England's Fortress: New Perspectives on Thomas, 3rd Lord Fairfax

Overshadowed in the popular imagination by the figure of Oliver Cromwell, historians are increasingly coming to recognize the importance of Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, in shaping the events of mid-seventeenth-century Britain. As a military and political figure he played a central role in defeating Charles I and supporting the restoration of Charles II in 1660. England’s Fortress shines new light on this significant figure through a selection of essays addressing a wide range of topics, from Fairfax’s role as soldier and statesman, to his life as husband and scholar.

About the Author

Dr Andrew Hopper is Senior Lecturer in the Centre for English Local History at the University of Leicester, having previously taught History in the Universities of York, East Anglia and Birmingham. His doctoral research at York examined parliamentarian allegiance in Yorkshire during the civil wars. From this he has developed a series of articles in journals such as History, Historical Journal, Journal of British Studies and Social History, along with the books ’Black Tom’: Sir Thomas Fairfax and the English Revolution (2007), and Papers of the Hothams, Governors of Hull during the Civil Wars (2011). His latest work examines the themes of honour and treachery, in ’Turncoats and Renegadoes’: Changing Sides in the English Civil Wars (2012). Dr Philip Major is Associate Lecturer in English at Birkbeck, University of London. He is the author of Writings of Exile in the English Revolution and Restoration (Ashgate, 2013). He has edited a collection of essays on Literatures of Exile in the English Revolution and its Aftermath, 1640-1685 (Ashgate, 2010), and on Thomas Killigrew and the Seventeenth-Century English Stage (Ashgate, 2013). He has written articles on seventeenth-century literature for a variety of peer-review journals, including The Times Literary Supplement, The Review of English Studies, Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme, and The Seventeenth Century, and also has chapters in a number of edited collections.