Charles Spencer

Brother against brother in the English civil war

The prolonged siege of Basing House illustrates in microcosm the sheer hell of England in the 1640s

‘The Plundering of Basing House’, by Charles Landseer. [Alamy]

‘The Wars of the Three Kingdoms’ is the best description of the devastating conflict that erupted in England, Ireland and Scotland during the 1640s and 1650s. While Britain lost 2.2 per cent of its population in the first world war, 4 per cent perished during these terrible 17th-century clashes.

The kingdoms were, at the outset, Charles I’s.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in