Turnbull, Mark Prince Rupert of the Rheine

King Charles I’s Cavalier Commander

Prince Rupert of the Palatinate was a key figure in the civil wars that ravaged the three kingdoms of Stuart Britain. As the nephew of King Charles I, Rupert was both the archetypal royalist hero and the parliamentary villain. Over the course of his life, he accumulated at least nine derogatory pseudonyms from Duke of Plunderland to The Diabolical Cavalier one of which was even coined as recently as 2023. Such polarising viewpoints and propaganda, as well as numerous historical myths, often make it difficult to understand the real Rupert. In compiling this biography, Mark Turnbull has combed through numerous and diverse archives to reconstruct a picture of the civil war and Rupert's role in it. In the process, historical errors have been exposed, new perspectives revealed and brand new information uncovered. Important myths are examined and the prince's weaknesses and glories assessed to create a balanced and definitive biography. The women in Rupert's life have never been given the importance they deserve, partly due to the sad fact that there are few surviving records of them. Nevertheless, Mark Turnbull's research has uncovered exciting new details about his beloved Lady Katherine Scott and his mistresses Frances Bard and Margaret Hughes. Valuable studies of the battles of Vlotho (1638) and Powick Bridge (1642) challenge previous historical accounts and help to rewrite Rupert's story. The decryption of 380-year-old encrypted letters provides additional insights into the prince's thinking prior to his surrender at Bristol in 1645. Furthermore, the formal beginning of the English Civil War is re-examined in light of two often-overlooked declarations by Parliament. Seventeen years have passed since the last biography of Prince Rupert. This book gets to the heart of the man and provides a new understanding not only of him, but also of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.