1644: The Complete Story of The First English Civil War

The Battle of Marston Moor on July 2nd, 1644 was one of the most important of the entire English Civil War. It was here that a force of some 27,000 Parliamentarian and Scottish troops routed an army of just 18,000 Royalists. Crucially, the Royalist stronghold of York was lost and King Charles' cause in the north virtually collapsed. It was a defeat from which the King would never recover.

In October 1642, the forces of King Charles I descended on Edgehill to fight the parliamentarian army of the Earl of Essex. This battle brought a shattering end to more than 130 years of peace.

Explore the tragic breakdown of 17th-century Britain in this definitive documentary on the English Civil War. From the clash of Divine Right and Parliamentary power to the bloody battlefields of Edge Hill, Marston Moor, and Naseby, discover how political deadlock and religious upheaval plunged three kingdoms into chaos. Follow the rise of Oliver Cromwell, the creation of the New Model Army, and the unprecedented, illegal trial that led to the execution of King Charles I. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits! 📺 You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

The English Civil Wars comprised three wars, which were fought between Charles I and Parliament between 1642 and 1651. The wars were part of a wider conflict involving Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The human cost of the wars was devastating.

The battle of Naseby was fought on the foggy morning of 14th June 1645 and is considered one of the most important battles in the English Civil War. Sir Thomas Fairfax, Captain-General of Parliament's New Model Army, led his troops to victory over King Charles I. Charles escaped, but the destruction of his forces meant that his ultimate defeat was simply a question of time.

Actress Vanessa L Williams, who faced racial prejudice when she became the first black woman to be crowned Miss America, goes on the trail of two of her ancestors who fought courageously to extend the rights and freedoms of black people in the USA. Her ancestor David Carll was one of the first to enlist after the ban on black soldiers serving on the Union side of the Civil War was lifted and, at the National Archives in Washington, DC, Vanessa uncovers an unbelievably rare tintype photograph of him. Going further back, Vanessa uncovers another ancestor, William A Fields, who not only went from slave to schoolteacher in little more than 20 years, but ended up serving as a legislator in the Tennessee National Assembly. Through the pioneering work of her ancestor, Vanessa is able to see how in the nineteenth century black people briefly glimpsed the possibility of human rights before the segregation laws, violence and intimidation of the Ku Klux Klan closed that door again. It would be nearly 100 years before another African-American would be elected to