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The victory at Dunbar of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army over the Scots under David Leslie merits a major place in the long succession of Anglo-Scottish battles. The Scots had brought Cromwell's invading army to its knees, but Cromwell took the offensive and, in one of the great upsets of military history, the Scots army was routed. The triumph secured Cromwell's reputation as the outstanding general of the age and demonstrated the toughness and flair of the New Model Army he commanded. Peter Reese's exciting account of this extraordinary battle is the first full-length study to be published.
Cromwell's Convicts not only describes the Battle of Dunbar but concentrates on the grim fate of the soldiers taken prisoner after the battle. On 3 September 1650 Oliver Cromwell won a decisive victory over the Scottish Covenanters at the Battle of Dunbar – a victory that is often regarded as his finest hour – but the aftermath, the forced march of 5,000 prisoners from the battlefield to Durham, was one of the cruellest episodes in his career. The march took them seven days, without food and with little water, no medical care, the property of a ruthless regime determined to eradicate any possibility of further threat. Those who survived long enough to reach Durham found no refuge, only pestilence and despair. Exhausted, starving and dreadfully weakened, perhaps as many as 1,700 died from typhus and dysentery. Those who survived were condemned to hard labour and enforced exile in conditions of virtual slavery in a harsh new world across the Atlantic. Cromwell's Convicts describes their ordeal in detail and, by using archaeological evidence, brings the story right up to date. John Sadler and Rosie Serdiville describe the battle at Dunbar, but their main focus is on the lethal week-long march of the captives that followed. They make extensive use of archive material, retrace the route taken by the prisoners and describe the recent archaeological excavations in Durham which have identified some of the victims and given us a graphic reminder of their fate.
A new biography revealing the personal story of the powerful, doomed minister to Henry VIII. Thomas Cromwell was King Henry VIII’s most faithful servant, the only man the king ever openly regretted executing. But Cromwell came to royal prominence late in life, and had forty-five years of family, friends, and experiences behind him before catching Henry’s eye. Born a commoner at a time of significant change in England, Cromwell grew up in a happy, close-knit family before heading to Europe for dramatic adventures. Returning a decade later, he emerged with the skills of a lawyer and merchant, with the European language skills and connections to match. Marriage, children, friends, family, and manor homes all furnished Cromwell’s life, a man happy and settled in London. But more beckoned for the Italian-Englishman when a special friendship with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey grew, along with the attention of the king. This book delves into the life beyond the historic role in Reformation England—a life marked by tragic personal loss; by friendships that endured through changes in allegiance and even religion; and of aspirations for his son Gregory. Far from the seemingly dour, black-clad, serious man, Cromwell lavished those around him with gifts, parties, extravagant games, entertainments, animals, and outfits. But the glamour and beauty of Cromwell’s life would come to a sudden end, leaving a trail of devastated men and women, and an extraordinary manor home, Austin Friars, scattered to the wind. Using a wide variety of primary material, this exciting biography weaves a new narrative on the indefatigable Thomas Cromwell, illustrating him more vividly than we’ve known him before.