A Military History of the English Civil War: 1642-1649

Description

A Military History of the English Civil War examines how the civil war was won, who fought for whom, and why it ended. With a straightforward style and clear chronology that enables readers to make their own judgements and pursue their own interests further, this original history provides a thorough critique of the reasons that have been cited for Parliament's victory and the King's defeat in 1645/46. It discusses the strategic options of the Parliamentary and Royalist commanders and councils of war and analyses the decisions they made, arguing that the King's faulty command structure was more responsible for his defeat than Sir Thomas Fairfax's strategic flair. It also argues that the way that resources were used, rather than the resources themselves, explain why the war ended when it did. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Preface Illustrations Abbreviations PART I Introduction I The nature and origins of the Great Civil War: a brief overview II How was the Great Civil War won? III Battlecraft in seventeenth-century Europe PART II Knock-out strategies IV Initial strategies V The battle of Edgehill VI The first Thames valley campaign Summary of Part II PART III Parliament’s offensive VII Consolidation VIII The second Thames valley campaign Summary of Part III PART IV A king’s game IX The battle of Roundway Down and the capture of Bristol X The Gloucester and Newbury campaign XI The first battle of Newbury XII Maintaining the strategic initiative XIII The Hampshire campaign Summary of Part IV PART V The allies’ counterattack XIV The third Thames valley campaign XV The march to York XVI The battle of Marston Moor XVII The Royalist recovery XVIII The second and third battles of Newbury Summary of Part V PART VI The crisis of the war XIX Winter quarters XX The Naseby campaign XXI The battle of Naseby XXII Langport and beyond PART VII Tactics XXIII Triumph on the battlefield XXIV Reflections on the military history of the Great Civil War Postscript The Second Civil War Bibliography Index