English Civil War by Hourly History – Book Review

This is a book part of the Hourly History series explaining the English Civil War between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists during the 17^th Century post the Union of Crowns following the House of Stuart from Scotland ascending the throne in England.

The book starts with the events that led to the Civil War; such as the disappointment of King James I (James VI of Scotland) over the Parliament’s extreme control over the affairs of the country which was taken up by his successor Charles I who dissolved the parliament which eventually led to a bloody Civil War between those who supported the parliamentarians and those who supported the royals; not just in England, but throughout Great Britain and Ireland.

The book was ordered chronologically and the factors that determined the allegiance of the society was explained well (primarily religion). The focus on how each side tried to raise funds and gain support for the war was also covered well and I also liked the fact that the book, at the end of the day, managed to cover the English Civil War briefly over an hour.

The only aspect which I probably missed was that I felt that the most prominent figure of the war (and also post the war); the Parliamentarian Oliver Cromwell, who went on to become the Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland after the war; his role was barely covered in the book and also, I felt that the author could have added a paragraph on Cromwell’s subsequent rule post the war in the conclusion.

On the whole, I would award the book a rating of seven on ten.

Rating - 7/10

Have a nice day,

Andy