C. H. Firth (1857–1936)

Although this book was written over one hundred years ago, it remains a valuable exploration of the role and plight of the House of Lords during the English Civil War. Firth discusses the role of the Lords in trying to resist the encroachments of Charles I on the rights and responsibilities of the Parliament. He goes into great detail on how the Lords stood with the Commons in trying to maintain Parliamentary independence in the face of royal assaults. However, as Parliament triumphed over the King's forces and abolished the monarchy, and republican ideas gained ascendency, the Lords increasingly became viewed as both anachronistic and superfluous. This led to the House of Lords going the way of the monarchy and even though the Lords did not follow the fate of Charles I they did see their chamber abolished. In time, the Commons did see a need for an upper chamber, and Cromwell and the Commons tried to fashion a new second chamber. Their failure to come to a satisfactory arrangement led to the re-establishment of the House of Lords. What is particularly fascinating is the impact this whole historical episode had on the Lords. Having been once abolished and then recalled to existence by the Commons put the house on a different footing. Gone were their ancient rights and privileges. Firth contends that the very fact that it was the Commons that resurrected the Lords meant clearly that the Commons held more inherent power than the Lords.

The book makes copious use of original material which is quoted at length. One feels invested in the debates which raged during th Civil War. I would have liked more exploration of the House of Lords being abolished. It seemed to come up very abruptly in the text. I also would have liked more discussion of the altered role of the Lords after their chamber was re-constituted. These are minor criticisms in light of the overall material presented in this book. This cannot be one's first book on the English Civil War as the text pre-supposes more than a basic knowledge of the events leading up to and during the course of the war, as well as some background on the leading figures. If you are familiar with the era in British history, this is sure to be a very illuminating book.… (altro)