Clarendon's account of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms

Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, served as an advisor to both Charles I and Charles II. He authored The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, a work published between 1702 and 1704. This was the first detailed account from a key player in the events it covered, shedding light on the animated debate between Parliamentarians and Royalists over the essence and origin of the conflict.

Clarendon wrote the original History between 1646 and 1648, which only recorded events up to March 1644. After his banishment, he wrote his autobiographical Life between 1668 and 1670. In 1671 he revised the History by incorporating the Life into it and writing new sections covering events after March 1644. The work is influenced by Clarendon's politics and his personal views of the Royalist strategy.

His descriptions of the participants in political events are often insightful and reveal his efforts to write a history that can instruct future readers on his views of appropriate state craft. However, his accounts are also heavily influenced by his own political leanings and personal biases.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons