Cavalier Generals: King Charles I and His Commanders in the English Civil War

by John Barratt

Previous studies of the Royalist high command have concentrated largely upon a handful of notable individuals such as King Charles himself and Prince Rupert. In this ground-breaking study, John Barratt re-examines these key figures, but he also explores the careers and characters of some of the lesser-known, but equally able Royalist officers. These men played decisive roles in the war, but hitherto they have received little attention. Among the extraordinary soldiers the author covers are Lord Astley, Prince Maurice, Lord Hopton, Lord Goring, Sir Richard Grenvile, the Marquis of Newcastle, Lord Wilmot and the Marquis of Montrose.

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Anton Tomsinov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Royalist commanders do have a certain dash to them. Their image is the one of a gallant swashbuckler spurring his steed into a fearsome charge. But there is more to Cavaliers, than that. Barratt made a remarkable job of evaluating military management of prominent leaders from every side: how well they disciplined their forces, cared about supply, employed imagination to manoeuvres and control in the heat of battles. Lessons we learn from that book go far beyond the realm of the English Civil War. Surprisingly for a military history, this book could be of much use to managers of modern corporations. The shortcomings of King Charles that brought him the defeat are strikingly similar to deficiencies we see nowadays: indecisiveness, broken chains of command, failure to create accountability, reluctance to reconcile fights between subordinates, inability to promote by merit and to choose the right man for the job. More than anything else this assessment of a dozen Royalist commanders explains why the war was ultimately lost by their side and beheads the economic determinism.