Cicely Veronica Wedgwood (1910–97) was a British historian known for her engaging narrative style and meticulous research on 17th-century European history. She made complex historical events accessible while maintaining scholarly rigor.
Born in Stocksfield, Northumberland, Wedgwood studied at Oxford University, developing a passion for history. Her first major work, Strafford, 1593–1641 (1935,) examined Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, a key figure in the English Civil War. She followed with The Thirty Years War (1938,) a landmark study of the European conflict. The first woman appointed to the British Academy (1957,) she received numerous honors, including the Order of Merit (1969.)
Her most acclaimed works include The King’s Peace, 1637–41 (1955) and The King’s War, 1641–47 (1958,) part of The Great Rebellion series, chronicling the English Civil War. She also wrote William the Silent (1944,) a biography of Dutch leader William I of Orange, and The Trial of Charles I (1964,) analyzing the events leading to the king’s execution.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Cicely Veronica Wedgwood
Discontent and disorder are signs of energy and hope, not of despair.
—Cicely Veronica Wedgwood
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