In the years leading up to the outbreak of Civil War, very few would have predicted that England would become a Republic. But in Parliament, one MP, Henry Marten (1602 – 1680) who was returned for Berkshire in the Short and Long Parliaments, became an early and outspoken champion for republicanism and subsequently for the ... Read more

Brilliana Harley was one of the heroines of the British and Irish civil wars. A deeply religious woman, in her husband’s absence, Brilliana successfully held off a royalist siege of her family home at Brampton Bryan in Herefordshire for three months during 1643. During these weeks she vividly described these events and even rejected a ... Read more

Dr Mark Dawson has conducted extensive research into food and drink in the early modern period. In this programme, he reveals that this period saw a fundamental and irreversible evolution of the foods widely consumed by families at all levels of society. Production and consumption of fruit and vegetables increased while soldiers began to eat ... Read more

Among foreign observers, seventeenth-century England was known as “Devil-Land”; a diabolical country of fallen angels, torn apart by Rebellion, religious extremism and royal collapse. It was a place troubled by continual crisis. England was seen by continental neighbours as a “failed state”; endemically unstable and rocked by devastating events from the Gunpowder Plot to the ... Read more

During his lifetime, many of Oliver Cromwell’s contemporaries – supports as well as critics – questioned the sincerity of his often-stated belief that he was doing God’s work. Today most historians consider that Cromwell was being sincere, some other remain sceptical. At the Cromwell Association’s Schools History Conference, leading academics, Professor Peter Gaunt of the University ... Read more

One of the most frequently debated questions of the British and Irish Civil Wars has been, “At what point did the execution of Charles I become inevitable?”. Some historians maintain that the King’s fate was only decided during the trial in Westminster Hall while others argue that his fate was sealed well before Charles was ... Read more

The first session of the Cromwell Association Annual School’s History Conference addresses a critically important and frequently debated question: “Did Parliament win the Civil War of 1642 – 1646?”. Was it because it possessed more resources as Professor Andrew Hopper of the University of Oxford argues or, as Professor Emirates Peter Gaunt suggest, Royalist military ... Read more

Historical fiction is often a lens through which the memory of the Civil Wars has been shaped. Therefore, this is an important, but often forgotten topic for academic investigation and analysis. In this programme, we explore the “delicate interplay between fiction and history” with Farah Mendlesohn, former Professor of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin ... Read more

In 1654, the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell and a small circle of his closest supporters, secretly conceived a bold – but some would say, foolhardy – plan to conquer Spain’s colonies in the Caribbean. This became known as ‘the Western Design’. To achieve this goal a large force combining the army and the navy, set ... Read more

The tumultuous revolutionary decade between 1649 and 1660 is often portrayed through discussions of battles, political and religious conflicts and consequent death and disease. But in her recent book, which is now available in paperback, Republic, Professor Alice Hunt of the University of Southampton, shows that it was also a decade of exciting new ideas and innovations ... Read more

During the First Civil War, Cornwall remained a key royalist stronghold until a series of defeats culminated in the surrender of Cornish forces to Fairfax’s New Model Army in the spring and summer of 1646. But why was Cornwall so staunch in its support of the monarchy, even after much of the rest of England ... Read more

In this ongoing series of specially commissioned programmes for the World Turned Upside Down, Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester and author of the acclaimed The English Civil War: A Military History, discusses some of the pivotal battles fought during the conflict. As Professor Gaunt says in this programme the south-west of England ... Read more

In 1645, the military history of the civil wars was transformed by reorganisation of the Parliamentarian forces to form the New Model Army. The impact of this army on the course of the wars became apparent with their growing dominance in the field during the second half of that year. This well-trained and effectively-led force ... Read more

In this ongoing series of specially commissioned programmes for the World Turned Upside Down, Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester and author of the acclaimed The English Civil War: A Military History, discusses some of the pivotal battles fought during the conflict. In this programme he explores the second battle of Newbury fought ... Read more

1644 proved to be a pivotal year in the military history of the civil wars. While at the end of 1643 Royalist forces were predominant over much of England and Wales. the situation was about to change dramatically.  Intervention by a Scottish army shifted the balance of power in favour of Parliament and in the ... Read more

A bonus programme by Professor Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester describes the first pitched battle of the British and Irish civil wars fought by the two field armies. Both sides were left shocked by the extent of the casualties in a battle that only lasted for about 2 1/2 hours ... Read more

In the second part of this landmark series – specially commissioned for The World Turned Upside Down –  exploring the military history of the British and Irish civil wars, distinguished historian Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester begins to trace the chronology of the conflict. The story starts with the raising of the ... Read more

John Bradshawe (1602 – 1659) is one of the most famous – or depending on your view “notorious” figures of the period. Some remember him as the traitorous judge who sentenced his monarch – King Charles I – to death after presiding over a “show trial”.  Others consider that Bradshawe was a skilled lawyer who ... Read more

There has been a significant shift in understanding the origins of the Civil War which began in England in 1642 as historians have increasingly recognised that events in Scotland and Ireland had a profound impact in England and vice versa. During the years preceding the outbreak of war in England, it was events in Scotland ... Read more

Parliament’s Sequestration (or confiscation) of royalist assets – land, property and money – was one of the most divisive outcomes of the civil wars.  For the bankrupt victors, this was a critically important source of income. The regime had to repay the loans from London financiers that had financed the conflict as well as tackle ... Read more