Prince Rupert of the Rhine by Mark Turnbull

Prince Rupert of the Rhine (nephew to King Charles I) is both the archetypical royalist hero and parliamentarian villain.

One the one hand the dashing cavalier; handsome, courageous, and determined. But he also has at least 11 derogatory pseydonyms ranging from 'Duke of Plunderland' to 'The Diabolical Cavalier' – one even being coined in 2023. He is also rather infamously linked to Leicester, having demanded £2,000 from the mayor during the English Civil War, with a threat that he would storm the town if the money wasn't forthcoming. But when we look beyond the propaganda, it's Rupert's character that shines through the centuries.

In writing his first biography in 17 years, I went back to the archives instead of pulling forward existing historical narratives. This has revealed much about the real man and the civil war battles he was involved in. The women in his life have never been adequately explored, remaining mere footnotes to his story. New discoveries reveal more about them than ever, and this in turn tells us so much more about Rupert.

Join me to hear more about Rupert's fascinating story - his daughter, had he married, would have become Queen of Great Britain in 1714. 

About Mark

Mark Turnbull's childhood visit to Helmsley Castle, North Yorkshire, at the age of 10 provided the foundations of a passionate interest in King Charles I and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms that has flourished ever since. 

An Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Mark has re-enacted battles of the period with the Sealed Knot, and now enjoys bringing this period to life through works of fiction, whilst contributing to our understandings of it via non-fiction. 

His biography of King Charles I, called 'Charles I's Private Life', deals with new evidence about the identity of the king's executioners, and he is currently working on an entirely reworked biography of Prince Rupert of the Rhine. 

Mark also produces a podcast called 'CavalierCast - The Civil War in Words' which is the first (and longest running) podcast solely dedicated to the civil wars. It explores a variety of topics with leading historians, authors, re-enactors, archaeologists, and curators.