Events

Battlefields Trust Online Talk: The storming of Bristol 1645

Thursday 26th March 2026

In September 1645, Bristol fell to Parliament’s New Model Army. It had been the Royalists’ western stronghold. Prince Rupert struggled to defend a city whose walls were too long, too low, and whose people were weary of war.

Sir Thomas Fairfax’s men stormed the defences on the night of 9 September, breaking through in multiple places. The assault was brutal and swift. Rupert, recognising the futility of further resistance, surrendered the next morning.

This talk will look at the strategic importance of Bristol, the siege itself, and the impact its loss had on the Royalists, Prince Rupert, and Charles I. What did this victory mean for Parliament and why did this event mark the beginning of the end for the Royalist cause?

Dr Erica Canela is an early modern social historian with a focus on seventeenth-century radical religion. Erica holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, where she also serves as an Honorary Research Fellow. She prides herself on writing history that is highly accessible through deeply researched and spellbinding storytelling. A frequently requested podcast guest, Erica enjoys making challenging seventeenth-century history accessible for all. She has appeared on Dan Snow’s History Hit, American History Hit, Not Just the Tudors, On the Record at The National Archives, History with Jackson, and History Rage.

She is the author of Zealous: A Darker Side of the Early Quakers.

For further information.

• Contact name : Battlefields Trust Online Talks
• Contact email : info@battlefieldstrust.com