Sir Arthur Aston (1590 - 1649) was a lifelong professional soldier, most noted for his support for King Charles I in the English Civil War, and in folklore for the gruesome manner of his death. Events March 14 - Battle of Ivry - Henry IV of France again defeats the forces of the Catholic League under the Duc de Mayenne. ... // Events January 30 - King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is beheaded. ... Charles I (19 November 1600–30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ...

He was a native of Cheshire and from a prominent Roman Catholic family. He became a soldier some time in the late 1620's and served the King of Poland, then commanded an English regiment in the service of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a palatine county in North West England. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Gustav II Adolf (also known as Gustaf Adolf den store or Gustavus II Adolphus) (December 9, 1594 – November 6, 1632 O.S.), widely known by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and referred to by Protestants as the Lion of the North, was King of Sweden from 1611 until his death. ...

In 1640, he commanded a regiment for King Charles in the Second Bishops' War. There was uneasiness in many quarters about his religion, and he was forced to resign his command, although he received a knighthood for his services. In 1642, When the English Civil War broke out, Charles initially refused to employ him, but Prince Rupert of the Rhine persuaded him to do so before Parliament did. Aston was employed as Colonel General of Dragoons, and served in this capacity during the Edgehill campaign. Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria (German: Ruprecht Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, Herzog von Bayern), commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, (17 December 1619 – 19 November 1682), soldier and inventor, was a younger son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart, and the nephew of King... The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War. ...

When Charles occupied Oxford and made it his wartime capital, Aston was made commander of an outpost at Reading, where he became unpopular through his authoritarian methods. He was wounded when Reading was besieged and captured by the Parliamentarians under the Earl of Essex. Exchanged, he became Sergeant-Major General of Horse to Prince Rupert, and fought at the First Battle of Newbury. Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... Reading is a town and a unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) in the English county of Berkshire. ... Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, (January 11 1591 – 14 September 1646), was the son and heir of the unfortunate Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and succeeded to his fathers title in 1604, three years after the previous earl had been executed for treason. ... The two Battles of Newbury took place near Newbury, Berkshire during the English Civil War in 1643 and 1644. ...

He became Governor of Oxford in late 1643, and again made himself unpopular, until he lost a leg as a result of a fall from a horse in September 1644, and was relieved as Governor. He received a large pension from the King, but did not serve in office during the rest of the First English Civil War. // Events January 21 - Abel Tasman discovers Tonga February 6 - Abel Tasman discovers the Fiji islands. ... Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: September September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. ... // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ... The First English Civil War (1642–1646) was the first of three wars, known as the English Civil War (or Wars). The English Civil War refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1652, and includes the Second...

In 1648, he joined the Earl of Ormonde, who had recently been made Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Confederates and other Royalist forces in Ireland. Aston was made governor of the vital port of Drogheda. // Events January 17 - Englands Long Parliament passes the Vote of No Address, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ...

In 1649, Oliver Cromwell's forces attacked the town in the Siege of Drogheda, one of the most vicious episodes of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. When the town was stormed, the garrison was massacred by the victorious Parliamentarian soldiers. Aston was beaten to death with his own wooden leg, which the soldiers thought hid gold coins. // Events January 30 - King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is beheaded. ... Unfinished portrait miniature of Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper, 1657. ... Drogheda, a town in eastern Ireland, was besieged twice in the 1640s, during the Irish Confederate Wars, the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. ... The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, Ireland, and England between 1639 and 1651 at a time when these countries had come under the Personal Rule of the same monarch. ...

External links

• Englisg Civil War site