The Ironside is symbolic of the one occasion when the army took an active role in British politics. He represents a unique period when ordinary people displaced the established order to take political control into their own hands. In the nineteenth century a rash of historical publications, paintings and statues with a civil war theme reflected the political divisions of Victorian society and Royalist and Parliamentarian causes were argued over again, reflecting the sub text of contemporary political struggles. This book attempts to take a wider view of the Ironside as a warrior who evolved from the experiments of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries to combine firepower with the armoured cavalryman.

John Tincey is the author of Elite 15: 'The Armada Campaign 1588,' Elite 27: 'Soldiers of the English Civil War (2) Cavalry' and Men-at-Arms 267: 'The British Army 1660-1704.' He has also published works on the battle of Sedgemoor and edited the drill book 'The Young Horse-man' by John Vernon. His TV and video appearances include documentaries on the Armada, Borodino and Waterloo.