Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier [Hardcover]

Charles Spencer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2007

To his fellow Royalists, fighting for King Charles I, Prince Rupert of the Rhine was the archetypal 'cavalier'. Young, handsome, expert horseman, crack pistol shot, his swaggering style irritated the stuffier of the king's courtiers almost as much as the 'Roundheads' they were fighting. To the parliamentarians, above all Oliver Cromwell, he was the ultimate 'malignant', one of those Royalists who fought on even after Charles was executed in 1649. Rupert commanded the Royalist forces in exile, at one point reduced to little more than pirates before the triumphant restoration of the monarchy in 1660. In Charles Spencer's thoroughly researched account, Prince Rupert is revealed as more than just a great general and dashing cavalier. He was a scientist and classical scholar too: a true renaissance prince. From his dramatic childhood escape through the snows of Bohemia to respected older statesman, this is the first comprehensive biography of the greatest cavalier of them all.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

One of the most compelling historical characters to emerge from the English Civil War was Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who captured the imagination of his contemporaries as well as subsequent historians and laymen who have studied seventeenth-century Britain. Now Spencer turns in an interesting biography of this interesting man. Rupert was born in Prague, but he had strong ties to British royalty. He was the grandson of King James I and the great-grandson of Mary I, Queen of Scots. From an early age, Rupert showed both skill and enthusiasm for the military arts. At 19, he fought in the Thirty Years’ War for the Protestant forces. At 23, he was appointed by King Charles I to lead the royalist cavalry. His bold, occasionally reckless charges earned him the admiration of royalists and fear and hatred from parliamentarians. Yet, as Spencer illustrates, Rupert was not a one-dimensional man. He was also an inventor and a lover of classical literature. --Jay Freeman

Review

'I have read many lives of the prince... but I have not read one before... so richly and fully explored.' -- Antonia Fraser THE GUARDIAN 'pacey and perceptive... Written with all the zest of a Flashman novel, this biography is a delight to read' -- John Adamson THE MAIL ON SUNDAY 'This is a fine book that portrays Rupert as a fascinating figure who was more than the ultimate cavalier, dashing but doomed.' GOOD BOOK GUIDE 'Charles Spencer's writing is fast-paced and engaging. His accounts of military encounters proceed with a fine degree of excitement... a vivid and enjoyable study.' -- Matthew Dennison TLS

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 430 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297846108
• ISBN-13: 978-0297846109
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,897,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier, November 23, 2008

By 

John P. Steigerwald (Kenosha, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier (Paperback)

The next time a producer is ready to spend vast sums of money making a film of some already overly familiar subject, they would do well to consider Prince Rupert of the Rhine. His story...and even his name...are unknown to most of us, and yet here is a person who packs more adventure and accomplishment into a single lifetime than many of those figures with which we are already well aquainted. I cannot help but be awed by someone who undertakes such a wide variety of physical and mental challenges, and with such energy and determination that he continually impresses with each endeavor, regardless of the outcome. Indeed, how very few can claim to be so well-rounded. Rupert's successes and failures are presented here in a superb telling by Charles Spencer, whose knowledge of this period makes him an absorbing and eloquent guide. He adds a richness of understanding to the prince's life and times through many enjoyable insights from the eyes of others of that age, and does so with such smoothness and grace that they delightfully aid in the telling without once breaking his stride.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful biography, January 31, 2009

By 

K. Stout "History Maven" (Palo Alto CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier (Paperback)

I knew little about Rupert, except for his role the English Civil War. While an defining part of Rupert's life, there is much more to the man than those few years.

Son of Elizabeth of Bohemia (the Winter Queen), nephew of Charles I, Rupert grew up in a household that was known for its rigid Protestant principles, and always a little cash-starved. His father had been driven from the throne of Bohemia, and which was both a glorious sacrifice and a deep failure.

Rupert came from royal stock, but without a clear role. He became a warrior, and Spenser debunks some of the ideas around how glorious a warrior he was, instead showing a somewhat impulsive and somewhat lucky leader. After the end of the Civil War, Rupert turns privateer admiral, leading dashing raids against Puritan England's vessels.

In later life, Rupert becomes the creator of exquisite etchings, a famous horseman. When his first cousin, Charles II is restored to the throne, he returns to England.

A thorough and engaging biography, well written.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just the civil war, December 8, 2008

By 

M. Richards - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier (Paperback)

Someone familiar with Stuart history might only know of Prince Rupert as Charles I's most notable (from both sides of the conflict) cavalier. This excellent book explores Rupert's entire life, which would be fascinating even without his civil war exploits (which are also described in brilliant detail). From his birth as the son of an exiled king, his interest in mezzotint art, his voyages in the Atlantic, his interest in the Hudson Bay Company, and the last years of his life back in England, this book presents the life of an interesting, and oft forgotten, Stuart.

Pair this book with Carola Oman's "The Winter Queen" to get a broader perspective on Stuart history.