The English Civil War is a subject of perennial interest. This book presents the ‘essentials’ of the conflict in the form of a readable chronological narrative, beginning with the causes of the war and ending with the execution of King Charles I. The author, who has been exploring battlefields for 50 years, describes the celebrated battles – including Edgehill, Marston Moor and Naseby – together with the major political events which characterized one of the most turbulent periods in English History. Contemporary documents and leading secondary sources have been used to produce a picture of those troubled times – years which revolutionised government and witnessed the first faltering steps of Parliamentarians towards the democratic form of government we know today. Students of the English Civil War will find this an invaluable source of reference, while the general reader will be encouraged to delve deeper into what is, undeniably, the most fascinating of historical subjects. Appendices to the text include a battlefield visitor’s guide, a survey of contemporary folklore and a comparison of the English and American Civil Wars.