BattlefieldsRoyalist seizure of Canterbury 1648 — Second Civil War
English Civil War

Royalist seizure of Canterbury 1648 — Second Civil War

1648
Kent, England
Also known as: Canterbury 1648 · Kent Royalist rising Canterbury
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Kent, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Parliamentary authority at Canterbury
VS
Victor
Royalists (briefly)
Outcome
Canterbury Royalists seized the city Christmas Day 1647; parliamentary forces restored control before the main rising
The Battle

History & Significance

The Kentish Royalist rising began at Canterbury on Christmas Day 1647 when Royalist sympathisers seized the city in protest against the parliamentary ban on Christmas celebrations. The symbolism of fighting for Christmas was powerful in Kent. Parliamentary forces under Colonel Ireton suppressed this initial rising, but the episode fed into the larger Kentish revolt of May-June 1648 that culminated at the Battle of Maidstone. Canterbury remained a centre of Royalist and Anglican sentiment throughout the war.

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