Diabolical Cavalier or Royalist Hannibal - we need to talk about Prince Rupert!
with his biographer, Mark Turnbull
Hello fellow history lover!
Mark Turnbull is one of the team behind the creation of the ‘Stuart History Festival,’ happening this weekend, 5th and 6th July, in Worcester alongside Dr Erica Canela and Andrea Zuvich. Mark’s latest book is a biography on Prince Rupert of the Rhine - a truly remarkable and fascinating player in the English Civil Wars. I caught up with Mark to ask him more about Prince Rupert.
Mark is an author and historian, writing a number of fiction and non-fiction books including 'Charles I's Private Life' - a biography that examines Charles's overlooked childhood and the man behind the monarch - and 'Prince Rupert of the Rhine: King Charles I's Cavalier Commander' - a fully reworked and definitive biography that sheds much new light on both the prince's career and the key women in his life.
He produces a podcast dedicated to the period called 'CavalierCast - The Civil War in Words' is a regional chair of the Battlefields Trust, and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Firstly, who was Prince Rupert?
Rupert was the fourth child of Frederick, Elector Palatine and Princess Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James VI/I. The Protestant Frederick went on to accept the Bohemian crown when it's previous king (who happened also to be Holy Roman Emperor) was deposed. This ignited a religious war that blazed through Europe. Of their thirteen children, Rupert is the most famous, and the only to have been born in Prague - at that time the capital of Bohemia. He was even suggested as a possible heir to the Bohemian throne, leapfrogging his older brothers. However, Frederick and Elizabeth lost their kingdom in 1620, the year after Rupert's birth, when they were driven out by forces of the Catholic League. The ancestral lands of the Palatinate were also occupied, leaving Frederick, Elizabeth and their children with no alternative but to live as exiles in Holland. Here, Rupert was educated at Leiden with his siblings. He excelled in languages, as noted by his father, and from a young age followed the campaign of King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden, who landed on the Baltic coast and became a military leader of the Protestant cause. Rupert thirsted to be part of it - to fight in his family's cause alongside their co-religionists. When his father died in 1632 (just weeks after Gustavus was killed) Rupert's future certainly seemed consigned to the military. The future also critically hinged on his uncle, King Charles I, who was now their main protector and benefactor. At this point, Rupert wrote a rather prophetic letter to the king, declaring that he wished to ‘grow up' for his uncle's service.
Aged 13, he took part in the siege of the Spanish-held town of Rheinburg, then various other sieges over the next few years.
His first pitched battle was as a cavalry commander in his brother's army at Vlotho, in 1638. There he was captured, and suffered nearly three year's imprisonment. Rupert's record at Vlotho has been over-glorified, distorting his early shortcomings as a commander.
How active was he in the Civil War and what sort of commander was he?
Active is certainly the word. Obsessively active, in fact! Rupert arrived in England in August 1642, after escaping the parliamentarian Royal Navy.
From the moment he set foot on English soil, he devoted his seemingly boundless energy to his uncle's cause.
One of his contemporaries, Sir Philip Warwick, recalled that the prince was first and foremost a soldier. Rupert would have wholeheartedly agreed.
Without his nephew's immense energy, determination, and youthful indignation, King Charles I would likely never have managed to fight the civil war for so long. In fact, he might never have even managed to contest the first battle. Rupert found the king in a desperate state with few recruits. Charles had been granting major concessions to his enemies since 1641, and many believed he would continue that – it was a belief that prevented people declaring for him and joining his army. Around the monarch the mood was sombre. Advisors counselled further compromises to avoid war, even as Parliament’s army of 15,000 was marching to ‘secure’ the king’s person.
On 23 April 1642, Hull had literally closed its gates in the king’s face, which had been hugely embarrassing. In August, at Coventry, the same happened, though on that occasion the garrison went much further and fired on the royal party. Charles was not a ruthless man and displayed too much clemency when he should have been forceful. Rupert discovered this situation, and it outraged him. In his eyes, the king’s ‘gentelnesse served nothing’ and the more indulgent King Charles was to his opponents, ‘the more insolent they weere’.
Numerous royalists attest to Rupert’s presence being a pivotal turning point. There were two motives it was later stated, that encouraged the king to stand firm and raise his standard; first the ’Justice of his cause’ and secondly, the ‘presence of his Nephew, in whom was found all ye Quallities [that] make men victorious & renown’d’. The civil war period by far shapes how we remember Rupert.
While Parliament sequestered (or seized) the assets and estates of known royalists, Rupert targeted those of parliamentarians in a bid to fund his uncle’s war effort. For example, he threatened to plunder Leicester if the mayor did not loan £2,000 to the king. While attempting to protect a convoy of plate that had come from Oxford University, which could be melted down to pay troops, Rupert defeated a detachment of the parliamentarian field army at Powick Bridge, near Worcester. Being the first official engagement of the war, it cemented his reputation as a very able commander, and significantly boosted confidence within the royalist side. The narrative around this skirmish (stemming from Edward Hyde, later Earl of Clarendon) incorrectly paints the prince as extremely headstrong, and this has overshadowed the excellent tactics he used to such great effect.
One month later, on 23 October 1642, he commanded the right wing of cavalry at Edgehill, the first pitched battle of the war. Though the battle was fought to a stalemate, the parliamentarians eventually withdrew, leaving the road to London open. Rupert immediately asked the king for permission to take some troops and surprise the capital, but this was refused. Some councillors warned he might set fire to London. When the royalists did approach the city weeks later, they were held in check at Turnham Green and forced to retreat to Oxford for the winter. The moment had passed.
Rupert was a successful General of the Horse, and was so hard-working, diligent, and gifted, that many flocked to his side. But his star performance marked his cards with parliamentary propagandists. The enemy feared him.
Many royalists idolised the prince, but others could be resentful and jealous, or simply disliked his brusque manner. Yet, he continued to ratchet up success after success through 1643, capturing key towns and fortresses.
On 26 July 1643, when he took Bristol, considered England’s second city, Rupert finally secured the upper hand for the king’s cause. At this high point, a decision was taken against the prince’s advice, to besiege Gloucester, rather than storm it. This lengthy operation allowed the parliamentarians to recover their losses and rescue the city.
Then, at the start of 1644, the Scots joined the war on the side of Parliament. Rupert was the only royalist commander capable of saving the north of England. After spectacularly relieving royalist Newark, he took a number of towns in Lancashire and capped this by outmanoeuvring his enemies and relieving York. He then did battle with the triple army (made up of Scots and Parliamentarians) at Marston Moor. His resulting defeat sealed the fate of the north, gradually undoing all his achievements.
From that moment, Rupert and the royalists were on the back foot, attempting to hold back the tide. When Rupert was finally appointed Lord General in November 1644, his lack of fine political skills impaired his effectiveness. He became ever more locked in personal wrangles with key players on his own side. Defeat at Naseby, and then his surrender of Bristol in September 1645, led King Charles to dismiss his nephew.
What happened to him after the royalist defeat?
Oxford, the royalist HQ, was besieged in early 1646, but just prior to this, King Charles I escaped and surrendered to the Scots near Newark. Rupert had offered to accompany his uncle, but was told to remain in Oxford, as his height might give the royal party away. When Oxford surrendered, Parliament gave Rupert and his brother, Maurice, permission to leave the kingdom. On 5 July 1646, Rupert sailed for Calais and travelled on to the exiled court of Queen Henrietta-Maria, at Saint-Germain. After settling a few scores through duelling, the prince was eventually given command of all Englishmen in the service of France, but specified that he would leave this service if his captive uncle had further need of him. Following some hair-raising military exploits against the Spanish, Rupert was forced to rest after incurring a bullet-wound to the head. Rupert the Devil was not down for long. From Hampton Court, King Charles I wrote with concern, assuring the prince that 'nobody without Complyment' was 'glader then my selfe' for his recovery. More duels followed. Then, when a small portion of the Royal Navy defected to the royalists, the Prince of Wales and Rupert hastened to the ships, hoping they might assist with royalist uprisings in the South East of England, or a Scottish army that had crossed the border in support of the king. The fleet, however, achieved little and sailed to Holland. Rupert was given the unenviable task of repairing, resupplying, and organising it, which resulted in him suppressing mutinies (on one occasion holding a ringleader overboard) all while being blockaded by a parliamentarian fleet.
From 1648-53, he spent his time engaged in gruelling voyages, capturing prize ships, and sending the proceeds to the exiled royal court.
These were hellish years that would have broken most people, during which his beloved brother, Maurice, was drowned. Rupert himself narrowly avoided going down with his flagship. When the prince could do no more, he returned to France in 1653 and considered the next phase of his life. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Rupert decided to settle in England, and as the most senior royal after King Charles II and the Duke of York, he was a leading figure. A Privy Counsellor, he sat on many parliamentary committees, and most notably, became Vice Admiral of England, taking a senior role in the naval wars against the Dutch. He was also Constable of Windsor Castle, and Lord Lieutenant of both Berkshire and Surrey.
Who were the influences in Rupert’s life?
Although the young Rupert was a fiercely independent character, it is clear he looked for an idol to whom he could pledge his chivalrous loyalty. A person Rupert could look up to. Gustavus II Adolphus was one such figure, and when the Swedish king was killed, Rupert was in floods of tears. Losing his father weeks after this saw him transfer his allegiance to King Charles I, who became a father-figure. But growing up, Charles remained a distant figure, and Rupert never met his uncle in person until 1636. As a result of his dreams for a military career, he was influenced by the tactics and reputations of those military men that achieved success, or displayed courage and daring. He remained extremely close to his brother Maurice, and formed a lifelong friendship with Irishman William (Will) Legge. There were also negative influences, such as George Digby, son of the Earl of Bristol, to whom Rupert took an instant (and justified) dislike. This mutual hatred festered within the royalist cause.
But the influence of the women in Rupert's life - namely Lady Katherine Scott, Francesca Bard, and Margaret (Peg) Hughes, have been entirely overlooked in the story of his life.
the influence of the women in Rupert's life, have been entirely overlooked in the story of his life.
My research for his latest biography unearthed many archival documents that shed more light on these ladies, who had previously been written off with the label of 'mistresses'. Margaret Hughes, one of the first actresses on the stage, was a big influence in the prince's later life. They met, it's thought, in 1668 and remained together for the rest of Rupert's life - namely fourteen years. They never married, but Peg was his life partner. Rupert trusted and respected her, involving Peg in family affairs and politics. He lavished gifts upon her and she looked after him as his health declined, giving birth to their daughter in 1673, who was named Ruperta. Though he had no legitimate children, Rupert attempted to strengthen the Protestant succession by attempting to match his nephew, George (later George I) with his cousin, Anne (later Queen Anne). Both Rupert and Peg together pushed this match right up until the year of his death. Such was Peg's close influence that George declared he would never forget her support and advice. By understanding Rupert's relationships with the women in his life, we understand more about him than ever.
You can find Mark on Instagram at @1642author
If you are attending the festival you will be able to buy all the speakers’s books there, and get them signed. If you are not, you can click below to find them at Blackwells, who ship worldwide.
The Stuart History Festival Tickets
In Person
You can see Mark at the Stuart History Festival at the Old Palace, Worcester at 3pm on Sunday 6th July.
Online
An Online Pass is also available which allows you to watch live, and play back for a limited time, for just £45. Find out more by clicking the button below.
Festival Schedule
Visit https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thestuarthistoryfestival for full details and to purchase all tickets, day passes and the online pass.
Books and Book Signings
Event Speakers’s books will be available to buy at the festival but if you can’t make it, or are watching online you can buy them online and have them shipped anywhere in the world, at Blackwells, click on the banner below.
My Interview with the Organisers
Find out why the 17th Century is such a great topic for a festival of its own - and why we think it hasn’t already got one, in my interview with the festival’s organisers; Dr Erica Canela, Andrea Zuvich and Mark Turnbull.
If you’re attending the festival, come and say Hi!
Until next time, take care!
Philippa 💜
Yes, love this spotlight on Prince Rupert! Will definitely be buying the book!
Fabulous historian...he writes like a dream and yet another great catch by Phillippa and the team. Prince Rupert is a fascinating subject.