English civil war leads to political chaos Friction between English King Charles I and Parliament, England's lawmaking body, culminated in a civil war that first extended from 1642 to 1646 and reignited between April and November 1648. The civil war led to the overthrow of the monarchy and a series of political upheavals. The monarchy was restored in 1660 under Charles II, son of Charles I, but political and civil unrest continued. After the death of Charles II and the accession to the throne of his absolutist brother, James II, in 1688, Parliament invited William of Orange, ruler of the Netherlands, to take the throne in England and restore order. View from Today