Customer Reviews

Cavaliers and Roundheads: The English Civil War, 1642-1649

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"Cavaliers and Roundheads" is the story of the English Civil War of 1642-49 between King Charles I and Parliament which lead to the beheading of Charles on January 30, 1649 and the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector.

The book is well written and tends to present the story chronologically. The alignment of forces and shifting military advantages are explained. The ultimate arrest and trial of the King, followed by his execution, bring the war to its conclusion. The ascendency of Cromwell was brief and his reputation swiftly tarnished until his rehabilitation in the 19th century. The restoration of King Charles II lead to the veneration of Charles I as a martyr King.

The book is, largely, limited to a factual reporting of the events of the war. The explanation of the causes and results of the war are brief. There is little treatment of any underlying social causes or effects of the dispute between King and Parliament.

My rating of this work is fairly low because of the difficulty I had in following all the Dukes and Lords involved in the story. Perhaps a reader with a greater familiarity with this era of English history would find this work to be more interesting. I would rate it as a fair introduction to this period of history. It would probably better serve a reader a more prepared for an in depth study of the era.

If you want a meaty narrative history of the English Civil War, look elsewhere. Hibbert's account is full of facts, but there's not much of a story here.

And Hibbert's choice of facts is peculiar. You'll learn a lot about looting. In fact, I doubt there's a single incident of looting during the ECW that Hibbert doesn't describe.

Unfortunately, you don't get a the facts you might expect, and probably want. For example, the New Model Army is very sketchy, for as important a development as it was.

Beyond the facts, however, there's not much of a narrative here. Hibbert is no "master storyteller." Instead, he's the uncle you hate to sit next to at Thanksgiving dinner, because he'll bore you to tears with a lot of details about family history. There's probably a very interesting story to be told, but you don't tell it by just relating facts.

For example, which battle was really the turning point in the war, Marston Moor or Naseby? Hibbert doesn't seem to have any opinion on the topic, but he will relate how Parliamentary soldiers broke into Lord Ramsbottom's home and stole all the bedsheets.

I well understand some of the reviewers' complaints about this book's cursory treatment of various subjects relating to the war, its causes and its primary characters. However, the author himself acknowledges that his book is a mere overview, meant for the reader who is unfamiliar with the war. He seems exhaustive though in at least listing all the various battles and sieges, and certainly emphasizes the constant depredations committed by both sides.

A master storyteller for a wonderful story! Christopher Hibbert is perhaps the most renowned British historian in this day and age, and this book is no exception to his mastery. The storyline of the English civil war lets the reader view both sides subjectively...sometimes becoming disgusted or enamored with both. This is an A+ book, and a great amount of fun to read.