aBurntShip

                                    Attack on John Dryden 18th December 1679                                                      Portrait of John Dryden by Godfrey Kneller, in Public Domain courtesy of Art UK/Wikipedia Netherlands  My last offering  about  John Dryden (1631 - 1700)  was titled John Dryden and Restoration War Poetry   and posted in 2017. John Dryden's first published poetry included an Ode to Cromwell, yet Dryden switched to being an avid supporter of The Restoration. and became Poet Laureate in 1668.  On 18th December 1679, John Dryden was attacked by three masked ruffians in Rose Alley, Covent Garden on his way home from a coffee house. It is generally accepted that this was a deliberate assault resulting from a priv...

I thought that would share my opinion of  some recent 17th century related novels. Will be looking at 'The Wrecking Storm' , by Michael Ward, 'The Puritan Princess' by Miranda Malins, and 'The Last Protector' by Andrew Taylor.  Hopefully they will show the range of different views of the British Civil Wars that fiction authors are currently exploring.  'The Wrecking Storm' - Michael Ward  Michael Ward's first novel. introducing readers to  lead character Thomas Tallant  -'Rags of Time'-was excellent. Superb portrayal of London on the eve of the Civil War, with incredible tensions cutting across the lives of the Tallant merchant family with their strong links to the Dutch United Provinces. facing growing unrest amongst unruly apprentices and the clandestine radical printing presses are making an impact. A couple of murders emerge in all the chaos. Having Elizabeth as Thomas Tallant's love interest, with her fascination with science and smo...

                                        A novel in set in Ireland during the  Jacobite-Williamite Wars . On 5th November 1688  Dutch 'stadholder' William of Orange landed at Brixham with a force of 14,000 troops. His father in law James II, gave up the throne with very little fight, and went into exile. William and his wife Mary became joint monarchs. The change of regime was fairly trouble free for England and Wales, went not quite so smoothly in Scotland. Yet in Ireland war broke out. Both James and William  soon headed armies in Ireland, and at the battle of the Boyne of 12th July 1690, William defeated the supporters of James -the Jacobites- and seized control of Dublin. But war carried on well into 1691, even though both James and William left Ireland.  There is a great deal to admire in  the novel '1691' written by Irish historian and fiction writer Joe Joyc...

                                                           But oh unlucky fate                                                           ah Curse upon Ambition:                                                         The busie Fops of State,                                                         have ruin'd his condition :                           ...

                                               James Scott -Duke of Monmouth  Portrait of the Duke of Monmouth by William Wessing : In the public domain , courtesy of 'Wikipedia'  James Scott  Duke of  Monmouth was the eldest of the 13 illegitimate children of Charles II. Born on 9th April 1649 in Rotterdam, as a result of Charles' affair with one Lucy Walters ,whilst in exile. He was to play a leading and quite controversial role during the politics of the Restoration as the 'Protestant Duke'. When Charles II died in 1685, Monmouth was living in temporary exile in the Dutch Republic, and the Duke of York ascended the throne as James II. Monmouth launched an ill fated rebellion in the West Country  against James II , but was defeated , captured and finally executed on 15th July 1685.  Seems to have been a while since this blog covered anyt...

  First heard of 'The London' some years ago when was involved in the  The Great War at Sea Poetry Project  and found a poem about HMS Vanguard, a naval ship, that exploded whilst moored at Scapa Flow on 9th July 1917, with the loss of at least 804 lives. Another internal explosion occurred on board HMS Bulwark on 26th November 1914, off Sheerness, Kent. costing 741 lives.  I became curious about other naval ships that blew up whist moored away from hostile action.  So began to notice the  'London', a 76 gun second rate  ship of the line, launched at Chatham Dockyard in June 1656. Has not featured particularly in the accounts of Cromwell's navy. The 'London' was one of the ships that escorted Charles II back to England in 1660, and carried James Duke of York on board.   The second Anglo-Dutch war broke out on 4th March 1665. Most historians regard the conflict as having its origins in colonial and commercial rivalry between the two countries....

  Mark Turnbull's previous book, 'Allegiance of Blood' (2019), has become one of my favourite 17th century related novels, and was also pleased to arrange an  author interview  a few months ago. Mark Turnbull's new novella 'The King's Spy' , is the first offering from 'The Rebellion Series' that he is currently working on. A kindle version  has appeared, available on 'Amazon' , and can be borrowed via 'Kindle Unlimited' , a paperback edition will be published by Sharpe Books shortly.  A most superb novella indeed. Opens with the battle of  Naseby ( 14th June of 1645) , and ends with the first bout of fighting at  Rowton Moor near Chester  (24th  September 1645). And in the aftermath of Naseby, the Royalist cause is starting to wane, setbacks on the battlefield mean that their chances of outright victory are reducing. Friction is also developing between King Charles and Prince Rupert. There is spying, treachery, battle scenes, tragedy ...