Bishops' Wars

For the religious conflict in the Holy Roman Empire in 1592–1604, see Strasbourg Bishops' War.

Bishops' Wars
Part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Signing of the National Covenant in Greyfriars Kirkyard by William Allan, 1838
Date 21 March 1639 – September 1640 Location Scotland, Northern England Result Covenanter victory
Belligerents
Scottish Covenanters	Scottish Royalists Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
Alexander Leslie Marquess of Argyll Marquess of Montrose	Charles I Marquess of Hamilton Viscount Aboyne Marquess of Huntly Lord Conway Earl of Strafford
Strength
20,000	20,000–25,000
Casualties and losses
300–600	300–400

The Bishops' Wars were two wars fought in 1639 and 1640 between Charles I and his Covenanter opponents in Scotland. They were the first of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, that also include the First and Second English Civil Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, and the 1650 to 1652 Anglo-Scottish War.

In 1637, Charles I, then king of Scotland and England, imposed changes in religious practice on the Church of Scotland. These were resented by many Scots, leading to the signing of a National Covenant in 1638, pledging to prevent their implementation. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland then expelled bishops, turning a religious dispute into a struggle for political supremacy. The new Covenanter government raised an army to prevent Charles using force to restore his authority.

The First Bishops' War began in early 1639, when minor skirmishing between Covenanters and Royalists took place in north-east Scotland. In June, English and Scottish armies assembled near Berwick-upon-Tweed, but withdrew without fighting, after signing the Treaty of Berwick (1639). The terms included calling a new General Assembly and Parliament of Scotland, which Charles hoped would reverse their earlier decisions. Their confirmation instead led to the Second Bishops' War in 1640.

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