Ian Gentles provides a riveting, in-depth analysis of the battles and sieges, as well as the political and religious struggles that underpinned them. Based on extensive archival and secondary research he undertakes the first sustained attempt to arrive at global estimates of the human and economic cost of the wars. The many actors in the drama are appraised with subtlety. Charles I, while partly the author of his own misfortune, is shown to have been at moments an inspirational leader.
The English Revolution and the Wars in the Three Kingdoms is a sophisticated, comprehensive, exciting account of the sixteen years that were the hinge of British and Irish history. It encompasses politics and war, personalities and ideas, embedding them all in a coherent and absorbing narrative.
"This is an admirably thorough attempt to take the reader through the military, religious, and political complexities of the times. It is an ideal choice for both the undergraduate and general reader."
Jasmin L. Johnson, Gillingham, Kent
"Nice features include good maps, a useful index, and superb descriptions of troop movements and battles. A valuable synthesis and a contribution to scholarship. Highly recommended."
R.P. Gildrie, Austin Petty State University
"Gentles descriptions are based on a thorough mastery of the primary sources as well as a deep understanding of the latest literature. Ian Gentles has made an impressive contribution to a field that is not short of impressive contributions."
Charles Carlton, North Carolina State University
"This book provides a series of new insights into the civil wars, which make its appearance more than welcome. It is the most recent academic study by an experienced academic."
Martyn Bennett, Nottingham Trent University
"Professor Gentles is one of the few historians capable of presenting this notoriously complex and unstable subject in such a clear and readable way. As a result, general readers and history students alike will find it an excellent and reliable introduction to this fascinating period."
David J. Appleby, University of Nottingham
"The book is a compendium of the latest scholarship on military history. Its charts on wartime taxation and maps of campaign marches and battlefield alignments will be a boon to readers."
Mark Kishlansky, Harvard University
CONTENTS
Prologue
1: Rebellion in the North
2: The Irish Insurgency, 1641-2
3: The outbreak of civil war in England, 1640-42
4: Building and Fuelling the Machinery of War: Recruitment, Finance, Logistics
5: Popular Allegiance in the English Civil War
6: War in England: the first year, 1642-3
7: The hinge year: 1643-4
8: Hope revived: royalists counterattack, roundheads regroup, September 1644 – May 1645
9: The King Vanquished, 1645-6
10: The wars carried on by other means: the political struggles of 1646-1648
11: The War of the Engagement – 1648
12: Regicide and Republic
13: Ormond, Cromwell, the Levellers and Ireland
14: War between Scotlandand England, 1650-51
15: Audit of war: the human and material cost
Epilogue
Ian Gentles is Visiting Professor of History at the Tyndale University College in Toronto, Canada.