Why do I write English Civil War fiction? It is not the easiest period to set a novel. Even the great Robert Harris talks about the challenges of writing fiction set in the 17th Century, in his Act of Oblivion. And civil wars are never simple. For me, I think it is all about the relevance.
I think that if you care about the history – and want to tell a story that is historically accurate and authentic – the British Civil Wars are a challenging period in which to set a novel. The period is well documented, but complex. I sometimes wish that I had chosen to write fiction set in the Dark Ages, in which we know comparatively little and the rest is well – fiction.
For many generations, the Civil War was an almost taboo period for historical fiction. I think this has a lot to do with the complexity of the period, but also the fact that it saw the birth pangs of the British political system and our political parties. A year ago, we witnessed the coronation of a king – the crowning moment of a constitution that is basically a compromise to stitch back together years of brutal internal conflict.
That taboo has been broken. That said, the period is still treated with caution by literary agents and publishers. But I think there is now an appetite amongst readers to delve into the 17th Century and understand what it felt like to live through it. I put this down to a growing feeling that we are facing turbulent times – a feeling that the old systems are not coping and that our world may yet be ‘turned upside down’.
On Research – Black Powder and Drums, Not Dragons
Initially, I thought I would just write a commercial novel. I told myself I didn’t need to worry about the history. But the more I got into the period, the more I felt I had to do justice to it. There are so many extraordinary stories from the British Civil Wars. They just need to be told. There is no need for fictional dragons!
In the end, I found I had to be true to the history and my writing is as accurate and authentic as I can make it. So – yes, I worry about getting it right. This involves a lot of research, but I love it. The danger is, an author can get lost in research and never really write. I hope I find the right balance. I also get up from the desk and walk the battlefields. This is essential for me and one of the best bits, matching first-hand accounts to the ground.
I have come to really appreciate the role of re-enactment and Living History in understanding some of what it felt like to live and fight in the 17th Century. I was a career soldier in the British Army before writing, and a bit of a sceptic. But, the opportunity to spend a day as a musketeer or pikeman on a ‘battlefield’ has been invaluable – to be amongst the sound and smell of black powder, horses and drums. It is also a lot of fun.
On Realism – Conflict, Climate Change and Human Nature
I write from the perspective of ‘ordinary’ men and women facing each other in the chaos of Britain in civil war. Much of my writing draws on my own experiences – particularly time spent on the ground during operational deployments as a soldier. The writing has been described as brutal. It is realistic. I don’t believe in trivialising violence. The British Civil Wars were the bloodiest in our history – worse than the Great War of 1914-18.
I have also drawn on time spent in overseas posts tackling extremism. The more I studied the 17th Century, the more I realised I was seeing the same issues and situations driving conflict today. Rapid population growth coupled with climate change, the Little Ice Age, led to collapsing living standards and decreasing life expectancy.
People searched for answers, turning to more and more extreme political and religious ideas. Ultimately, the 1640s were the most violent period in history – ever. Conflicts raged across the globe from Japan, through China and Eurasia to the Americas. We now know this period as The General Crisis. It included the British Civil Wars, as well as the Thirty Years’ War and the European Wars of Religion.
I don’t believe that human nature has really changed. Fundamentally, we feel, think and react in the much same way. This is particularly true on the battlefield, or in situations of stress. I think soldiers have changed very little. So – no, I don’t make allowances for ‘modern’ attitudes. Thankfully, many readers tell me that the writing feels very relatable.
On Relevance – Hardship, Injustice and Extremism
Ultimately, I think I write English Civil War fiction because it feels sharply relevant today. Unlike earlier periods, the Early Modern world was not so very different from our own – a mercantile, global world with developing science, technical and political ideas. Like our own, it faced huge pressures.
Hardship, inequality, injustice – issues that resonate today – were endemic and deepening. Today we face tribalism, ‘culture war’ and resurgent extremism. These too have their own dark and violent echoes in 17th Century Britain, Europe and America.
Ultimately, the English Revolution and British Civil Wars offer a reflection of the consequences of political and religious extremism today. I have been overwhelmed by reviews and feedback stating that my writing has felt very relevant to readers.
On Heroes and a Villain – Petitioners and the Little Ice Age
My writing tries to take a fresh approach. It is not based on a single hero. It does not take sides. I try to tell the story of actual events – bring them alive – through the perspectives and voices of ‘ordinary’ people caught up in, and on both sides of the conflict.
Most people today will tell you that they are a ‘roundhead’ or a ‘cavalier’. Ultimately, I think everyone thought they were doing the right thing – that they were saving England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales. It is one of the real evils of a civil war. Personally, I don’t have a particular historical hero. None of my characters are heroes. Perhaps I am a bit of a clubman.
If I was pushed to choose a hero, I think it would be someone like Corporal Rowland Humphrey. He fought throughout the First English Civil War – receiving seven serious wounds – at Edgehill, Reading, Bristol, Newbury, Kidlington Green, Banbury, Lostwithiel and Devizes. We have no picture of him and we only know his name as a wounded and disabled petitioner begging for help. It is people like this that I try to write about.
If I had to pick a villain, it would be Climate Change – the Little Ice Age. Its impact turned an unstable world ‘upside down’, throwing it into violent conflict with itself.
Charles Cordell
Charles Cordell is the author of English Civil War historical fiction series Divided Kingdom. A former soldier, he is an author with experience on the ground in the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa – witnessing humanity at its best, its worst and its most desperate. His writing draws on time spent in the fraying margins of civilisation, as well as a deep study of The General Crisis of the 17th Century and its parallels today.
You can find him at:
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The Keys of Hell and Death, Divided Kingdom book #2, will be published by Myrmidon on Tuesday 4 June.
