Bethany Parker

The English Civil war occurred concurrently with the pan-European Thirty Years War (1618–48), in which European leaders transformed training, formations and tactics to create an articulated war machine of subordinated soldiers. Termed ‘the Military Revolution’ by orthodox historiography, this period saw a departure from previous methods of waging war as armies grew and capitalised on the destructive potential of gunpowder enabled firearms. The outbreak of the English Civil War marked a significant increase in military participation as Englishmen populated both sides of the conflict, representing an immediate and total experience of gunpowder warfare for Englishmen. The exposure of bodies to such high levels of gunpowder often resulted in the physical molestation of the body of the soldier with many suffering dismemberment and other devastating wounds.