This Seat of Mars: War and the British Isles, 1485-1746

Charles Carlton finishes this wonderful and easy to read book with a final sentence that says “Here I have tried my best to get it into a book by telling the story—as much as possible in their own words—of how during the early modern period war affected the people and nations of the British Isles. In doing so, I hope that I have shown how profoundly the hand of war has shaped this Seat of Mars.” I would be interested indeed to find a better book than this on the subject.

This is the 2nd book I have read by Carlton, the other being the brilliant Going to the Wars: The Experience of the British Civil Wars, 1638-1651. Going to the Wars is one of the best books I have read and I was intrigued to see if this one would be as good. Well maybe not but only by the width of half a hair.

Carlton may just be one the preeminent historian in early modern British warfare and I can do no more than say that anyone interested in this period of British history do worse than read this wonderful historian.

A very good review from http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=34480