| By the Sword Divided | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Created by | John Hawkesworth |
| Directed by | Henry Herbert, Brian Farnham, Diarmuid Lawrence, Michael Custance |
| Starring | Julian Glover Sharon Maughan Jeremy Clyde |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 16 October 1983 – 10 March 1985 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
By the Sword Divided is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985.
The series, created by John Hawkesworth, was a historical drama set during the mid-17th century, dealing with the impact of the English Civil War on the fictional Lacey family, made up of both Royalist and Parliamentarian supporters.
It follows the family as it is torn apart by the conflicting and changing loyalties of the war, as families were during that time, and the defeat of the Royalist forces at the end of the First English Civil War. Series two covers the second and third civil wars and the eventual Restoration of the Monarchy. The last episodes see the surviving members of the family (from both sides of the divide) witness the arrival of King Charles II on a visit to the ancestral Lacey home.