Popular Politics in the English Revolution, 1640-60

Waseem Ahmed is speaking at the National Army Museum in Chelsea on Friday 4 December, from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. He's a historian, and the talk is titled Popular Politics in the English Revolution, 1640-60.

That date range covers one of the most chaotic stretches in English history. The 1640s saw the country split in two, the outbreak of the Civil Wars, the execution of Charles I, and the rise of the Commonwealth. It's usually told as a clash between the King and Parliament, but Ahmed shifts the focus to the people who weren't in the halls of power. He looks at popular politics — the ideas, the protests, and the movements that bubbled up from the streets and the countryside, rather than just the decisions made by the men at the top. He'll be talking about how ordinary people engaged with the turmoil of the mid-17th century and the legacy those upheavals left behind.

It's a lunchtime slot, so it's an hour's commitment on a Friday. The talk is free, and it's held at the National Army Museum, which sits in Chelsea. If you've got a gap in your day and a soft spot for the 17th century, it's a good one to keep on your radar.