This work investigates the political and social origins of the English Civil War, providing a contemporary account of the collapse of royal authority and the subsequent conflict. The author, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, served as a key advisor to Charles I, offering a firsthand perspective on the parliamentary disputes and military engagements of the 1640s. This edition, edited by G. Huehns with an introduction by Hugh Trevor-Roper, contextualizes the original text for modern historical analysis.

Historians regard this text as a foundational, albeit partisan, primary source for understanding the royalist perspective during the English Civil War. Readers often note the dense, formal prose style characteristic of 17th-century political writing.