A New Way of Fighting

The theme of the 2016 Conference was 'Professionalism'. War quickens the pace of military and technological change, and the increasing pace and scope of European warfare during the 16th and 17th centuries prepared the ground for the professional military forces we are familiar with today. The speakers at Helion & Company's second annual English Civil War Conference examined a broad range of subjects relating to the increasing professionalisation of military bodies and their personnel throughout the 17th century. Using the Royalist colonel Sir George Lisle as a case study, Serena Jones addresses the concept of a 'professional officer' - exploring whether such a figure existed in the mid-17th century and whether the term itself can be legitimately applied to Lisle and his contemporaries.