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.

Introduction · The Evolution of the Ironside · The growing offensive power of infantry · The role of cavalry in sieges · The rise of 'light horsemen' · The Armada crisis of 1588 · The Making of an Ironside · The Arms of the Ironside · The Ironside in Battle · Motions of the Cavalry · Campaign Life · The Ironside and Religion · The Ironside and Politics · The Restoration of the Monarchy · Disbandment and Life after Service · Bibliography · Colour Plate Commentary

John Tincey was born in 1955 and educated in London. He specialises in all aspects of military history of the late 16th and 17th centuries and frequently contributes to historical and military magazines, as well as lecturing on the development of the art of war. His published works include a story of the London Militia during the English Civil War and a facsimile reprint of one of the original drill books in his collection.