This is the first truly scholarly edition of all the recorded writings and recorded speech acts of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) and consists of more than 1,000 texts. Oliver Cromwell, one of Britain's greatest and most controversial generals, rose from lowly provincial origins to preside over the trial and execution of a king, to undertake the most complete conquest of Ireland and Scotland ever achieved, and to spend the last five years of his life as head of state, as Lord Protector of Britain and Ireland. A passionate speaker who claimed to be called by God to overthrow tyranny in church and state, and a powerful advocate for a very broad religious liberty and equality, his speeches and letters reveal the public and the private man more completely than for almost any other early modern political leader. This new edition not only publishes a number of new items, but also edits a large number from recovered originals not previously edited. Every item has its own detailed introduction explaining the status of the text and its context or contexts, but also very full annotation - identifying for example almost every person, place and event mentioned in the text and also - where there is no holograph but also variant copies - all significant differences between variant early copies.

When the British monarchy was restored in 1660, King Charles II was faced with the conundrum of what to with those who had been involved in the execution of his father eleven years earlier. Facing a grisly fate at the gallows, some of the men who had signed Charles I's death warrant fled to America. Charles I's Killers in America traces the gripping story of two of these men-Edward Whalley and William Goffe-and their lives in America, from their welcome in New England until their deaths there. With fascinating insights into the governance of the American colonies in the seventeenth century, and how a network of colonists protected the regicides, Matthew Jenkinson overturns the enduring theory that Charles II unrelentingly sought revenge for the murder of his father. Charles I's Killers in America also illuminates the regicides' afterlives, with conclusions that have far-reaching implications for our understanding of Anglo-American political and cultural relations. Novels, histories, poems, plays, paintings, and illustrations featuring the fugitives were created against the backdrop of America's revolutionary strides towards independence and its forging of a distinctive national identity. The history of the 'king-killers' was distorted and embellished as they were presented as folk heroes and early champions of liberty, protected by proto-revolutionaries fighting against English tyranny. Jenkinson rewrites this once-ubiquitous and misleading historical orthodoxy, to reveal a far more subtle and compelling picture of the regicides on the run.

The English troops serving in Ireland were vital source of experienced and possibly war-winning manpower sought after by both King and Parliament in the Civil War. The "cessation" or truce which King Charles reached with the Irish Confederates in September 1643 enabled him to begin shipping over troops fro Ireland to reinforce the Royalist armies. During the following year the "Irish", as they were frequently if inaccurately known by both sides were an important factor in the war. The Nantwich campaign (December 1643-January 1644), the consolidation of Royalist control in the Welsh Marches during the spring of 1644, the Marston Moor campaign, and the Battle of Montgomery (September 1644) all received major contributions from the troops from Ireland. Other troops from Ireland, mainly from the province of Munster, provided important reinforcements for the Western and Oxford Royalist armies during the 1644 campaigns in western and southern England. The "Irish" were still a significant part of the Royalist army during the Naseby campaign of 1645, and elements remained in action until the end of the war. The book will look at the Irish campaign and its influence on the experience and behaviour of the troops when they reached England. It will examine their equipment, logistical care, and experience following their return. It will look at the performance of some of the troops, such as the "firelocks" who changed sides and became valuable additions to the Parliamentarian forces. Also examined is the controversial topic of "native Irish" troops who were involved, and a number of prominent indiduals who also srved in the war. Full use is made of extensive contemporary primary sources and also later research.

One of the most famous and prestigious of Renaissance schools, Italy's University of Padua attracted a notable body of students from England, including such well-known alumni as Thomas Linacre, Thomas Starkey, and William Harvey. In this work Jonathan Woolfson looks at the reasons why so many Englishmen went to Padua, what they did there, and most importantly, the various ways in which their studies had an impact on Tudor life and thought. Covering a formidable range of intellectual history, Woolfson explores the complex processes of cultural transmission between Italy and England in the areas of humanism, law, political thought, medicine, and natural philosophy. An impressive feature of the book is its biographical register of English visitors to Padua, which comprises 349 separate entries drawn from extensive archival research in Italy and England. From the collective biography that results, as well as from textual studies, Woolfson argues that Padua influenced England in ways that were profound and enduring, but also extremely diverse and sometimes surprising.

The Littlecote House armoury is the most important surviving armoury of the English Civil Wars. This volume describes how the collection was saved for the nation (in part by a sponsored march in original armour from Littlecote to London), and includes a full illustrated catalogue of its contents.

The Levellers, formed out of the explosive tumult of the 1640s and the battlefields of the Civil War, are central figures in the history of democracy. In this thrilling narrative, John Rees brings to life the men-including John Lilburne, Richard Overton and Thomas Rainsborough-and women who ensured victory and became an inspiration to republicans of many nations. From the raucous streets of London and the clattering printers' workshops that stoked the uprising, to the rank and file of the New Model Army and the furious Putney debates where the Levellers argued with Oliver Cromwell for the future of English democracy, this story reasserts the revolutionary nature of the 1642-51 wars and the role of ordinary people in this pivotal moment in history. In particular Rees places the Levellers at the centre of the debates of 1647 when the nation was gripped by the question of what to do with the defeated Charles I. Without the Levellers and Agitators' fortitude and well-organised opposition history may have avoided the regicide and missed its revolutionary moment. The legacy of the Levellers can be seen in the modern struggles for freedom and democracy across the world.

An annotated and indexed transcription of one of the primary Parliamentarian newsbooks published during the first English Civil War, 1642-1646. Volume 1 of 4.

Mexican politics in the twentieth century was dominated by two complementary paradigms: the rhetoric of the Mexican Revolution and the existence of an "official" party. The Mexican Revolution has enjoyed a long and voluminous historiography; the "official" party has not. While the importance of the Revolution as a historical period is self-evident, the development of a party based on the political aspirations of the surviving revolutionary elites has not generally sparked as much historical interest. This book traces the path of the party, founded as the Partido Nacional Revolucionario (PNR), through its reformation as the Partido de la Revolucion Mexicana (PRM) in 1938 and then as the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) in 1946, which finally fell from power in 2000. Aaron Navarro shows how the transformation of the PRM into the PRI, the removal of the military from electoral politics, the resettlement of younger officers in the intelligence services, and the inculcation of a new discipline among political elites all produced the conditions that allowed for the dominance of a single-party structure for decades.

This is the definitive military history of the Civil Wars which swept the British Isles from 1642 to 1649. The martial aspects of the wars are covered in detail along with a comprehensive overview of thereligious and political dimensions which shaped the armies involved in the conflict. This excellent single volume history is the perfectintroduction to themilitary history of this turbulent decade which shaped the destiny of the British Isles. This book is part of the 'Military History From Primary Sources' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of warfare. The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie, creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

The six wives of Henry VIII - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr - have become defined in a popular sense not so much by their lives as by the way these lives ended. But, as Antonia Fraser conclusively proves, they were rich and feisty characters. They may have been victims of Henry's obsession with a male heir, but they were not willing victims. On the contrary, they displayed considerable strength and intelligence at a time when their sex supposedly possessed little of either.

For the first time in trade paperback-a classic memoir of Navy SEALs in action.
In gripping prose, Captain Robert A. Gormly tells about his days as a leader in the Navy SEALs- taking readers into the night, into the water, and into battle on some of the most hair-raising missions ever assigned.
Trained to a fine fighting edge just in time for Vietnam, Gormly served two tours of duty and engaged in top-secret missions in the Persian Gulf. Here, he shares his viewpoint and his experience-including what is perhaps the most graphic description ever of SEAL action in the invasion of Grenada. Gormly takes readers behind the myth of this awesome team, revealing how their lives depend on their unprecedented expertise and unparalleled courage.

In the seventeenth century Bristol was the second city of England. It was the main west coast port, an internationally important entrepot and rich trading centre. Industry flourished, too, with manufacturing and processing industries like soap making and gunpowder production responsible for Bristol's considerable wealth. In consequence, control of the town became one of the chief objectives of both armies during the civil war which raged in England in the 1640s. Beginning the war under Parliamentarian control, the city changed hands twice, with each transfer having a major effect of the war effort of both sides. This new study argues that when the Royalists captured Bristol in July 1643 they gained not only the city, but also the materials and facilities that literally allowed them to remain in the war. Under Royalist rule Bristol became a vital centre for military and government activities, as well as a centre for importing arms from Europe and becoming almost the alternative Royalist capital. The loss of Bristol in 1645 was therefore a huge blow to the Royalist cause. This book is surely one of the most important written on the civil wars in recent times. Its radical reinterpretation of the pivotal role of England's second city will ensure it a place on bookshelves of anyone interested in the most turbulent years of the seventeenth century.

Books on the history of the Reformation are filled with the heroic struggles and sacrifices of men. But this compelling volume puts the spotlight on five strong and intellectually gifted women who, because of their absolute and unconditional commitment to the advancement of Protestant Christianity, paid the cost of their reforming convictions with martyrdom, imprisonment, and exile.

Paul Zahl vividly tells the stories of five mothers of the English Reformation -- Anne Boleyn, Katharine Parr, Jane Grey, Anne Askew, and Catherine Willoughby -- underscoring their lives as powerful theologians intensely interested in the religious concerns of their day. He also considers what the stories of these women have to say about the relation of gender to theology, human motivation, and God. An important epilogue by Mary Zahl contributes a contemporary woman's view of these fascinating historical figures.

During the reign of James I, an official scheme was drawn up for the "plantation" of West Ulster. However, the actual area settled by new colonists was much more extensive. With them came innovation. Permanent dwellings of a more sophisticated construction became the norm. The spread of hedged enclosures heralded innovations in agriculture. The settlers also brought with them a new language, new surnames, new religion and of course a change in political and historical allegiances. This account shows how colonisation on the ground was not as much influenced either by the London Government or by the new landowners as has often been assumed. The author also demonstrates how seeds of bitterness were quickly sown between the Protestant settlers and the Catholic natives whom they had displaced, with consequences that last to this day.

Men and women in early modern England lived their lives within a social and gender framework inherited from biblical times. Patriarchy—the social and cultural dominance of the male—has long been a fundamental feature of western civilization yet has only recently begun to be systematically investigated by historians. This book is the first attempt to provide a rounded portrait of its workings over a long stretch of the English past. Anthony Fletcher's account draws from a vast range of sources—literary, medical, religious, and historical—to investigate the mechanisms through which men and women interpreted and understood their social worlds. He explores the early modern view of the body, of sexual desire and appetites, and of gender difference. He looks at the nature of marital relationships and shows how subordination was implemented and consolidated through church, school, home, and community. And in a text that is poignant, humane, and beautifully written, he exposes patriarchy's tragic consequences: smothered opportunity, crushed sexuality, and a pall across many women's lives. Yet, over these three centuries, the conventional foundations of male superiority came under acute pressure. Fletcher reveals the depth of male anxiety in the face of women's volatility, verbal assertiveness, and alleged vibrant sexuality, and he shows how the gender system began to be transformed as men sought to detach it from its biblical foundations and inculcate gender identities on something like their modern ideological basis. This revolution in the entire premise upon which gender was grounded is fundamental to an understanding of the structure of English society today.

This is part of an eight-volume series providing short biographies of men and women from Roman to Victorian times. Each entry places the subject in the context of their age and evokes what was distinctive and interesting about their personality and achievement.

John Rogers addresses the literary and ideological consequences of the remarkable, if improbable, alliance between science and politics in seventeenth-century England. He looks at the cultural intersections between the English and Scientific Revolutions, concentrating on a body of work created in a brief but potent burst of intellectual activity during the period of the Civil Wars, the Interregnum, and the earliest years of the Stuart Restoration. Rogers traces the broad implications of a seemingly outlandish cultural phenomenon: the intellectual imperative to forge an ontological connection between physical motion and political action. The work of the writers whom Rogers discusses - John Milton, Andrew Marvell, Gerrard Winstanley, William Harvey, and Margaret Cavendish - spans the spectrum of genres from medical treatise to epic poem. Despite their differences, each text participates in or reacts to one of the least understood intellectual movements in early modern England, a short-lived embrace of philosophical idealism that Rogers identifies as the Vitalist Moment. Each writer, he asserts, struggled to reconcile the new materialist science of corpuscular motion and interaction with the new political philosophy of popular sovereignty and consensus.

..". important and admirable... " -- VictorianStudies

..". presents a good picture of many currents ofthought that flowed through the Victorian mind, particularly those of a religiousnature." -- History

"The overall standard of theseessays is very high.... should win a deserved place upon our students' readinglists." -- ISIS

An outgrowth of a special issue of VictorianStudies, this volume has been expanded to include additional essays which broadenand enrich the collection, including essays on physics, mathematics, chemistry, economics, anthropology, and biology and how they influenced thought and literaturein Victorian Britain.

London was the critical location throughout the English Civil Wars - a fact that has been emphasised by countless historians, with some going as far to say that by fleeing his capital in January 1642, King Charles I lost the war several months before the fighting actually started. Most studies focus on London as the political and economic powerhouse - overlooking the fact that militarily, London was just as important; it is 'London: the militarised city' which is the focus of this new history. At the outbreak of the fighting, Parliament was able to call upon the capital's `citizen soldiers' - well trained and equipped soldiery - although their commitment was not always assured. In addition to its militia and other volunteers, London was also able to defend herself through the construction of the largest system of urban fortification constructed anywhere in the country - a factor made even more critical by the fact that the London arms trades supplied the Parliamentarian war effort. Despite the fact that London did not witness any actual battles (although the fighting did get as near as Mile End on one occasion), armed soldiers were a common sight on London's streets and the political direction of what has sometimes been referred to as 'The English Revolution' was steered by several armed coups within the capital. Whilst London was controlled by Parliament, there was a large neutral faction and not an insignificant Royalist element - a number of who fled the capital to fight for the King, while others could be found in London's military hospitals and prisons (and, for some, ultimately at the capital's many places of execution). There is a significant amount of mid-17th century London which can be traced today, and so this book also identifies the sites and places associated with Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and other chief protagonists of this key period in British history. Written by an acknowledged expert on London's Civil War defences, this is both the first military history of London during the 1640s and 1650s, and an accessible general introduction to London during the time of Charles I and Oliver Cromwell.

Miller provides a clear and comprehensible narrative, a coherent and accurate synthesis, intended as a guide for students and the general reader to an extremely complex period in British history. His aim is to help readers avoid getting lost in a maze of detail and rather to maintain a grasp of the big picture. Although the English Civil War is usually seen, in England at least, as a conflict between two sides, it involved the Scots, the Irish and the army and the people of England, especially London. At some points, events occurred and perspectives changed with such disorienting rapidity that even those who lived through these events were confused as to where they stood in relation to one another. As the 1640s wore on, events unfolded in ways which the participants had not expected and in many cases did not want. Hindsight might suggest that everything led logically to the trial and execution of the king, but these were in fact highly improbable outcomes. Since the 1980s, a 'three kingdoms' approach has become almost compulsory, but Miller's focus is unashamedly on England. Events in Scotland and Ireland are covered only insofar as they had an impact on events in England.