After a visit to Helmsley Castle at the age of 10, Mark Turnbull bought a pack of cards featuring the monarchs of England. The card portraying King Charles I fascinated him.

Van Dyck’s regal portrait of the King and the fact that he was executed by his own people were the beginnings of Mark’s passionate interest in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms that has lasted ever since.

In the absence of time travel, he thoroughly enjoys bringing this period to life through writing fiction and non-fiction, his most recent book being ‘Charles I’s Private Life’, an intimate biography of the man behind the monarch. He has produced articles for magazines, local newspapers and online educational sites. He is Joint-Chair of The Battlefields Trust (North Region) and is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Mark also produces a War of the Three Kingdoms podcast called ‘CavalierCast – The Civil War in Words’. This is the only known podcast solely dedicated to the civil wars. It explores a variety of topics with leading historians and authors.

He is currently working on a biography of Prince Rupert of the Rhine for Pen and Sword books, which is due out early 2025.