Chronology of The Wars of the Three Kingdoms

1639
Feb The Covenanters seize Inverness
May 21 The 'black oath' requires Scots in Ulster to swear loyalty to the king
May The First Bishops' War begins
June 18 Treaty of Berwick

1640
Apr 13 - May 5 Short Parliament in England July Strafford's 'New Army' assembles in Carrickfergus
Aug The Scottish army crosses the Tweed, starting the Second Bishops' War
Aug 30 Newcastle falls to the Covenanters
Oct 16 and 26 Treaties of Ripon
Nov 3 The Long Parliament convenes
Nov 11 Strafford is impeached
Dec 11 Root and Branch petition

1641
Mar 22 Strafford's trial begins
May 8 Charles orders the Irish 'New Army' to disband
May 12 Execution of Strafford
July 5 Abolition of the Courts of Star Chamber and High Commission
Aug Charles leaves London for Edinburgh
Aug 21 Leslie's army leaves Newcastle and the Covenanters begin to disband
Oct 22 Outbreak of the Ulster rebellion
Oct 26 Phelim O'Neill captures Armagh
Oct 28 The Scottish Parliament offers to send 10,000 men to crush the Ulster rising
Nov 21 The insurgents begin siege of Drogheda (to Mar 1642)
Nov 22 Publication of the Grand Remonstrance

1642
Jan Charles tries to arrest the Five Members and then leaves London
Jan Catholics in Antrim, Limerick and Clare join the Irish rising
Feb 20 Monck arrives in Dublin from London
Mar 13 Three Scottish regiments sail for Ulster
Mar 18 Charles sets up his court in York
Apr 15 Ormond defeats the Irish insurgents at Kilrush
May 10 Catholic clergy meet at Kilkenny
June The Confederate Oath of Association is drawn up at Kilkenny
June 18 Charles rejects Parliament's Nineteen Propositions
Aug 22 Charles raises his standard at Nottingham; the first English Civil War begins
Oct Charles makes Oxford his headquarters
Oct 23 Battle of Edgehill (royalist victory)
Dec 20 The Eastern Association is formed

1643
Apr 23 Charles orders Ormond to treat with the Confederates in Ireland
June 29 The Royalists win control of York
Aug 17 A Convention of the Estates and General Assembly in Scotland agrees to the Covenant
Sep 15 A ceasefire is agreed in Ireland between the royalists and Confederates
Sep 25 The Solemn League and Covenant is agreed between the English Parliament and the Covenanters

1644
Jan 19 A Scottish army invades England
Apr 22 The siege of York begins June 27 Antrim sends 2,000 Irish troops to Scotland to fight for the king with Montrose
July 2 Prince Rupert is defeated at Marston Moor
Sep 1 Montrose wins a victory at Tippermuir near Perth Dec Montrose plunders Argyll
Dec 19 The Self-Denying Ordnance is proclaimed in England

1645
Feb 2 Montrose defeats the Covenanters at Inverlochy
Apr Formation of the New Model Army
Apr 1,400 Scottish infantry leave Ireland for Scotland
May 9 Montrose wins a victory at Auldearn, near Nairn
June 14 Charles is defeated at Naseby
July 2 Montrose defeats the Covenanters at Alford
Sep 13 The Covenanters destroy Montrose's army at Philiphaugh

1646
Mar 28 In Ireland, the Confederates make peace with Ormond
May 3 The Parliamentarians besiege Oxford
May 5 Charles surrenders to the Scots at Newark
June 5 Confederate victory over the Scots at Benburb, Co. Tyrone
July 30 The 'First Ormond Peace' is proclaimed in Dublin
Sep-Nov A Confederate attack on royalist Dublin fails

1647
Jan 30 The Scots hand Charles over to Parliament
Feb 12 The last Covenanter regiments leave England
Mar 12 The English Parliament refuses to pay the Scottish army in Ulster
May 17-Sep 1 The Covenanters retake the Western Isles
June 4 Charles I is taken by the Parliamentary army at Holmby
June 19 A Parliamentary army takes Dublin from Ormond Aug 8 Confederate general Preston is defeated at Dungan's Hill, near Trim, Ireland
Aug 6 The New Model Army occupies Westminster
Nov 11 Charles escapes from the Army
Nov 13 Protestant and Parliamentary forces under Inchiquin capture the major towns of Munster after victory at Knocknanuss
Dec 13 Charles signs the Engagement with the Scots

1648
Apr 3 In Ireland, Inchiquin declares for the king
May 20 Inchiquin declares a truce with the Confederates
May-Aug The Second English Civil War
Aug 17 Cromwell defeats the royalists at Preston
Aug 19 The Scots are defeated at Winwick in Lancashire
Dec 6 Pride's Purge of Parliament
1649 Jan 17 Following the declaration of the 'Second Ormond Peace', the Confederates in Ireland are to raise 18,000 troops
Jan 30 Execution of Charles I after a ten-day trial
Mar 30 Cromwell is appointed English commander-in-chief in Ireland
May 19 England is declared a Commonwealth
June 10 Cromwell leaves London for Ireland
Aug 2 Ormond's army is defeated at Rathmines
Sep 11 Cromwell takes Drogheda
Oct 11 Cromwell takes Wexford
Nov 24-Dec 2 Waterford is beseiged

1650
May Execution of Montrose; the last royalist stronghold in Scotland falls

June 21 A Parliamentary victory of Scarrifhollis destroys the army of Ulster

June The Third English Civil War begins

Sep 3 Cromwell defeats the Scots at Dunbar

1651

Jan 1 Charles II is crowned at Scone

June 4 Limerick is besieged (falls Oct 27)

Aug 12 The English Parliament passes the Act of Settlement for Ireland

Sep 3 Defeat of Charles II and the Scots at Worcester ends the Third Civil War and the wars of the Three Kingdoms

This chronology derives from John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer (eds.), The British and Irish Civil Wars. A Military History of Scotland, Ireland and England 1638-1660 (Oxford University Press, 1998).

Jane Ohlmeyer is Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Aberdeen. She is the author of Civil War and Restoration in the Three Stuart Kingdoms: The Political Career of Randal MacDonnell, Marquis of Antrim published by Four Courts Press.

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