In this ongoing series of specially commissioned programmes for the World Turned Upside Down, Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester and author of the acclaimed The English Civil War: A Military History, discusses some of the pivotal battles fought during the conflict. As Professor Gaunt says in this programme the south-west of England ... Read more

In 1645, the military history of the civil wars was transformed by reorganisation of the Parliamentarian forces to form the New Model Army. The impact of this army on the course of the wars became apparent with their growing dominance in the field during the second half of that year. This well-trained and effectively-led force ... Read more

In this ongoing series of specially commissioned programmes for the World Turned Upside Down, Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester and author of the acclaimed The English Civil War: A Military History, discusses some of the pivotal battles fought during the conflict. In this programme he explores the second battle of Newbury fought ... Read more

1644 proved to be a pivotal year in the military history of the civil wars. While at the end of 1643 Royalist forces were predominant over much of England and Wales. the situation was about to change dramatically.  Intervention by a Scottish army shifted the balance of power in favour of Parliament and in the ... Read more

A bonus programme by Professor Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester describes the first pitched battle of the British and Irish civil wars fought by the two field armies. Both sides were left shocked by the extent of the casualties in a battle that only lasted for about 2 1/2 hours ... Read more

In the second part of this landmark series – specially commissioned for The World Turned Upside Down –  exploring the military history of the British and Irish civil wars, distinguished historian Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester begins to trace the chronology of the conflict. The story starts with the raising of the ... Read more

John Bradshawe (1602 – 1659) is one of the most famous – or depending on your view “notorious” figures of the period. Some remember him as the traitorous judge who sentenced his monarch – King Charles I – to death after presiding over a “show trial”.  Others consider that Bradshawe was a skilled lawyer who ... Read more

There has been a significant shift in understanding the origins of the Civil War which began in England in 1642 as historians have increasingly recognised that events in Scotland and Ireland had a profound impact in England and vice versa. During the years preceding the outbreak of war in England, it was events in Scotland ... Read more

Parliament’s Sequestration (or confiscation) of royalist assets – land, property and money – was one of the most divisive outcomes of the civil wars.  For the bankrupt victors, this was a critically important source of income. The regime had to repay the loans from London financiers that had financed the conflict as well as tackle ... Read more

What was the experience of the ordinary soldier’s, life in the ranks of a civil war army? It was hard and frequently uncertain. Simply surviving was a challenge, particularly as England experienced prolonged periods of cold, wet weather throughout the mid-seventeenth century. In the third programme in this landmark series specially commissioned for The World Turned Upside ... Read more