The Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I

John Adamson offers a new and controversial view of the English Civil War based on a fresh study of contemporary documents. Unlike previous historians, he sees the origins of the war as an aristocratic rebellion against the monarchy following the Scottish Covenanters' occupation of England's northern counties in 1640. The military defeat of King Charles I was the 'very hinge' that lead to the emergence of a powerful group of aristocratic magnates intent on exploiting the political crisis to usurp the power of the monarchy for themselves. Out of this rebellion came the civil war and England was never the same again. This major new account of the English civil war elevates to pole position the Earl of Essex, who lead the parliamentary forces before Oliver Cromwell makes his mark. Adamson's account of Essex's state funeral - he died unexpectedly in 1545 - will become a classic. The funeral was modelled on that of King James I and cost more than 1m at 21st century values. Adamson's account of the war itself follows the fortunes of the aristocratic rebellion, the later emergence of Oliver Cromwell and families torn apart by their support for rival factions. He counterpoints this with the military progress up and down the nation.

About the Author :
John Adamson is a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and has written extensively on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century political and cultural history. He is a winner of the Royal Historical Society's Alexander Prize and the University of Cambridge's Seeley Medal for History.

Review :
"immensely scholarly and beautifully written book... This is one of the most original and thought-provoking books on the civil war I have yet read." -- SIMON HEFFER THE LITERARY REVIEW "a work of great style and imagination... As with a great 19th-century novel, the story and the characters will become your friends for life." -- ED SMITH THE TIMES "vigorously refutes more than a century of debate on the reasons for Charles's downfall. a good old-fashioned political history." THE SUNDAY TIMES "a monumental achievement. ..a timeless study of the realities of power... John Adamson has given us a masterly account." -- MALCOLM GASKILL THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH "... new and profound, it's an exciting read, full of colour and finely drawn characters. the ten years dedicated to writing it were well spent." -- LEANDA DE LISLE THE SPECTATOR "engaging... he delivers a body blow to recent modes of revisionist analysis." THE DAILY TELEGRAPH "Adamson has fine gifts of characterisation... he has raised his subject to a new level." -- BLAIR WORDEN LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS "excellent... As rigorously close-up historical narrative, this is exemplary stuff." THE GUARDIAN "Adamson's book has much to offer." FINANCIAL TIMES " a daunting range of references and a fluent prose style. This is history at its biggest and boldest." THE FIRST POST "In a charismatic way, Adamson tells the gripping story of those tense days of the 1630s and 1640s... This is revisionism with a scholarly slant." THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE