Childs, Professor John (University of Leeds, UK)

General Percy Kirke and the Later Stuart Army Childs, Professor John (University of Leeds, UK)

Marc Notes: Originally published: 2014.; The career of Lieutenant General Percy Kirke (c.1646-91) encapsulates the foundation and early years of the British standing army. A rough, tough, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed professional soldier who struggled with the written word, Kirke was involved in most of the major campaigns and battles conducted by the Restoration Army. A central figure in the creation of the British Army, as well as key events in the Glorious Revolution and Battle of the Boyne, he has always been a divisive figure. John Childs considers Kirke's life in the context of the troubled political landscape of 17th century Europe. Biographical Note: John Childs is Emeritus Professor of Military History at the University of Leeds, UK. Table of Contents:1. 'That lustful tribe of Kirkes' 2. Beginnings 3. Promotion 4. Governor of Tangier 5. Enter Pepys 6. Monmouth's Rebellion 7. The terrible Colonel Kirke 8. The Inglorious Revolution 9. Lough Foyle 10. Inching forward 11. 'Un homme capricieux' 12. Ireland and Flanders, 1689-91 Notes Bibliography IndexPublisher Marketing: General Percy Kirke (c. 1647-91) is remembered in Somerset as a cruel, vicious thug who deluged the region in blood after the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. He is equally notorious in Northern Ireland. Appointed to command the expedition to raise the Siege of Londonderry in 1689, his assumed treachery nearly resulted in the city's fall and he was made to look ridiculous when the blockade was eventually lifted by a few sailors in a rowing boat. Yet Kirke was closely involved in some of the most important events in British and Irish history. He served as the last governor of the colony of Tangier; played a central role in facilitating the Glorious Revolution of 1688; and fought in the majority of the principal actions and campaigns undertaken by the newly-formed standing armies in England, Ireland and Scotland, especially the Battle of the Boyne and the first Siege of Limerick in 1689. With the aid of his own earlier work in the field, additional primary sources and a recently-rediscovered letter book, John Childs looks beyond the fictionalisation of Kirke, most notably by R. D. Blackmore in "Lorna Doone," to investigate the historical reality of his career, character, professional competence, politics and religion. As well as offering fresh, detailed narratives of such episodes as Monmouth's Rebellion, the conspiracies in 1688 and the Siege of Londonderry, this pioneering biography also presents insights into contemporary military personnel, patronage, cliques and procedures. Contributor Bio:  Childs, John John Childs is Emeritus Professor of Military History at the University of Leeds, UK.