .................................................................................................................. 15 Current Situation .......................................................................... 17 The British Isles on the 22nd of August 1642 ............................................................................. 17 Questions to Consider ............................................................................................................... 17 Dossiers ........................................................................................ 18 References ..................................................................................... 22 Letter from the Dais Dear Delegates, Welcome to SciMUNC XIII! We are Anthony Bonavita and Gavin Walsh, your dais for the Roundheads Joint-Crisis Committee of the English Civil War. My name is Anthony Bonavita, and this is my second time chairing a committee at SciMUNC. My passion for Model UN grew from a love of leadership and finding Jack Tapay solutions to prevalent world issues, which led me to join in my Freshman year. I also served as the Secretary of the team the previous year, leading me to understand what Secretary -General comes with running a crisis committee inside and outside of the room. As a history buff, I have dreamed of reliving the most notable events in the world, such as the Jachym Harwood English Civil War. I do plan on pursuing political science, international affairs, or law Lillian Tzanev in my future, and Model UN has been such an amazing way to receive exposure to all Directors-General three. I am also the Student Organization President at Bronx Science, a member of the Anti-Defamation League, Spring and Fall Theatre productions, S!NG, and Italian Krish Shah Club. In my free time, I enjoy playing guitar, baseball and basketball, and USG of Administration making/watching films. I hope you all enjoy what we have in store for this committee throughout the day! Sebastian Midura My name is Gavin Walsh, this is my third SciMUNC and first time chairing a crisis USG of General Assemblies committee. Model UN, for me, has been a great way to make friends, practice proper and Specialized Committees discourse, and explore some very interesting and impactful world topics. Having been to the British Isles multiple times, and having been enthralled by its rich history, I am Menasha Thomas confident this committee will be of great interest, as well as of great fun. In addition Deputy-USG of General to being a member of Model UN, I am the President of Bronx Science’s History Assemblies and Specialized Club, Co-President of our Pre-Medical Society, and a member of our NHS. I also Committees love the sciences, which has lead me to intern at an immunology lab over the summer as well as write a book on medical history. I know that our committee will be Rizwan Kazi fantastic, and I know that you will all have a fantastic time! See you there! USG of Crisis Committees We look forward to meeting you all in December! Feel free to contact either of us with any questions or concerns. Celeste Abourjeili Deputy-USG of Crisis Committees Sincerely, Anthony Bonavita ([email protected]) Diane D. Steiker Gavin Walsh ([email protected]) Faculty Advisor Dais of the English Civil War JCC: A Meeting of the Roundheads 75 West 205th Street Bronx, NY 10468 [email protected] www.scimun.com SciMUNC XIII | 4 Letter from the Chair Fellow Englishmen, It is finally time for us to take our rightful England! I am your faithful leader, Oliver Cromwell. At such an urgent time as we are in now, the most optimal action for our regime is to work together. Today, August 22nd, 1642, will remain in history as the date the New English Government takes its stand against the unstable, misrepresentative, disrespectful, and unlawful King Charles I. The people of England have waited far too long for their King to end his hiatuses. We cannot allow Charles I’s religious alliance with Roman-Catholic Ireland continue and spread to our neighbors Scotland and the Northern area of the British Isles, as he attempted to achieve before the Bishops’ War. It is our job, as Parliamentarians, to stay true to the Magna Carta, to exercise the rights of our faithful noblemen, and extend our outreach to the peasantry exploited by the King. We must also prevent French participation in our fight on the side of Royalty, through Queen Consort Henrietta Maria. History is often taught as a cycle, a repetitive theme of events. I say, people of England, we will repeat history. We will do as our ruler William I did, defy the current leadership and overtake this kingdom against all odds. We will do as Henry IV heroically fought against his predecessor Richard II. And finally, we will do even as Charles I did, and disrupt the stable state of a government of which we despise. The question is not, Roundheads, will we defeat the Royalists. It is how. Our job as a committee is to configure an efficient and effective method to sweep the King off of his greedy throne, and destroy our opposition. Cordially, Oliver Cromwell 5 | A Meeting of the Roundheads Committee Description CCol Preface Delegates ought to accurately represent their position and act on behalf of their stances and For those who are new to Crisis Committees, it interests. This can be done through a series of is essential to note that a Crisis Committee is actions unique to Crisis Committees, which are different than a General Assembly in a few key explained below: ways. In a broad sense, Crisis Committees and General Assemblies differ in their committee • Communiques: A formal message from a size, extent of influence, and degree of restraint. committee or delegate to be sent to other With these differences in mind, delegates must bodies or individuals. If sent from the approach Crisis Committees differently than committee, communiques must first be they would General Assemblies. Often, approved by the committee. delegates find that greater effort is necessary in • Press Releases: Open public researching their position, as their relevance in announcements, directed to the people, Crisis Committees is greater than in General often to calm national tensions or reveal Assemblies. This is largely due to the fact that official action and policies. Press releases in General Assemblies, delegates participate in must be approved by the committee. larger bodies with less urgency for problem • Crisis Notes: Action taken by an solving, and are usually assigned a country individual delegate in accordance with rather than an individual as their position. their resources and abilities. For example, That being said, delegates new to Crisis a Minister of the Interior may send a note Committees should not feel intimidated. Small to the Crisis Room requesting to place committee sizes typical to Crisis Committees police officers on patrol in front of the provide delegates with an environment to house of another delegate to investigate express their opinions more easily. who enters and leaves. Furthermore, the urgent nature of Crisis • Directives: Formal actions taken by the Committees encourages collaboration between entirety of the committee. In order for a delegates and an understanding of backroom directive to be passed, it must be and crisis notes. approved by the committee. Crisis Structure A Joint-Crisis Committee differs from a Throughout the duration of this committee, standard crisis committee in that there are two our crisis staff will develop a narrative in separate rooms that are experiencing the same response to the solutions delegates put out that events. This allows for delegates to use their will culminate in crisis updates. Delegates will crisis actions in new ways that can prompt be tasked with responding to crisis updates inter-committee communication. Delegates through documents such as directives and