Bishops' Wars

The Bishops' Wars were two distinct but related conflicts in 1639 and 1640 fought between Scotland and England with minor factional skirmishing within Scotland. These were the first of what became the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which also included the First and Second English Civil Wars, and the 1650 to 1652 Anglo-Scottish War.

In 1637, Charles I, king of both Scotland and England, attempted to impose changes in religious practice on the Church of Scotland. Strongly opposed by many Scots, this led to the 1638 National Covenant, whose supporters became known as Covenanters. In December 1638, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland voted to expel bishops from the church, turning differences over religious practice into a struggle for political supremacy. The new Covenanter government raised an army to oppose any attempt by the King, or by his Scottish Royalist supporters, to restore his authority.

The First Bishops' War began in early 1639, when minor skirmishing between the two sides took place in north-east Scotland. In June, English and Scottish armies assembled near Berwick-upon-Tweed, but withdrew following a negotiated truce. The terms included a new General Assembly and Scottish Parliament, which the king hoped would reverse their earlier decisions. Instead, they were re-confirmed, leading to the Second Bishops' War in 1640.

The Scots invaded, and after victory at the Battle of Newburn, occupied parts of northern England. Under the interim Treaty of Ripon, the Covenanters would continue the occupation pending a final settlement, during which Charles agreed pay their expenses. This required him to recall the Parliament of England to raise money for this purpose, and ratify the treaty. The August 1641 Treaty of London ended the Bishops' Wars, but continuing political differences between Charles and the new English parliament ultimately led to the outbreak of the First English Civil War in August 1642.