‘The Blood in Winter: the brink of Civil War’: a Talk by Jonathan Healey

18-06-25 - 18-06-25,
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Admission: ££6.50 Adults, £5.00 Students/Museum Members

Location: Via Zoom

In 1641, England exited a plague-ridden and politically unstable summer having reached a semblance of peace: the English and Scottish armies disbanded, legislation was passed to ensure Parliament continued to sit and the people are tentatively optimistic. But King Charles I is not satisfied with peace – he wants revenge.

So begins England's winter of discontent. As revolutionary sects of London begin to generate new ideas about democracy, as radical new religious groups seek power and as Ireland explodes into revolt, Charles hatches a plan to restore his absolute rule. On 4 January 1642 he marches on Westminster, seeking to arrest and impeach five Members of Parliament – and so sets in motion a series of events that will lead to bloodshed and war, changing a nation forever.

This talk ties in with Jonathan Healey's new book looking at the English people's great political awakening and the onset of a brutal Civil War.

Born in Leeds in 1982, Jonathan Healey is a historian of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He writes history from the bottom up, focusing on ordinary people – their lives, loves, culture and politics. He is Associate Professor in Social History at the University of Oxford. His previous book, The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England, was selected as a book of the year by the Telegraph, Economist and New Yorker. He lives in Oxford.

This talk is part of a four part lecture series; for season tickets please click here.

This talk will be recorded and put on a private channel after the 'live talk' for ticket holders to view at their leisure if they miss the live talk or wish to view it again.

We are delighted to welcome over four successive Wednesdays:

Wednesday 28 May – Jordan Sly on 'Protector of the Reformed?'

Wednesday 4 June – John Rees on ‘The Fiery Spirits: London Radicals and Regicides’

Wednesday 11 June – Erica Canela on ‘Cromwell and the Quakers’

Wednesday 18 June – Jonathan Healey on 'The Blood in Winter'

Click on the titles for more information and individual bookings.

PLEASE NOTE: These talks will be held online via Zoom. Joining details will be sent 48 hours before the talk.

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