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→First English Civil War (1642–1646): Clean up, specification of George Villiers as one of the Parliamentarians' most despised advisors of King Charles I |
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At the outset of the conflict, much of the country remained neutral, though the [[Royal Navy]] and most English cities favoured Parliament, while the King found marked support in rural communities. The war quickly spread and eventually involved every level of society. Many areas attempted to remain neutral. Some formed bands of [[Clubmen]] to protect their localities from the worst excesses of the armies of both sides,<ref>{{Harvnb |Wedgwood |1970 |pages=403–404}}</ref> but most found it impossible to withstand both King and Parliament.
On one side, the King and his supporters fought for what they saw as traditional government in church and state. On the other, most Parliamentarians initially took up arms to defend what they viewed as a traditional balance of government in church and state, and which they felt had been undermined by bad advice the King received from his
After the debacle at Hull, Charles moved on to [[Nottingham]], raising the royal standard there on 22 August 1642.<ref>{{Harvnb |Wedgwood |1970 |page=111}}</ref> At the time, Charles had with him about 2,000 cavalry and a small number of Yorkshire infantrymen, and using the archaic system of a [[Commission of Array]],<ref>{{Harvnb |Wedgwood |1970 |page=96}}</ref> his supporters started to build a larger army around the standard. Charles moved in a westerly direction, first to [[Stafford]], then on to [[Shrewsbury]], as support for his cause seemed particularly strong in the [[River Severn|Severn]] valley area and in North Wales.<ref>{{Harvnb |Royle |2006 |pages=170, 183}}</ref> While passing through [[Wellington, Shropshire|Wellington]], he declared in what became known as the "[[Wellington Declaration]]" that he would uphold the "Protestant religion, the laws of England, and the liberty of Parliament".<ref>{{Harvnb |Sherwood |1992 |page=6}}</ref>
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