Society for Army Historical Research Lecture Series 2011 - 2012
Special Forces Club: 15th February 2012 6pm

The SAHR Lecture series will continue on 15th February when Ismini Pells will give a talk entitled 'Philip Skippon: "The Roundheads' God of War"'. Philip Skippon was one of the leading military and political figures of the Civil Wars of 1642-49, albeit one who has received surprisingly little attention from modern-day historians. Having cut his teeth fighting in the Protestant armies of Europe in the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, Skippon returned to England to assume the position of Captain-Leader of the Artillery Company in London.  At the outbreak of civil war in England, he took the side of Parliament, commanding the London Trained Bands, the infantry of the earl of Essex’s army and that of the New Model Army, gaining a reputation for personal bravery and as an inspirational leader of men.

Skippon is credited with being one of the fathers of the modern British Army for his work in training the infantry of the New Model, but he also took a deep personal interest in the material, moral and religious welfare of his men, for whom he wrote several devotional works.Yet Skippon’s religious piety should not blind us to his abilities as a political leader.

The purpose of the talk will not only be to bring to life one of the most prominent and understudied characters of the Civil Wars of 1642-49, but also to examine how Skippon’s religious convictions inspired  his military career and how he drew on these to motivate the men under his command. The relationship between the leader and the led will remain central throughout this talk, as it is only through an investigation of the men under Skippon’s command that his political aims and activities can be elucidated.