English Civil War Author Talks & Battlefield Walks
English Civil War talks and walks with Charles Cordell – author of English Civil War fiction series Divided Kingdom.
Charles Cordell enjoys giving talks and battlefield walks. These include Author Talks and book signings as well as English Civil War local history talks and Battlefield Walks. They can also include more formal lectures and speeches on The General Crisis and causes of conflict in the 17th Century.
If you are interested in joining him at one of these talks or walks, please check out the calendar at Charles Cordell Events. Come along, join the crowd and let Charles Cordell sign your copies of the Divided Kingdom books.
If you would like Charles Cordell to support you with a talk, lecture or battlefield walk, please do get in touch. You can do this by posting a message via the Contact Charles Cordell page. Alternatively, you can email the author direct as a member of the Divided Kingdom Readers’ Club.
Finally, Charles Cordell is a fan of Living History & Historical Re-enactment. Both play an important role in bringing history alive and in making it accessible. His historical fiction writing aims to complement these forms of Historical Interpretation. Look out for him at an event near you.
If you want to see a little of what I have been doing, please visit the News & Events page on this website. Alternatively, if you want to see more photos, videos and comments from previous walks and talks, as well as upcoming events, do check out the Facebook Page at: CharlesCordellBooks.
Author Talks & Book Signings – Civil War historical fiction
Charles Cordell really enjoys talking to fellow enthusiasts. He can talk on a range of topics, about the 17th Century, the British Civil Wars and/or about writing and his experience as an author. A combination of these topics can often work well.
Authors tend to give author talks. Typically, these include a bit about the author and how they came to write, an explanation of their book, a reading from it, questions and answers, and a book signing. Charles Cordell is very happy to give author talks. However, he aim to tailor each talk to local interests and be steered by your questions.
English Civil War Local History – talks, Q&A & speeches
Charles Cordell is equally happy giving formal and informal talks or speeches on specific topics. He particularly enjoys Q&A sessions. These engagements can focus more on the history, rather than books or writing. Topics might include a particular battle or local history within the English Civil War.
If you would like Charles Cordell to talk to your followers, audience, a group of friends or colleagues, please do get in touch. If it fits, we will try to programme your talk into his schedule.
Causes of Conflict in the 17th Century & Today – lectures
If you are looking for something a little more formal, Charles Cordell can give lectures. He is particularly keen to lecture on The General Crisis of the 17th Century as well as the English Revolution and Great Rebellion of 1642.
The focus of these lectures is very much on the causes of conflict and what drove people to fight in the 17th Century. They draw on the author’s experience as a soldier in areas of modern conflict. The aim is to highlight fundamental lessons applicable to tribalism, ‘culture war’ and resurgent extremism today.
These lectures may not be part of a syllabus. However, we hope they might offer inspiration and provoke debate amongst students of Early Modern history. If it helps, Charles Cordell is an alumnus of the King’s College London War Studies department. Please do get in contact if a lecture would be of interest.
English Civil War Battlefield Walks
Charles Cordell believes that one of the keys to understanding a battle is to walk the battlefield. It is important to see the ground from a soldier’s perspective. A map study alone will not achieve this. He takes time to study and walk every battle he writes about, matching primary accounts to the topography.
Charles Cordell tries to look at battlefields from both sides, from first to last moments, ideally at the same time of year as the battle was fought. When he walks a battle, he draws on his experiences as a soldier and as an archaeologist. If you would like him to join or lead a battlefield tour, please do get in touch.
The author has led a number of battlefield walks, including the battles of Brentford and Turnham Green, the Siege of Devizes, the Storming of Bristol 1643 and the Siege of Chester 1645-46. He is also familiar with the battles of Edgehill, Lansdown Hill, Roundway Down, Marston Moor and Lostwithiel, the Storming of Bolton and the Siege of Liverpool.
Charles Cordell can also lead a good walk along much of the Civil War defences of London, the Lines of Communication. Given a bit of time to prepare, he can probably lead a walk to understand other Civil War battlefields. In time, his research for the Divided Kingdom series will include more English Civil War battlefields and sieges.
Finally, Charles Cordell believes we all need to do as much as we can to protect our battlefields. This includes promoting better understanding of their importance. He is a member of The Battlefields Trust which protects battlefields on behalf of Historic England. Please do take a look at their website and their UK Battlefields Resource Centre. It is a really useful site.
Living History & Historical Re-enactment
Charles Cordell’s writing is as historically accurate as he can make it. He finds it very difficult to bend from known events or conditions. The British Civil Wars are filled with extraordinary moments, characters and stories. There is no need for invention, no need for fictional dragons. The stories of the Civil War just need to be told.
However, the author is a fan of Living History and of Historical Re-enactment. He believes that both can play a role in helping us understand historical events, conditions and perceptions. They are also a great way of bringing history alive, of making it accessible, tangible.
Charles Cordell believes that Living History and Historical Re-enactment can be particularly powerful if paired with other forms of Historical Interpretation. We hope that the historical fiction he writes has a role to play in this. His books aim to combine historical narrative with the emotions of ordinary people present on each side of the conflict.
If you are planning a Living History or Historical Re-enactment event and feel that Charles Cordell can help inspire participants and/or visitors, please do get in contact. If you are interested in visiting a British Civil War re-enactment, do check the Sealed Knot and English Civil War Society websites for events. You may also find Living History events at local historic venues as well as at the 17th Century Living History village of Little Woodham.
Charles Cordell Events Calendar – author talks & battlefield walks
If you are interested in joining one of these English Civil War talks and battlefield walks, please do check out the calendar at Charles Cordell Events. Why not come along, join the crowd and let Charles Cordell sign your copies of the Divided Kingdom books.
If you would like Charles Cordell to support you with a talk, lecture or battlefield walk, please do get in touch. You can do this by posting a message via the Contact Charles Cordell page. Alternatively, you can email the author direct as a member of the Divided Kingdom Readers’ Club.
Divided Kingdom – English Civil War historical fiction
Charles Cordell’s talks and walks are based on his research for the English Civil War historical fiction series Divided Kingdom. These books take a fresh approach. They are not based on a single hero. They do not take sides. Their voices – ordinary men and women – face each other in the chaos of Britain in civil war. They are both relatable and sharply relevant today. They are also as historically accurate as is possible.
The novel God’s Vindictive Wrath opens at the Battle of Edgehill and ends with the Battle of Turnham Green in 1642. Desecration is a short story set during the Storming of Winchester and the desecration of Europe’s greatest medieval cathedral. The Keys of Hell and Death covers the war in the west, from the Battle of Lansdown Hill to the Storming of Bristol in 1643.
Please do check out some of the writing at Divided Kingdom Books, including book tasters and a FREE ebook short story.
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