The History of England

In November 1647 at Corkbush field near Ware, Fairfax faced a dangerous threat to army unity - the work of the Leveller Agitators had incited some regiments to mutiny, in support of the Agreeent of the People. Meanwhile Charles had fled Hampton Court; he would find his new home even less to his liking. Until he had a strictly private discussion with the Scots... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

Following the attenpt by parliament to close the army down without pay, and the resulting August 1647 coup, the army was a seething mass of worries and resentments. Thrown into the mix were the radical political ideas of the Levellers. Together, all of this threatened chaos and even mutiny. So Cromwell and Fairfax invited representatives of their brothers in arms to thrash all of this out in the o...

In July, England had the prospect of king, Fairfax and Army triumphantly entering London with a new, open and tolerant constitution and a bright future. But Charles had killed that. So, in the face of the hostility of parliament, and fortified by their Solemn Engagement, the New Model Army decided to take England's future into their own hands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

With the king under their control, the determination of Fairfax's Army made Presbyterian parliamentarians buckle. And when Ireton presented the carefully worked Heads of Proposals to the Officers and Agitators at the Army General Council at Reading, it seemed that at last a peace agreement was within grasp. Once agreed, Fairfax and the Army could march into London with King Charles at its head, an...

In 1647 The New Model Army became a battleground between Independant and Presbyterian factions. Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell were caught in the middle. As Holles came closer and closer to destroying the New Model, Fairfax might be forced to choose between the parliament whose rights he had fought to uphold, and justice for the soldiers with whom he'd lived and fought. Hosted on Acast. See ac...

In June 1646 Charles' path had taken him to the Scots, on the hope he could persuade them to put him back on the English throne. But he was not prepared to pay their price, and in England Holles and the Presbyterian party saw a way to break the power of the New Model Amy and the Independents once and for all. And achieving the departure of the Scottish army was the key. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

The Levellers were not an organized, structured politial party or pressure group. They were a loose association of radicals who found they shared new ideas that sprang from their religious view, the chaos and freedoms of the time, and the possibility of change. In 1646 their first coherent petition hit the streets - The Remonstrance of Many Thousand Citizens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

In one sense this is a Tale of Two Cities - Oxford and London, HQs of King and Parliament. But the First Civil war is a conflict that reaches into every town, village and parish. There are national armies, regional armies, local armies and countless garrisons. Even commuities that try to reject any conflict - the Clubmen. This is the story of the First Civil War as king and parliament fight over r...

Charles options in 1645 were increasingly limited, as Fairfax and Cromwell closed down garrison after garison, and parliament defeated the few remaining royalist field armies. In Ireland he sent an envoy with secret instructions to the Confederate Association - maybe new concessions would a fresh army of 10,000 men to turn things around? Or in Scotland, Montrose was still ripping Covenanter a...

17th Century was a century of change and revolution, a world beautifully described in the a rich and varied book, The Blazing World. Historian Jonathan Healey comes along to talk through some of the themes and events that make the century such a fascinating time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Naseby, Fairfax took the New Model on the Western Campaign, to deal with the last remaining significant royalist army in the field - George Goring at Taunton. On the way, and after victory at Langport, he met the phenomenon of the Clubmen risings. As communities tried to rediscover the peace that had been lost. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We come to 1645, and the first test of the New Model Army. To Charles and Rupert this was an opportunity to destroy it while full of raw recruits. Through the sack of Leicester they lured the 'brutish' general Fairfax to meet them on the fields of Naseby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite the realities of the strategic situation, parliament and people were deeply discouraged by the failures of the Lostwithial and Newbury campaigns. Parliament was fractious, divided and argumentative. But from the disputes, debates and divisions - a solution emerged, and was crafted into a new weapon of the Revoluton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Excavations in Suffolk near Sutton Hoo have revealed fascinating news about the royal centre at Rendlesham, active from 570 to 730 ish. There's that - and news of a new Anglo Saxon series for you all Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his efforts to secure Oxford's safety,Charles was faced at Newbury by a far larger army. Find out what happens - and then we go north, where Montrose and Macolla give the Covenanters a nasty shock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The defeat at Marston Moor in July 1644 raised the very, very strong possibility of the king's defeat. In the Midlands, a small force under the king faced the much larger combined armies of Essex and Waller. Against all expectations, the showdown came in Cornwall.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1644 opened with Charles' 'Mongrel parliament' at Oxford, and was the model of compliance. Not so at York where the noose of the Scots and Fairfax tightened around York. Enter Rupert, stage Lancashire, a whirlwind of violent destruction,. To meet Leven's parliamentarian army at Marston Moor, for the biggest showdon on English soil.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Civil Wars used to be thought of as a rather neighbourly affair, not like those brutal foreign wars. But it's become clear that there was far more death and destruction than just the major battles, and the disruption of the war probably touched every family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Between a quarter and a third of adult males up to 50 will fight in the first civil war. Most families will be affected in some way. Here is the story of those great marching armies, what kept them together, what made them effective, and how they fought Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gavin Whitehead gives a guest episode from the Art of Crime podcast - where True crime, History and Art meet. Today - Maria Manning and the Bermondey horror. Find more from Gavin at www.artofcrimepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In August 1643 came one of the defining moments of the course of the Revolution - the swearing of the Solemn League and Covenant between England and Scotland. It would bring an army - and division. But for 6 months Newcaste still have a chance to take Hull and advance on London. Would he seize the opportunity? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In July 1643 the propaganda war was in full swing, and newsheets opened up from both Oxford and London. London was rent by protests, while the royalist cause was finely fettled - in control in the North and ready from the west to launch another assault to London. Only Gloucester stood in the way.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margaret Cavendish was an extraordinary figure - a refugee from her native Essex, become courtier, Duchess of Newcastle, Natural Philosopher trading blows with the Royal Society, author and public celebrity. Professor Oakes talks to me about her life and why she is so important. You can also follow an extended series of her life by becoming a shedcaster, at Become a Member – The History of En...

By April it was clear Charles expected to reduce his kingdoms to obedience by war, and would not make peace. By July his cause would be tested at Chalgrove, Adwalton - and Roundway Down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Early 1643 was not a good idea for peace. By April, both the Scots and English parliament had tired of Charles' negotiating style and started talking to each other instead. But for Charles it was a happy time. His Queen, Generalissima of the North, had landed in Bridlington, and made it to Oxford, bringing arms and news of her capture of Burton on Trent Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...