Charles I raised his royal standard at Nottingham on 22 August 1642, calling on his supporters to join him against Parliament. The ceremony is conventionally treated as the formal beginning of the First English Civil War.

The dispute had already moved beyond ordinary disagreement between the king and Parliament. In January, Charles had entered the House of Commons intending to arrest five MPs whom he accused of treason. They had already left, and the failure damaged the king’s position in London.

Control of armed forces became another central dispute. Parliament sought control over the militia while Charles maintained that military authority belonged to the Crown. On 1 June Parliament presented the Nineteen Propositions, which would have placed substantial royal powers under Parliamentary control. Charles rejected them later that month.

During the summer, both sides began gathering men and weapons. Towns and counties were pressed to choose their loyalties, and some local fighting had already taken place.

The raising of the standard at Nottingham therefore did not create the conflict. It made the king’s military position public. The standard summoned those prepared to fight for him.

Charles did not receive the level of support at Nottingham that he had hoped for. He soon left the town, which later became a Parliamentarian stronghold, and gathered forces elsewhere.

By October, the two main armies would meet at Edgehill. The political dispute between the king and Parliament was now being fought by soldiers.