England in the seventeenth century was a kingdom pushed to the edge of collapse. Political distrust, religious division, and a fierce struggle over the limits of royal authority transformed a constitutional crisis into civil war. As Royalists and Parliamentarians took up arms, communities fractured, families divided, and the future of monarchy itself came into question.
Civil War, Revolution, and Restoration follows this extraordinary period from the first campaigns of the English Civil War to the decisive rise of Oliver Cromwell and the disciplined New Model Army. It explores the Battle of Naseby, the shocking trial and execution of Charles I, the creation of the Commonwealth, and Cromwell's controversial campaigns in Ireland and Scotland. It also examines the instability that followed Cromwell's death, the collapse of the Protectorate, and the dramatic restoration of Charles II.