Battles of the English Civil War: Marston Moor, Naseby, Preston

By Austin Woolrych

Book Overview

"An excellent book...It most skillfully indicates all the essential connections between the Civil War's political, social, and military aspects."--C.V. Wedgwood, Daily Telegraph. "Excellent use of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0000CL931
• Release Date: January 1961
• Publisher: The Macmillan Company
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A good introduction text - very readable

This is the first book I have read about the 1640's English Civil War and despite my inital misgivings turned out to be a remarkably interesting and informative book. Woolrych weaves together the disparate strands of religion, warfare and politics in the context of the three major battles of the English Civil War. Given that the book only runs to 184 pages, the author could have quite easily concentrated on only one battle, but instead treats us to a thorough examination of all three battles, without sacrificing detail which subsequent reading on the subject has reinforced. The battles dealt with are Marston Moor fought in July 1644 in which King Charles I lost the North of England. This is followed by the Battle of Naseby in which Charles lost the bulk of his army and finally the three day running battle which began at Preston in 1648, which ultimately ended with the beheading of the King. However, the book is more than an examination of just three battles - Woolrych also describes the context that led to the split between King and Parliament, especially the impact of religious tensions. In Woolrych's attempt to appeal to the general reader he has examined just about every aspect - from the compostion of the armies, the nature of the fighting and every so often one does get caught up in the passions that were so prevelant at the time - often the narative lends itself to flights of fancy for the reader, enabling you to see yourself as a 'Cavalier' or one of Cromwell's feared 'Roundheads'. As the title to this review indicates, 'Battles of the English Civil War' serves as a great jumping off point for further more detailed reading or research into this subject.