Allegiance of Blood

  

                       Interview with author Mark Turnbull 

A month or two back I read the civil war novel 'Allegiance of Blood' by Mark Turnbull, and was most impressed.  The novel opens at the Battle of Edgehill  23rd October 1642 and ends in December  1643. Prime historical fiction which transforms at the end into  quite a dark tale.Was delighted to arrange an email interview with the author. 

Mark has a main website Allegiance of Blood with and a related author blog , runs CavalierCast ,  a series of podcasts on different Civil War themes. 

How did your interest in the British Civil Wars begin?

I'd always had a love of history, but the British Civil War spark came when I was ten years old and my parents took me to Helmsley Castle, North Yorshire. Like most children, I couldn't wait to explore the gift shop and I bought a pack of cards that displayed images of the monarchs of England on one side and details about their lives and reigns on the other. I must admit that some of the earlier ones with their grey tombstone effigies  were rather dull, but above all others, the card of King Charles I stood out. The image was Van Dyck's Charles I at the Hunt and I was immediately struck by Charles himself, the artistry, clothing and colours. When I read about his reign and found out that he had been executed, that really did spur me on to find out more. It was like a historical whodunnit and I was eager to discover how this had come about.

Not long after this, I stumbled across the film Cromwell, starring Sir Alec Guinness and Richard Harris. Although it isn't historically accurate, I immediately recognised my newfound era and was captivated as the civil war and its personalities were bought to life. I began to read library books about the war and the first book I bought was Cavaliers and Roundheads by Christopher Hibbert. It rapidly became a passionate subject, and a thoroughly fascinating one that I enjoy losing myself in, whether reading or writing about it. In fact, it's been a part of my life for 30 years now, and I still love learning new details about the different aspects. 

I understand that you have a background in the Civil War re-enactment scene. How has this helped your writing-if at all ? 

Part of my quest to find out more about the civil war, and get closer to it, naturally led me to re-enactments. We visited events organised by The Sealed Knot and The English Civil War Society while on holiday and these battle displays fired my imagination. The sight and smell of them was -and still is- so atmospheric and the re-enactors do a sterling job. when I was seventeen, I joined The Sealed Knot ( the Marquis of Newcastle's Whitecoats) and my first battle was a 'major' at Stony Stratford where hundreds of re-enactors took part. I was given a basic drill in how to handle a pike of around sixteen or eighteen foot and then we were ready for battle. I remember being very nervous about what to expect and how to conduct myself. The pike was really difficult to wield, me being a beanpole of a teenager, but when we were led through a gap in a hedge, I was struck by the sight before me. High hedges enclosed the field, blocking out all signs of modern life, and the spectators were at a distance on the opposite side, so it was easy to lose them. The sheer number of re-enactors all dressed in period costume was amazing, not something I could fully appreciate as it was time to do battle ! The newbies had been told to stay at the back of the scrum ( when two bodies of soldiers crush together and shove each other until one gives way). 

The battle was loud, fast and furious and I ended up in the front rank at points, which was a whole experience of its own. The heat of the action, the noises, sights, smells and the energy of it all was electric and allowed me a very small taste of what a civil war battle must have been like for the participants. I think that has helped me immensely when it comes to writing, because it allows me to better imagine the constraints, emotions and challenges that battle bought. The sight of having a horse ride straight at me, of being able to look down the length of my pike at the faces of the oncoming opponents, the din of orders, and  the methods of re-grouping around a standard in the smoky confusion and blur of action were priceless experiences. I lived and breathed a fraction of the 17th century and this helps me add realism and grounding to my writing. 

The tragedy of civil war, with families divided, non-combatants  being terrified by an opposing army arriving in their town, come across well in the novel. Do you think that -looking back over the centuries- that the War could have been avoided?

What a very good question! I really don't think it could have been avoided, though there are a number of occasions when I feel it could have had a very different outcome or may have been a lot shorter and potentially less bloody. In the late 1630's and early 1640's, a fermenting power struggle had come to the fore and any chance of peace was dead in the water from the start, because both sides were too mistrustful of each other. But the King then granted a steady stream of concessions, which saw the emergence of a moderate party who wished to establish a new balance of power. There are theories about what could have happened if the 4th Earl of Bedford, a moderate had not died in May 1641. Bedford had been promised a key political role- along with John Pym, who had led opposition to the King- and inviting them to have a hand in government might have been a suitable way of assuaging both sides. I've heard theories about what if King Charles's elder brother, Henry Frederick, had not died in 1612, and the opinion that he would have been a very different monarch who could have avoided civil war. But Henry was an equally headstrong and stubborn character, who most likely would have had the country more involved in the Thirty Years War and thus faced the same clash over finances; the funds for war which only Parliament could raise. Personally I feel that the country had reached a political crossroads that it would have arrived at no matter who was sitting on the throne. The Tudors had used Parliament to their own ends so much, that this in turn automatically enhanced its authority, and made it inevitable that Parliament would look to consolidate and expand its role. Parliament chose the accession of a new king as a good point to assert its position by only granting the right to levy  Tonnage and Poundage to Charles for one year, whereas it been given to previous monarchs for life. To do this only three months after the death of Charles' father shows that they were ready to address the situation, regardless of the personality on the throne. It's good to remember that ruling without Parliament, Divine Right ( of Kings) and dodgy ways of raising royal revenue all occurred before King Charles. So whether the new king in 1625 was Henry or Charles, neither would have accepted the curbing of their powers and Tonnage and Poundage was the start of a slippery slope. 

Do you feel any affinity with either the Royalist or Parliamentarian side? Or any particular faction? One of the strengths of the novel is that the reader is not preached at or asked to pick sides.

I'm so pleased to hear that you felt Allegiance of Blood came over that way, as that was what I aimed for. I don't feel it's right for the book to push readers to pick sides or preach at them. As for me, from the early days of discovering the period, I have felt a strong affinity to the King and the royalist cause. However, that isn't to say that I don't understand or appreciate any other viewpoint. I have close friends who are staunch parliamentarians and we respect each other's opinions, and when writing about these personalities, I put myself in their shoes and let my own beliefs to one side. The book focuses primarily on individual people and their lives, rather than defining them by which side they support, which helps maintains impartiality . Showing the reader how characters decide upon the questions of allegiance as well as the different risks and motivations associated with it. also helps increase understanding of how much of a dangerous decision King or Parliament really was.  I do think that there is a tendency to look at the civil war from our skewed 21st century point of view, where for example, some 17th century beliefs and motivations are dismissed as absurd. Considering today's democracy, it's easy to view the civil war as tyrant v freedom fighters, but neither side would contemplate handing the vote to the common man or woman. To truly appreciate allegiance, it's important to get into the mindset of our 17th century ancestors and their world, which was very different from ours.

Another strength of the novel is the detail conveyed regarding everyday life. The idea that washed clothes should be dried on a rosemary bush, house plants that are said to keep away flies, a man using the pisspot in the kitchen as accommodation in royalist Oxford was so cramped. Where can readers find out more about everyday life during the civil wars? Was wondering if you had read Diane Purkiss' The English Civil War- A People's History? 

I haven't read Diane Purkiss' book, but that's one I will now order, thanks! Some of the details I use in the book are facts that I have come across over time and have recorded for use in writing- I find it handy to jot down details and then draw upon them when appropriate. There are a few different resources I would recommend. The first is simply gaining information from the original sources  such as news sheets of the day, or snippets that crop up in various books about the war. There is also the very exciting work of the Civil War Petitions, who are gradually transcribing these post-war petitions and bringing the voices of the everyday person who lived through the civil wars to the fore. 

Petitioners log the effect that the war had on them and their families, sometimes in minute detail such as lists of household effects that were looted, or how garrisons used the civilians around them. Professor Andrew Hopper is working hard on a national database of war widows and maimed soldiers, and revealing the stories about how injuries were received, their effects on the person, as well as the plight of those left behind when husbands were killed. Their Twitter account is fascinating and one recent tweet highlighted the stories of the oldest survivors of the civil war, one of which soldiered into his eighties . Another excellent way to find out more is through re-enactment  living history displays where you can observe everyday activities being carried out and ask questions of the re-enactors. There's some very interesting posts and websites such as The 1642 Tailor, whose blog describes period clothing and who makes replica items for re-enactors. The Time Travellers Guide to Restoration Britain is quite useful, as that discusses all aspects to do with everyday life-though its twenty years afterwards, and much has changed at that point, there' still a lot of similarities and customs that remain from the 1640's. 

Which writers have inspired you- whether working in the fields of non-fiction or fiction ? 

I mentioned that the first book I bought was Christopher Hibbert's Cavaliers and Roundheads It is a superb book, because the style is very informative, yet it gives personal snippets and anecdotes, which helped me relate to the history and imagine it. For me, it's these small, very personal facts, that often bring an entire battle, campaign, or era to life and Cavaliers and Roundheads was a book I read many times. At the end, there are mini-biographies of the main personalities which explained what happened to them in later life and this showed just how much more there was to learn about the civil wars and beyond.

The first fiction I came across was at a church jumble sale. Margaret Irwin's novel Royal Flush , is the story of Minette, King Charles I's youngest daughter. The whole style of the novel drew me quickly into that world and helped me begin to understand descriptive writing and storytelling as well as fuelling my growing interest in attempting a book of my own. Of course it's now an aged novel of a different style to those available today. I must admit to a preference for reading non-fiction, but for writing fiction. I enjoy learning from good non fiction  and then taking the facts and creating a world which I can visualise and become part of, as well as get up close to the characters of the era and further appreciate what made them tick. It's as close as I can get to time travel.

I'm also inspired by all of the other 17th century authors and specifically Andrea Zuvich ('The Seventeenth Century Lady') who brings the period to life through her weekly themed 'Stuarts Saturdays' which generate interest and discussion. Andrea's latest book Sex and Sexuality in Stuart Britain has just had a fabulous review by Deborah Swift, an author who she had admired even when she was still dreaming of writing her own book. Inspiring indeed ! 

What are your future plans in respect of writing ? 

Though I'd love to be a full-time writer, I do balance my day job. I also find it surprising that the civil war isn't more popular, given the pivotal happenings and the drama involved. I joke that perhaps King Charles should have married six times, because that would have certainly got the period into more dramas and films!

Earlier this year I had some fantastic news-I signed a contract with Sharpe Books for a series of three novellas set in the civil wars and am now working on the first book. These are shorter than novels with fewer subplots, but focus on a particular series of events.

I have also finished a non-fiction book that examines the opening of the civil war in each region of England and Wales and I am currently looking for a publisher. It's written to appeal to newcomers to the wars and veterans alike. I decided to write this book after investigating various aspects of the war for the social media articles and blog I produce; my research allowed me to put the events that took place across the country into context and understand how they interlinked. 

I am also working on a prequel to Allegiance of Blood , which will be set in pre-war London 1641. I do enjoy taking breaks from writing by producing episodes of my civil war podcast 'CavalierCast-The Civil War in Words', which looks at anything and everything to do with the civil wars.

ENDS 

Again wish to thank Mark Turnbull for his time and for offering such interesting responses to my fairly mundane questions.

Michael Bully, 20th September 2020. 

Other blogs by Michael Bully 

13th century history

World War 2 poetry