The English, or more correctly, the British Civil Wars in the middle years of the 17th century had a lasting effect on the development of Britain as a nation. The upheaval caused immense changes in society, religion, government and trade, although not all of the effects would have been immediately apparent to those living through this difficult period.
The history of the wars is well covered by other sites so we do not intend to provide the same material here. Instead we offer suggestions for further research by providing links to some of the best history sites, and a short bibliography of books that offer a good introduction to the period. We also have information about museums and galleries with relevant collections, and a list of heritage properties worth visiting.
The slide show in the left column shows portraits of some of the civil war army commanders. Clicking on one will take you to the Wikipedia entry for that character. The image above right is an early woodcut showing a schoolroom with master and pupils.
Internet Resources
The English Civil War Society is not responsible for the content on these external Web sites. If any of the links become broken please let us know by sending an E-mail message to . Note: if you want to keep this page open in the background you should right-click on the links and then choose to open them in a new window or tab.
British Civil Wars, Commonwealth & Protectorate 1638-60. A very comprehensive and elegant site which is still being expanded. Check out the SiteMap there to see just how much is covered. Highly recommended and one of the main reasons why we don't feel the need to repeat such an excercise here - we coudn't do it any better!
BBC History - Civil War and Revolution. This BBC site covers British history from 1066 to the present. The link takes you to the pages about the 17th century.
UK Battlefields Resource Centre. The Centre was created by the Battlefields Trust to provide information about of fields conflict throughout the United Kingdom. This link takes you to the section dealing with battles of the civil wars from Newburn Ford in 1640 to Worcester in 1651.
British History Online is the digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. These are the pages dealing with the civil war period:
[1] Charles I (1625-1649) [2] Interregnum (1649-60)
It is also worth exploring this site for the periods leading up to the civil war, and the reigns of Charles II and James II afterwards.
Museums and Galleries
London is the home of many world-class museums but the smaller regional museums and galleries have much to offer as well. We present a selection of them here and welcome your suggestions for additions that house collections or items of interest to students of 17th century history (send the details to ).
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has a collection that includes a good selection of 17th century items, including ceramics, metalware and coins.
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London houses one of the world's greatest collections of art and design. Visit the site and use the What's in the V&A link to search. Wonderful stuff!
Heritage Properties
Good online sources of information about early 17th century building in Britain are not plentiful, especially if you want to learn about the more modest dwellings rather than the grander ones. Most of the better sources are in printed form. Here we present links to a selection of resources that form a basic guide to 17th century buildings.
