The Great Fire of 1642

King Thomas

Banned
On the night after King Charles the 1st left London for Oxford, which would help spark off the English Civil War in OTL, a baker in Pudding Lane fails to rake his ovens correctly, and his house ignites. The fire, as in 1666 in OTL, destroys most of London, and even worse then OTL, the White Tower's gunpowder store explodes. With most of London a smoking ruin, can the King win the Civil War?
 
Wasn't Charles' decampment to Oxford followed by Parliament's Trained Bands taking control of the city? I'd say that a better question would be could Parliament still win the Civil War - the city would be in no position to defend itself, with many of the potential combatants out of house and home and thus penniless, and Parliament might well be forced to spend part of its military budget on repairing important buildings in London, weakening its armies down the line.

Just speculation, of course.
 

Cook

Banned
…Parliament might well be forced to spend part of its military budget on repairing important buildings in London, weakening its armies down the line.

Charles would be blamed for the fire.

The buildings would remain unrepaired until the war ends and would be ongoing propaganda of the evils of the King and of Catholicism.
 
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