Charles Cordell at Worcester

 

Enjoy DESECRATION, an English Civil War historical fiction short story by Charles Cordell, ahead of his author talk at The Commandery - Worcester on Sunday.

DESECRATION is set during the Storming of Winchester and the iconoclastic desecration of Europe's greatest cathedral in December 1642. This Divided Kingdom short story eBook is only £0.99 on Amazon until midnight on Sunday 30 August 2026.

On Sunday, Charles Cordell will talk about why historical fiction set during the 17th Century can feel so relevant today in an award-winning venue that was the royalist headquarters for the last battle of the British Civil Wars. This will be an official Worcester 375 event.

#DividedKingdomBooks #WorcesterEvents #CivilWar375

Battle of Newburn 1640

 Today's anniversary. 

Battle of Newburn - Wikipedia

Somerset Trained Bands Newburn 1640

Somerset was ordered to send 2000 men overland to Newcastle upon Tyne for the Second Bishops' War of 1640. However, substitution was rife and many of those sent on this unpopular service would have been untrained replacements and conscripts. Like many other contingents, the Somerset men were disorderly, complaining about pay, food and conditions. As his regiment passed through Warwickshire, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Lunsford and his officers admitted that they had killed some of their men in self-defence. Sir John Beaumont's regiment, conscripted in Somerset, Bristol, and Wiltshire, marauded through Derbyshire, attacking the property of unpopular landowners, and were accused of being 'West Country clownes'.^[18]

The Somerset Trained Bands played a significant role in the Battle of Newburn in 1640. During this battle, approximately 800 Somerset musketeers under Colonel Thomas Lunsford manned two makeshift sconces defending the southern bank and ford crossing against a superior Scottish army. The Somerset contingent was part of the main English force of around 15,000, which took position along the River Tyne to block the Scots' advance. The battle was a significant engagement in the Second Bishops' War, and the Somerset Trained Bands contributed to the overall defense of England against the invading Scottish Covenanters. 

New 30YW book

New Book in Historical Bookstore Old Drawer

https://stara-szuflada.pl/Zolnierze-Apokalipsy-Niezwykle...

 

Lutter 1626

Battle of Lutter - Wikipedia The Battle of Lutter (German: Lutter am Barenberge) took place on 27 August 1626 during the Thirty Years' War, south of Salzgitter, in Lower Saxony. A combined Danish-German force led by Christian IV of Denmark was defeated by Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, commanding an army of the Catholic League loyal to Emperor Ferdinand II.
 

Game of Crowns The War of the Polish Succession 1734-1735

 Looks great. Spring 27.

Game of Crowns | From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815 | Helion & Company

Game of Crowns – the title tells us something about the war. The lit fuse of the War of the Polish Succession was the Polish ‘crown of thorns’, but a great many crowns were in play. This was a varied and hard-fought war across the vast half-empty plains and forests of Poland, the river valleys of the Po and the Rhine, and the olive groves of Apulia. Light troops skirmished, partisans lurked in forests, horsemen carried fire and sword and everywhere civilians were brutalised, robbed, abused, starved and murdered.

Baroque warfare conjures up images of steady lines of automata in gaudy coats hefting musket and bayonet. Lenihan deploys a firm grasp of terrain, tactics, and technology to clarify and, in some cases, correct the received version of events. The author’s unrivalled expertise in the history of siegecraft, along with many plans and maps, explains and brings to life what would otherwise be an impenetrable mystery to the ordinary reader.

The war stopped abruptly because the sheer intensity of operations, far beyond the normal campaigning season, exacted a fearsome death toll from sickness, especially among the French. Most military histories do not grasp the significance of epidemic disease in deciding wars and campaigns. Not so, Game of Crowns.

Zorndorf 1758

 Today's anniversary. Battle of Zorndorf - Wikipedia

MICHAEL THE BRAVE - CALUGARENI (1971) - feature film online

 At the end of the 16th century Wallachian ruler Prince Michael the Brave overcame the adversity of the Ottoman and Austrian Empires to unite Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania into one country.

Thanks to Steve for reminding me about this epic film. Battle scene begin1hr 14.

Synopsis: An epic fresco depicting the reign (1593-1601) of Mihai Pätrascu (better known as "Mihai Viteazul" / "Michael the Brave"), the famous prince who united the three provinces: Transalpine Vallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia, into the country of Romania, at the end of the 16th century (1599-1601) against the opposition of the Ottoman and Austrian Empires This movie features large scale battle scenes mixed with political intrigues, murderous treachery, and family drama. Directed by: Sergiu Nicolaescu