WHY WAS OXFORD A DIVIDED CITY DURING THE CIVIL WAR?
During the Civil War, Oxford was a divided city. There were many divides throughout the city, Economical, Political, Religious and more famously the Town and Gown rivalry. The Town and Gown divide had been a long-term reason why the city was at odds. It has been the start of many more divides all over the city and for the duration of the war. It has provided many stereotypes of the town and the gown, some which are true and most that are not.
The main reason for the divide right through the city and one of the main reasons for the war was the political segregation. This was the divide between the king and the parliament. The king had the support of the University, were as many of the townsfolk were either openly or secretly Parliamentarian. It depended on what view you had, whether you thought the king should have all the power, or whether the power should belong to the parliament. The majority of people were Parlamentarians because they were fed up with the continous and annoying presence of hundreds of soliders and courtiers who were present for almost three years. The king also lost support because the king took money from people so this didn’t benefit him at all. Parliament had a much bigger support than Charles I.