The path to war / Rebel lords
The Civil War didn’t simply pit parliament against lords. John Adamson explains the overlooked part of rebellious republicanleaning nobles in the start of the conflict 102
The Story of the Civil War
BRIDGEMAN
RISING OF THE
REBEL LORDS A right royal rebellion Charles I attempts to arrest the rebel peers’ accomplices in the House of Commons, 1642
The Story of the Civil War
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The path to war / Oliver Cromwell
THE MAKING OF A MILITARY GENIUS
BRIDGEMAN/NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM
In just two years, Oliver Cromwell made the journey from little-known MP with no experience of armed combat to brilliant, battle-winning leader. Martyn Bennett reveals how a military novice became one of British history’s greatest warriors
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The Story BBC ofHistory the Civil Magazine War
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Quick learner Oliver Cromwell, portrayed in an oilon-panel painting. “He had a particularly sharp mind,” says Martyn Bennett, “one that could quickly take in the nature of a landscape and the military opportunities that it provided”
BBC History Magazine
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Living through conflict / Women
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BRIDGEMAN
An illustration from the 1642 pamphlet The Resolution of the Women of London to the Parliament shows a wife directing her husband to “Go to the wars” The Story of the Civil War
THE
HOME FRONT Faced with unfamiliar challenges during the Civil War, women were forced to take on new roles – from defending family homes to battling bureaucracy. Anne Laurence explores the travails of a range of women struggling to make ends meet in a time of conflict
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Living through conflict / Royalist devil dog
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LIBRARIES
THE PRINCE AND THE DEVIL DOG
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The Story of the Civil War
Mark Stoyle investigates claims that Charles I’s chief cavalry commander in the Civil War was protected by a demon in the guise of a poodle
A contemporary illustration of Boy, pet poodle of Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Royalist satirists gleefully claimed that parliamentarians were gullible enough to believe that the dog possessed demonic powers The Story of the Civil War
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mong the minor celebrities of the Civil War, few retain the contemporary cachet of Prince Rupert’s dog, Boy. Characterised by the polemicists of the 1640s as a ‘dog-witch’ who was in league with the devil, Boy was reintroduced to the world by the Victorian journalist Eliot Warburton in his book Memoirs of Prince Rupert and the Cavaliers in 1849. And from that day to this, the beast’s reputation has steadily continued to grow. Having been namechecked in dozens of scholarly books and articles, and featured as a supporting character in at least three historical novels and a brace of films, Boy has also enjoyed the ultimate accolade of being unleashed upon the nation’s classrooms. In The Slimy Stuarts – one of Terry Deary’s bestselling ‘Horrible Histories’ series – readers are provided with a bite-sized account of Boy’s life, which informs them that “the Roundheads were afraid of the dog’s devilish powers”. Next, they are encouraged to ascertain whether their teacher is “a historical brain-box or a hysterical bonehead” by asking him or her whether or not it is true that the “cavalier general, Prince Rupert, taught his dog to cock its leg every time someone said the name of the Roundhead leader [John] Pym”. The youthful inquisitors are subsequently assured that this statement is, indeed, correct and that Boy “also jumped happily in the air” when Rupert said the words “King Charles”. Deary’s words, though clearly intended to amuse and entertain, faithfully reflect the way in which Boy has been represented in many popular histories of the English Civil War. Yet the authors of those histories have been misled, because the view of Boy epitomised by Deary’s words is simply the
It’s claimed that Rupert taught his dog to cock its leg every time it heard the name of Roundhead leader John Pym 109
Legacy and aftermath / John Lilburne
John Lilburne passionately championed the liberty of the freeborn Englishman BACKGROUND A contemporary engraving of 17th
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The Story of the Civil War
THE
CELEBRITY
RADICAL GETTY/AKG
The 1640s were turbulent years in England – in part due to the radical activities of John Lilburne. Mike Braddick explores the life and fame of ‘Free-Born John’
The Story of the Civil War
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Legacy and aftermath / Protectorate
An engraving of Cromwell in the role of military leader from a 1656 book praising his achievements
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The Story of the Civil War
PUTTING THE
PROTECTOR BACK INTO THE PROTECTORATE
GETTY/BRIDGEMAN
Oliver Cromwell is shown crowned with laurel on a coin of 1658
Oliver Cromwell has sometimes been seen as little more than a figurehead in the governance of Britain after the execution of Charles I. But as Patrick Little explains, the results of cutting-edge research challenges that viewpoint The Story of the Civil War
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FROM THE MAKERS OF
THE STORY OF THE
CIVIL WAR In the mid-17th century, bloody conflicts between king and parliament ravaged the British Isles in an era of revolution and reprisals with a far-reaching and long-lasting legacy. In this special edition of BBC History Magazine, a range of expert historians provide insights into the background, causes, protagonists, action and aftermath of the Civil War. Inside you will find: ◆ Fresh perspectives on Charles I and Cromwell ◆ How war affected the lives of ordinary people ONLY ◆ The impact of printed propaganda ◆ Clashes across England, Wales and Ireland ◆ Why the Restoration transformed Britain PLUS P&P *
£9.99
Trace the era’s key episodes through a detailed timeline
Discover how Cromwell became Britain’s most brilliant general
Meet the women who fought military and bureaucratic battles
ns.com/civilwar tio ip cr bs su uy .b w w w e lin on er rd O + e CI V ILWA RPRI N T1 ot qu d an 38 21 16 30 33 0 on or call us + Calls from landlines will cost up to 9p per minute. Call charges from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute but are included in free call packages. Lines are open 8am–6pm weekdays and 9am–1pm Saturday for orders only. * Prices including postage are: £11.49 for all UK residents, £12.99 for Europe and £13.49 for Rest of World. All orders subject to availability. Please allow up to 21 days for delivery.