The Civil War

When I was at school, we covered the Civil War. But I didn't really understand what it was about. Oh, I knew that it was Cavaliers against Roundheads, the Royalists against the Parliamentarians. I was told about the Long Parliament, Pride's Purge, the Rump Parliament and Oliver Cromwell. And the battle of Marston Moor, and the battle of Naseby. I'd heard of the Levellers, the Diggers and the Sealed Knot. But I didn't really follow what happened and why.

That's all changed, because I read "Rebels and Traitors" by Lindsey Davis. She usually writes about life in the Roman Empire, from the point of view of a "private informer"; we'd call that a private detective. But her book about the Civil War brings the whole thing to life, from the point of view of the people who lived through it. And it's a rattling good story, too!