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by Mark Turnbull.
Hardback (6.4×9.5 inches). 282 pages. 2025.
This biography of Prince Rupert, heir to lost German Palatine lands and King Charles I’s nephew, concentrates on the politics surrounding his life. Dispossessed of his ancestral lands, he landed in England as a cavalry commander in support of his uncle’s throne. While battles famous and skirmishes obscure weave throughout the text, the emphasis is on the preparation and results of the battles. A tactical primer this is not. An operational examination it is.
The constant bickering and backstabbing, especially by Lord George Digby, proved disconcerting even as Rupert secured victories and malfeasance for Rupert’s losses. This political battle among cliques affected reinforcements, gunpowder releases, and even the King’s movements. That’s no way to win a war against Parliamentarian forces. Sadly, Rupert only learned to be more diplomatic later in life with the restoration.
Of surprise to me was that Rupert was a naval commander, both in exile as a semi-pirate who ranged into the Mediterranean Sea, along the coast of Africa, and over to the Caribbean before returning to France. In the restoration, he became an Admiral of a Squadron and then Fleet against the Dutch. His famed rashness and disregard of his own safety extended to naval tactics as well. Interesting.
The book contains 24 black and white photos, of which 21 are of paintings of Rupert and various personalities mentioned, and eight black and white maps.
If there’s one nit to pick, it’s the insertion into the text of some task the author performed. This seems to be some sort of trend of late, which the editor should remove from the main text and place in an Acknowledgement or Appendix. Perhaps it is me, but I find such to be jarring interruptions in an otherwise nicely written biography.
With the bulk of the book about his service to the King during the English Civil War, you get an excellent sense of the trials and tribulations he confronted when off the battlefield.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
