Maurice P. Ashley (1907–1994)

This was an enjoyable read about "The Merry Monarch" among The Stuarts. The author did a good job at making interesting a story that starts out ready for the movies: overthrow of Charles I, exile of the son, Civil War, Cromwell and The Roundheads, glorious Restoration. Meanwhile, Charles II never seems to let up on chasing skirts, hence the "Merry" appellation I assume, and then the story drags in pointless, unimpressive wars for advantage, curious allying with the King of France and then a show more tedious series of various Parliaments summoned and prorogued and their fear of a Catholic monarch with ineffectual Exclusion acts and a monarch merry enough to demand Extreme Unction on his deathbed.

I have been known to run on too long in speech, so I was glad to see I have monarchial inclination as Scottish cleric Gilbert Burnet said of Charles I: "he talks too much and runs out too long and too far." show less

This was interesting to see an obvious professional reviewing WSC's professional skills and judgement. Ashley went on to a career as a 17th Century British historian. (doesn't that sound like a time travel experiment left him stranded?). Churchill, he thought was more of a journalist than a historian, led a bit more by ideology than by where the research took him. All the same, the Duke of Marlborough biography, the particular interest of both men, is one of WSC's better efforts.

1063 The Golden Century: Europe 1598-1715, by Maurice Ashley (read 27 Jul 1970) This is an intriguing survey of its period which stimulated my interest in said period muchly. While I feel I am familiar with the Thirty Years War, I have not recently read much in the period from 1648 to 1715. I was not even aware that there were revolutions around 1648 except for the English one. The Fronde (a term for a slingshot) was from 1648 to 1759 in France, and at least at the beginning was show more insurrectionary. The rest of the period is dominated by Louis XIV. This is an excellent study. I want to read more like it. show less

I love the feel of the 60s Pelican paperbacks, now that they are blue covered and yellow paged. This one was very in depth, covering the political background to the Civil War, as well as other social contexts of the time.

Comprehensive as far as I can tell!