Micah Clarke: A Tale of the Monmouth Rebellion

It is 1685 and Charles II has recently died. Two people lay claim to the throne of England—James, a Catholic (and Charles’ brother); and James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth, a protestant (and Charles' illegitimate son). James II is awarded the throne, but Monmouth musters an army of 6000, mostly farmers, to challenge him.

Micah Clarke, a commoner, is caught up in the events; and he tells the tale to his grandchildren—the rising in Somerset, the glorious march toward Bristol and Bath, the calamitous defeat at Sedgemoor, and the “Bloody Assizes” of Judge George Jeffreys where hundreds of rebels were summarily hung.