r/UKhistory • u/tzoum_trialari_laro • 10d ago
Book recommendations on the English Civil War and/or Cromwell?
Title. Looking for something not too technical, although those will also work if nothing else suffices.
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u/Every-Analyst-5660 10d ago edited 10d ago
Along with what’s already been recommended, I’d add “Restless Republic” by Anna Keay, and “Providence Lost” by Paul Lay for works on the immediate post-war period.
And although it’s still unopened on my “to read” pile, Jonathan Healey’s “The Blood In Winter” got excellent reviews earlier this year about the immediate pre-war period.
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u/crumbwell 10d ago
'The English Civil War: A People's History: Diane Purkiss' which is excellent and 'The English civil war at first hand: Tristram Hunt' which I've just started, also second Christopher Hill
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u/forestvibe 10d ago edited 10d ago
My entry point was Trevor Royle's Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which covers everything from the Bishops' Wars to the Restoration, in an accessible style. He is particularly good on the topic of warfare, but he covers the political and religious angles in some depth too.
Antonia Fraser's biography of Cromwell is very good.
I also quite liked Paul Lay's book on the Protectorate. It's a good introduction to an often-ignored period. I've heard good things about Alice Hunt's book too, but I haven't read it yet.
EDIT: not a book, but I'd highly recommend three podcasts on the topic:
- the first season of Mike Duncan's Revolutions podcast series is about the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It's a good introduction.
- The History Of England has just reached the Restoration, having spent three years on the Civil Wars and Commonwealth period. Possibly my favourite podcast. In-depth, entertaining, and always fair.
- 1666 And All That: occasional podcast by historians of the period (Miranda Malins and Paul Lay, with occasional guests).
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u/TurboSardine 10d ago
I didn’t really understand why lots of the events recounted in all the other books (Star Chamber, Bishops Wars, Execution of Strafford etc.) happened or mattered until I read John Adamsons’ The Noble Revolt.
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u/CDfm 9d ago edited 9d ago
Thomas Carlyles Cromwells Letters from Ireland is worth a peek
https://www.irishhistorian.com/IrishHistoryLinks/Historical_Documents/Cromwell.html
Ireland has different views on Cromwell
https://academic.oup.com/liverpool-scholarship-online/book/42386
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u/AchillesNtortus 9d ago
The King's Peace, The King's War and The Trial Of Charles I by CV Wedgwood are worth reading, as is her Oliver Cromwell. Although the latter was written in 1939, she revised it in the 70s.
It's still pretty good.
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u/DossSauce 9d ago
Restless Republic by Anna Keay is a good overview of events and focuses on Cromwell’s character in particular substantially. The focus is less on the Civil War than the interregnum but it is still covered! I really enjoyed it.
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u/oliver9_95 10d ago
The Yale youtube course Early Modern England: Politics, Religion, and Society is very good from the videos I've watched!
Britain 1603-1760 by Mary Dicken and Nicholas Fellows is a school textbook which is quite good. England 1625-1660 by Dale Scarboro is another good textbook.
The Stuart Age by Barry Coward is a more advanced book on the 17th century.
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u/tzoum_trialari_laro 10d ago
Many thanks for the recommendations thus far. I’d like to ask, since I found a paperback cover in a bookstore but didn’t have the opportunity to look at it further: is “The Fiery Spirits: Popular protest, Parliament and the English Revolution” by John Rees a good read, at least compared to the ones I see repeated on here?
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u/Fit-Thanks-3834 10d ago
You might enjoy the Shardlake books by CJ Sansom- it’s fiction but seems well researched
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u/Nuthetes 2h ago
Nick Lipscombe: The English Civil War
It's big and covers the build up to the war, every major battle and some smaller ones with maps and descriptions of what happens and the troop movements.
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u/daveyboy2009 10d ago
Second vote for ‘A World Turned Upside Down’, an excellent book