Battle Scenes

August 6, 2015August 19, 2019 Categories: 17th century · CreativityTags: 17th century · Battle · English Civil War · English Civil War Society · King Charles II · Oliver Cromwell · Royalist · Siege of Wallingford2 Comments

That’s it. I’m just going to say it. I love battle scenes. I have no idea why, but they make me mad with excitement. I want to grab a sword or a pistol (a doglock pistol, thank you) and just rush into the thick of it. On a fine horse, of course. Fine dresses and jewels? Not as exciting as buff coats and bandoliers. It doesn’t matter if the battle scene happens on the sea (Master and Commander), on a beach (Robin Hood), in the Hellmouth (Buffy), or even in this excellent YouTube video produced by the English Civil War Society about…

Finding the Fugitive King (Part 1): White Ladies and Boscobel House

September 13, 2014August 18, 2019 Categories: 17th centuryTags: Battle · Boscobel House · Charles Stuart · English Civil War · Escape of King Charles II · Oliver Cromwell · Penderell · Royal Oak · White Ladies · Worcester19 Comments

In chess, it’s all about capturing the King. Imagine this: You’ve lost the Battle of Worcester, and your soldiers have been killed, captured, and/or scattered. You know what comes next. Your father, after all, was murdered at the hands of the very men who are scrambling to find you. Resources? 200 mounted men. Options? Run. Following the battle, Charles headed north toward Scotland. Not that he wanted to, and you could hardly blame him. Since June 1650 when he landed in Scotland to secure an alliance, the Scots had practically kept him a prisoner. He acted the part of a puppet…

The Battle of Worcester

September 3, 2014August 18, 2019 Categories: 17th centuryTags: Battle · Charles Stuart · English Civil War · Oliver Cromwell · Worcester15 Comments

On September 3, 1651, the final battle of the English Civil War was fought in Worcester. Charles Stuart (future Charles II) allied himself with the Scots in his bid to defeat Parliament and reclaim his late father’s throne (Charles I, executed January 30, 1649). On the one side were the King’s army, numbering approximately 14,000 -16,000 (mostly Scots) while Oliver Cromwell commanded approximately 30,000 for Parliament. Ironically, the first major skirmish of the English Civil War and the final battle were both fought at Powick (immediately south of Worcester). While the first Powick meant victory for the Royalists, the last meant defeat. The Battle…