The History of the Rebellion: A New Selection

Here is the only affordable selection of Claredon's classic History of the Rebellion currently in print, and the first popular edition since 1953. Written by one of the closest advisers to Charles I and Charles II, Claredon's History contains a remarkably frank account of the inadequacies of royalist policy-making as well as an astute analysis of the principles and practice of government. Clarendon chronicles in absorbing detail the factions and intrigues, the rise of Cromwell and the death of Charles I, the bloody battles and the eventual Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 after the Interregnum. Paul Seaward's new selection includes all the famous passages but also provides a readable narrative account of the Civil War and links Claredon's personal story to the greater struggle going on around him. A substantial introduction sets Clarendon's achievement in its political and literary context; a glossary of main characters and index further enhances the volume's usefulness.