Throughout recorded history Yorkshire has been a setting for warfare of all kinds - marches, skirmishes and raids, pitched battles and sieges. And it is the sieges of the Civil War period - which often receive less attention than other forms of combat - that are the focus of David Cooke's new history. Hull, York, Pontefract, Knaresborough, Sandal, Scarborough, Helmsley, Bolton, Skipton - all witnessed notable sieges during the bloody uncertain years of the Civil Wars. His vivid reconstructions allow the reader to visit the castles and towns where sieges took place and stand on the ground where blood was spilt for the cause for king or Parliament. Using contemporary accounts and a wealth of maps and illustrations, his book allows the reader to follow the course of each siege and sets each operation in the context of the Civil Wars in the North.
'The English Civil War is a joy to behold, a thing of beauty... this will be the civil war atlas against which all others will judged and the battle maps in particular will quickly become the benchmark for all future civil war maps.' -- Professor Martyn Bennett, Department of History, Languages and Global Studies, Nottingham Trent University The English Civil Wars (1638–51) comprised the deadliest conflict ever fought on British soil, in which brother took up arms against brother, father fought against son, and towns, cities and villages fortified themselves in the cause of Royalists or Parliamentarians. Although much historical attention has focused on the events in England and the key battles of Edgehill, Marston Moor and Naseby, this was a conflict that engulfed the entirety of the Three Kingdoms and led to a trial and execution that profoundly shaped the British monarchy and Parliament. This beautifully presented atlas tells the whole story of Britain's revolutionary civil war, from the earliest skirmishes of the Bishops' Wars in 1639–40 through to 1651, when Charles II's defeat at Worcester crushed the Royalist cause, leading to a decade of Stuart exile. Each map is supported by a detailed text, providing a complete explanation of the complex and fluctuating conflict that ultimately meant that the Crown would always be answerable to Parliament.
During the 17th century the British Isles were trapped in a 23-year-long state of turmoil through civil war, continued rebellion, and revolutions. King Charles I wanted to instill a new uniform religious policy throughout the British Isles, and this caused a massive uproar over the King's policies toward the diverse people in his kingdom, the English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. Through a concise historical chronology and comprehensive overview, users of the Historical Dictionary of the British and Irish Civil Wars will find a very insightful explanation of the people, places, and events that indelibly shaped the United Kingdom's 17th-century history. The cross-listed dictionary entries offer a complete explanation of each important aspect of the Civil Wars and their effect on the kingdom. Also includes maps and a bibliography.
An immersive and electrifying account of a defining episode in the English Civil War that illuminates the human experience—and human cost—of this devastating war. It was a time of puritans and populism, witch hunts and civil war. Between 1643 and 1645, Basing House in Hampshire, England, was besieged three times. To the parliamentary Roundheads, the house symbolized everything that was wrong with England: it was the largest private residence in the country, a bastion of royalism and excess. Its owner, the Marquess of Winchester, reportedly had the motto Love loyalty etched into the windows. Winchester refused all terms of surrender. When he discovered his brother plotting to betray the house, he forced him to hang his accomplices. When the garrison divided along religious lines, Winchester expelled all the Protestants. As royalist strongholds crumbled around the country, the Winchesters—and Basing House—stood firm. The famed architect Inigo Jones designed fortifications; gamekeepers became snipers; and the women hurled bricks at the besiegers. 'Loyalty House', as it was known, became the king's principal garrison. But the drum of the parliamentary army beat ever louder—and closer—and in October 1645, Oliver Cromwell rolled in the heavy guns. The Siege of Loyalty House tells the story of these dramatic events, not only recounting the sallies and skirmishes, but the experiences of the men, women, and children caught in the crossfire. What was it like to be under siege, lying in bed with shells crashing through the window? What was it like to conduct a siege, sleeping on frosty fields, receiving news of sick children at home from desperate wives? Ultimately, the story of Basing House is the story of England in the 1640s: a tale of brother against brother, of women on the frontline, of radicalism, iconoclasm, and fanaticism. It is a tale of destruction and derring-do, courage and cowardice, and a house on fire—the true end of an era.
During the 17th century, the British Isles were trapped in a 23 year-long state of turmoil through civil war, continued rebellion, and revolutions. King Charles I wanted to instill a new uniform religious policy throughout the British Isles, and this caused a massive uproar over the King's policies toward the diverse people in his empire-the English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. No person remained unaffected in the kingdom and eventually King Charles I was executed and the entire system of monarchy tumbled into a short-lived republic. Eventually the monarchy was restored under King Charles II, but the history of the British Isle in the seventeenth century remains forever marked by its tumultuous nature. Through a concise historical chronology and comprehensive overview, users of The A to Z of the British and Irish Civil Wars 1637-1660 will find an insightful explanation of the people, places, and events that indelibly shape the United Kingdom's 17th-century history. The cross-listed dictionary entries offer a complete explanation of each important aspect of the Civil Wars and their effect on the Kingdom. It also includes maps and a bibliography.
