This is the definitive history of the English Civil War, set in its full historical context from the accession of Charles I to the Restoration of Charles II. These were perhaps the most turbulent years of British history with reverberations down the centuries. Austin Woolrych captures the drama and the passion, the momentum of events and the force of contingency. He brilliantly interweaves the history of the three kingdoms and peoples, gripping the reader with the fast-paced yet always balanced story.

Professor Woolrych surveys the establishment and history if the Commonwealth and Protectorate, first explaining how the country lost its king, and how Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector. Professor Woolrych challenges accepted views on the nature of the Protectorate, and finally offers some guidelines to the tangled period between Cromwell's death and the Restoration.