Kids

 

The Stuarts and
The English Civil Wars

Welcome to our guide to Stuart England and the English Civil Wars, where you can learn about England’s history, discover more about our sites and find loads of fun things to watch, read and do!

Elizabeth Grey's marvellous medicines

Honey, lemon juice and… snail slime?

Have you ever wondered what people in the past did when they were ill? Without NHS doctors on hand to help, people looked for remedies they could prepare at home to try and make themselves feel better.

Ready with the recipes were the first celebrity cookbooks, which didn’t just include fancy dinners and desserts – they covered warts, colds, wind and more with instructions for medicinal mixtures too! Tap below to discover some cures which might just you feel worse than the illnesses they were supposed to help…

Find out more!

Featured video: why did England have a civil war?

What caused a full-blown civil war during Charles I's reign? From religious opposition, the mishandling of money, to a king's unwavering belief he was chosen by God, this episode explores what happens when ruling England goes wrong.

More videos to watch

Quiz time!

Could you follow the strict rules of a Puritan, or are you more of a fun-loving Cavalier? Would you support Oliver Cromwell or Charles I? Find out with these fun quizzes!

Image: The playing pieces on the board

Civil Wars board game: Play Roundheads vs. Cavaliers

It’s 1643 and the Civil War between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers is raging, but who will get the upper hand? Choose your side and embark on a race to the finish by becoming the first to beseige and claim all 12 English Heritage castles across the country! The fate of England is in your hands, but have you got what it takes to claim victory?

Play the game

Make a model of Roaring Meg!

During the Civil War, Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire was occupied by Royalists, but Parliamentarians were determined to capture it. Roaring Meg fired huge explosive shells high into the air and over the castle walls, and the defenders soon surrendered.

Fancy making your own version of Roaring Meg? Download your templates and follow the instructions in Kids Rule! magazine to create a cardboard model that fires Styrofoam balls!

Download your templates

Read Kids Rule! magazine online

Read Kids Rule! magazine online to learn about life in Stuart England, including life during the English Civil Wars, who was on which side of the conflict, kings on the run and lots more!

The Kids Rule! magazine series follows the history of England, from prehistory to present. It’s designed to help you discover more about the past, through fun facts, illustrated stories, games, puzzles and competitions.

Click or tap the magazine pictures below to get started.

Download a Stuart poster!

We've created a series of posters showing how people lived in England through the ages, like this one showing life in Stuart England.

Each of the posters follows on from each other, so that when you download them all from the Kids Rule! pages, you can create your own mega timeline of English history!

DOWNLOAD YOUR POSTER