The Bishops' Wars
Charles I's Campaigns against Scotland, 1638–1640

A study of Charles I's two unsuccessful attempts to bring religious conformity to Scotland.

Mark Charles Fissel (Author)

9780521466868, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 31 March 1994

356 pages, 2 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

"His book serves as an excellent corrective to the new neo-Royalists....Fissel must be commended for his ability to look beyond England, not only at Ireland but more importantly at the king's enemies in Scotland. He has made good use of the relevant secondary works, and he has examined a number of documents that contain revealing material on the covenanter and Royal armies....It should receive a place on the reading lists of all courses dealing with the 'English Civil War' (more appropriately the Wars of the Three Kingdoms)." Edward M. Furgol, American Historical Review

King Charles I twice mobilised England in an attempt to enforce religious uniformity in Scotland, and both times he failed. The result was the resurgence of Parliament as partner in the government of the realm. The Bishops' Wars is an essay in military history in a political context, which analyses the institutions of war, its financing, and above all the recruitment of forces. The main purpose of the book is to explain why the King could not and did not reduce Scotland by force. Its significance lies in that it demonstrates how the military failures of 1639 and 1640 were determined by Charles's hand. Moreover, it seeks to show how poor strategic and tactical operations, coupled with the political controversy surrounding the war, plagued the English army. In the final measure, it is concluded that the King must bear responsibility for defeat at the hands of the Scots.

Introduction
1. The events of the Bishops' Wars and Caroline politics
2. Institutions
3. Military finance
4. Reluctant lords and foreign mercenaries
5. The perfect militia
6. Impressment and the substitution clause
7. Riot, iconoclasm, and murder among the soldiery
8. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], British & Irish history [HBJD1]