ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Chronology of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms

Okay kiddo, so a long time ago there were three different countries: England, Scotland, and Ireland. They were all ruled by one king, but there was a problem. Some people in these countries didn't like how the king was treating them, so they decided to fight him. This is called a civil war.

The first war started in England in 1642. It was between the king and his supporters, and a group of people called Parliament who wanted more power. The king and his supporters were called Cavaliers, and Parliament's supporters were called Roundheads. The Roundheads won the war in 1646.

Then, in 1649, they decided to do something pretty crazy. They put the king on trial and found him guilty of doing bad things. So, they chopped off his head! This was a big deal because usually, kings were thought to have a special right to rule that came from God. Without the king, England was officially a republic, or a country without a king.

But the peace didn't last long. In 1650, a new war started in Scotland. This time, the Scots were fighting because they wanted to put the king's son (who was also named Charles) on the throne. They thought that if they could do that, they could bring back the old way of doing things (with a king who had special powers from God).

The Scottish army invaded England, but they were defeated by the English under a general named Oliver Cromwell, who had helped the Roundheads win the first war. Cromwell went on to lead England for several years as a military dictator.

Finally, in 1689, there was one more war. This time it was between two groups in Ireland. One group was Protestant and supported the king, who was also a Protestant. The other group was Catholic and wanted to join with France, a Catholic country.

The Protestant side, with help from the English, won this war. They made some rules that made it harder for Catholics in Ireland to have power or own land. These rules caused a lot of trouble for a long time, and many people in Ireland are still unhappy about them today.

So, that's the Chronology of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It may sound a little confusing or scary, but it's important to understand because it helped shape the history of England, Scotland, and Ireland.