Conflicts & Resolutions · War

Bishops' Wars

1639–1640 · 17th century · Part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms

The Bishops' Wars were two brief conflicts in 1639 and 1640 between Charles I and the Scottish Covenanters, who rejected his imposition of bishops and a new prayer book on the Church of Scotland. The Scots defeated the English at Newburn and occupied Newcastle in 1640. Charles had to recall Parliament to pay for the war, opening the way to the English Civil War.

Bishops' Wars
Image: William Allan · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Battles and settlements

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bishops' Wars. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bishops-wars
MLA
“Bishops' Wars.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bishops-wars. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bishops' Wars.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bishops-wars.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bishops' Wars’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bishops-wars (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻