English Commonwealth Sequence

by Geoffrey Trease 3 books in this series

The English Commonwealth Sequence follows connected lives across the upheavals that began with civil war and continued through the Restoration and the succession crisis of 1685. Silver Guard opens amid the First English Civil War, Grey Adventurer follows the consequences of the Stuart return in London and colonial America, and Trumpets in the West carries the story into Monmouth’s rebellion against James II.

The three novels can be read independently, but together they show political change from the viewpoint of young participants whose work, faith and family ties are repeatedly disrupted. Trease treats the period as a long argument about monarchy, parliament and popular liberty rather than a closed conflict ending in 1660.

Reading order

Books in this series (3 books)

1. Silver Guard

Geoffrey Trease

3.8(12)

A young protagonist is drawn into the English Civil War as Parliament and the king compete for soldiers, towns and allegiance. Military service exposes him to siege, divided households and the moral uncertainty beneath political slogans. The opening volume of Trease’s English Commonwealth Sequence treats the…

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2. Grey Adventurer

Geoffrey Trease

3.3(9)

A survivor of the Commonwealth years faces the return of the Stuarts, danger in London and a journey into the English colonies of North America. Old enemies and political reversals follow him across the Atlantic as he seeks a secure future. The second English Commonwealth novel…

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3. Trumpets in the West

Geoffrey Trease

4.2(12)

A young musician is drawn into the political turmoil surrounding the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion against James II. Court music, popular enthusiasm and military defeat place artistic ambition beside the dangerous demands of allegiance. The final English Commonwealth novel brings the sequence to the later Stuart…

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