17th Century

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD – COMBINATION WEAPONS

September 13, 2012 By George Clode

You would think that combining two deadly weapons to create a super-weapon would be a smart move for any warmonger. Some combination weapons, however, were simply over-ambitious monsters: clumsy, cumbersome, useless. The popularity of the combination weapon rose during the 16th and 17th centuries, when weapons-smiths were innovators and owning a trident dagger elevated one’s [...]

Filed Under: 17th Century, Articles

Opinion – Battlefields of neglect

June 15, 2012 By George Clode

Neil Faulkner rails against the neglect of historic battlefields and a warped view of British history. Visit the battlefield of Evesham and you will find most of it private property with minimal public access. What happened here? As Steve Roberts explains this issue (see War Zone), it was where Simon de Montfort perished with many [...]

Filed Under: 16th Century, 17th Century, Articles, News Tagged With: History of the British Army, monument

Pirates: the Royal Navy and the suppression of maritime raiding 1620-1830

April 27, 2012 By George Clode

How did the Royal Navy deal with pirates in their 17th century heyday?

Filed Under: 17th Century

Pirates! – the Royal Navy’s trade routes

April 12, 2012 By George Clode

British trade routes were plagued by pirates during the 19th century, but where were the most dangerous and densely-populated pirate havens?

Filed Under: 17th Century, Battle Maps

British Grenadiers – Soldier Profile

November 14, 2011 By Emma Watts-Plumpkin

Grenadier companies were first formed in the British Army in 1678, and were not finally abolished until 1855. By the time of the Quebec campaign, the 13 companies of a British foot battalion included one of grenadiers and one of light infantry. The grenadiers, as the battalion elite, were traditionally posted on the right (with [...]

Filed Under: 17th Century, Warriors

Battle of Steenkirk, 3 August 1692

June 16, 2011 By Emma Watts-Plumpkin

The struggle for supremacy between Britain and France dominated the History of the British Army from 1688 to 1815. the struggle began with a ferocious infantry-battle in wooded ravines on the edge of the Ardennes in 1692. King William had his men on the move long before dawn on 3 August 1692. Pioneers went ahead [...]

Filed Under: 17th Century, Battle Maps

Battle of Naseby, 14th June 1645

June 7, 2011 By George Clode

Two years of amateur warfare had changed nothing.The English Civil War remained in the balance. Then, in February 1645, Parliament created the New Model Army. Cromwell had raised a regiment of cavalry in Cambridgeshire. He deliberately recruited ‘men of a spirit’ and allowed complete ‘liberty of conscience’. His men – the original ‘Ironsides’– became the the deepest [...]

Filed Under: 17th Century, Battle Maps Tagged With: Battle of Naseby, English Civil War, History of the British Army, Oliver Cromwell