Synopsis: Think of King Charles I’s Royalist cause during the Civil Wars and two men emerge most prominently – James Graham, Marquess of Montrose and Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Sharing an intense devotion and loyalty to the king, they were pillars of his cause, and both brought the Royalists to the brink of victory in Scotland and England. Despite being the monarch’s champions, the pair were ostracised, undermined by key English and Scottish ministers of state, and reluctantly left their master upon his surrender. Yet, both continued to fight on abroad for the king in any way they could. The manner their paths crossed and recrossed has woven these two commanders into the history of the Civil Wars. Mark discusses these romanticised Royalists whose stories have more common ground than might at first be imagined.

Mark’s passionate interest in Charles I and the Wars of the three Kingdoms began at the age of 10, after a family visit to Helmsley Castle, North Yorkshire. He thoroughly enjoys contributing to the study of this fascinating period through articles and recently published biographies of King Charles I (‘Charles I’s Private Life‘) and Prince Rupert (‘Prince Rupert of the Rhine; King Charles I’s Cavalier Commander‘). He is one of the co-founders (with Dr Erica Canela and Andrea Zuvich) of the Stuart History Festival, the first-ever festival of Stuart history.

Additionally, he produces a podcast dedicated to the period called ‘CavalierCast – The Civil War in Words’ is a regional chair of the Battlefields Trust, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He lives in County Durham.