Monthly General Meeting at Crofton Halls

The English Civil War - Paul Robbins

The "Romantic" idea that the English Civil War was full of acts of chivalry between friendly adversaries is dismissed during this presentation. The English Civil War was a merciless conflict with several examples of what would now be classified as war crimes, whose scars and impacts can still be seen today, not only physically, but also in the way our society and democracy functions.

Paul explores the origins and causes of the conflict, the main personalities on either side. We hear about the main battles of the war, and the military blunders that doomed King Charles to defeat. Whilst the war is mistakenly thought of as one continuous war, the reality is that there were 3 distinct phases to it.

Finally, Paul speculates on what might have happened to England if the Royalist side had won, and how Britain might have become a very different country than the one we see today. For example would the British empire have ever come about?