The World Turned Upside Down - The British Civil Wars 1638-1651 The World Turned Upside Down

Sergeant-Major General Phillip Skippon was described by an earlier biographer, Lucas Phillips, as “… the type of man found in the best British armies throughout the centuries – not over-endowed with brains, but stout of heart, loyal of spirit, direct of speech, generous to a fault, God-fearing, the first into action and the last out ... Read more

Ask who was the Parliamentary general who created and commanded the all-conquering New Model Army during the civil wars and the most likely answer will be “Oliver Cromwell”. But in fact, it was Sir Thomas Fairfax – known to his enemies as “Black Tom” – who emerged as the most successful military commander of the ... Read more

Napoleon Bonaparte famously said “Soldiers generally win battles, generals get credit for them”.  This is certainly true of many of the histories of the British Civil Wars. Whilst much is written about famous military figures such as Oliver Cromwell and Prince Rupert of the Rhine, the hundreds of thousands of ordinary men they led – ... Read more

1647 was the first year of peace after Parliament’s victory in the First Civil War. Rather than a return to pre-war normality, the year brought more instability as the lives of the British and Irish peoples were turned upside down. The year began when the defeated King was ‘sold’ to the Westminster Parliament by his ... Read more

Between 1660 and 1689, Quakerism in England underwent substantial trials and transformations. This was a time of great political and religious  instability which posed formidable challenges for early Quakers who had survived the civil wars. Following the Restoration of the monarchy, Quakers faced intensified persecution under the so-called Clarendon Code, which sought to suppress dissenting religious ... Read more

Quakerism emerged in England in the social and religious tumult of the Civil Wars. It was in these years that Quakers tapped into the widespread feeling of uncertainty in a world turned upside down, zealously spreading their messages in print and through a travelling ministry.  This brought them into direct confrontation with the authorities who ... Read more