ABSTRACT

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.

part 1|36 pages

Introduction

part 2|30 pages

Knock-out strategies

chapter 4|11 pages

Initial strategies

chapter 5|6 pages

The battle of Edgehill

chapter 6|8 pages

The first Thames valley campaign

chapter |3 pages

Summary of Part II

part 3|33 pages

Parliament's offensive

chapter 7|14 pages

Consolidation

chapter 8|15 pages

The second Thames valley campaign

chapter |3 pages

Summary of Part III

part 4|54 pages

A king's game

chapter 10|6 pages

The Gloucester and Newbury campaign

chapter 11|5 pages

The first battle of Newbury

chapter 12|17 pages

Maintaining the strategic initiative

chapter 13|10 pages

The Hampshire campaign

chapter |3 pages

Summary of Part IV

part 5|60 pages

The allies' counterattack

chapter 14|14 pages

The third Thames valley campaign

chapter 15|13 pages

The march to York

chapter 16|6 pages

The battle of Marston Moor

chapter 17|14 pages

The Royalist recovery

chapter 18|7 pages

The second and third battles of Newbury

chapter |4 pages

Summary of Part V

part 6|48 pages

The crisis of the war

chapter 19|12 pages

Winter quarters

chapter 20|17 pages

The Naseby campaign

chapter 21|7 pages

The battle of Naseby

chapter 22|10 pages

Langport and beyond

part 7|19 pages

Tactics

chapter 23|12 pages

Triumph on the battlefield