Arguably the two most important hours in English history. Naseby can genuinely lay claim to be the birthplace of modern western democracy.
During the 1620s there were frequent clashes between James I (reigned 1603-25) and his son Charles I (1625-49), and Parliament. For 11 years Charles I, ruled without Parliament, passing laws and taxes without seeking approval. The Divine Right of Kings asserted that the King was given his authority by God and therefore could not be held accountable to any other authority such as Parliament. However, a powerful precedent had been set in earlier centuries of Parliament acting as a counter balance to the Crown. Charles’ actions angered many in the House of Commons and his critics there grew.
During this time, William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury, attempted to impose High Church Anglicanism despite the protests of the Puritans who felt it was too close to Catholicism Charles I was married to a catholic arousing suspicion that he may be sympathetic to the doctrine In Scotland, similar protests by the Presbyterians provoked open rebellion and the king was defeated by the Scots in Two Bishops’ Wars in 1639-40.
In 1640 the King recalled Thomas Wentworth Earl of Strafford, from Ireland and summoned Parliament. Under the leadership of John Pym, the Parliamentarians immediately attack Strafford, who is impeached for plotting to bring an Irish army over to England. He was tried, found guilty and executed in May 1641. In January 1642, after failing to arrest his five leading opponents in Parliament, the King left London (he would only return for his trial in the winter of 1648). He established his headquarters at Oxford, while the Parliamentarians remained in control of London.
The first major engagement of the Civil War took place at Edgehill in October 1642. The battle ended in a draw. The Royalists advanced on London but failed to capture it. Then in 1643 the Royalists attempted a three-pronged advance on London from the north, from Wales and the south-west. Despite winning several battles and capturing Bristol they failed to make a decisive breakthrough. Following secret negotiations between Parliament and the Scots, a Scottish army invades Northern England in January 1644.
On 2 July, at Battle of Marston Moor outside York, Prince Rupert, is defeated by combined Anglo-Scottish army – Oliver Cromwell, plays a vital role in winning the battle – Royalists lose control of the North of England. During the winter Parliament creates the New Model Army, a body of full-time professional soldiers led by professional officers (MPs and peers were forbidden to serve) with Sir Thomas Fairfax as commander-in-chief.
In 1644, the Parliamentary army suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Royalists at Lostwithiel in Cornwall. This led to increasing dissatisfaction among the “win the war” radicals in Parliament with the aristocratic leadership of the army, led by Essex and Manchester.
Commander:
King Charles I
Right Wing:
Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice – 1,700 horse and 200 musketeers
Centre:
Sir Jacob Astley – 3,500 foot and 800 horse
Left Wing:
Sir Marmaduke Langdale – 1,700 horse and 200 musketeers
Reserve:
King Charles I – 1,300 horse and 800 foot
Formation:
The Royal army was drawn up in three lines with musketeers interspersed with the horse on each of the wings.
Total strength:
10,200 men
Commander:
Sir Thomas Fairfax
Right Wing:
Lt. General Oliver Cromwell – 3,900 horse
Centre:
Sergeant Major General Philip Skippon – 6,400 foot and 11 cannons
Left Wing:
Commissary-General Henry Ireton – 3,300 horse
Dragoons:
Colonel John Okey – 1000 men
Formation:
The New Model Army was drawn up in two lines with a forlorn hope of 300 musketeers in front and to the lefthand side of the infantry.
Total strength:
14,600 men
Fairfax and the main body of the New Model Army arrived at Oxford on the 22ndMay. The King’s capital is now under siege.
The Royalist march to the north was abandoned, and Goring was ordered to bring reinforcements to the main Royalist army.
The King and Prince Rupert decided to storm the Parliamentarian stronghold of Leicester to entice Fairfax away from Oxford.
After the capture of Leicester on 31st May by Prince Rupert Parliament did order General Fairfax to abandon the siege of Oxford to engage and destroy the King’s army.
Fairfax was given the authority to act on his own imitative by Parliament. His request to appoint Cromwell officially as Lt Gen of Horse, in spite it being in contravention of the Self-Denying ordnance was also approved. The New Model Army advanced to Kislingbury.
The King’s army were five miles away at Borough Hill near Daventry. They had decided to keep moving North towards Newark and withdrew from Daventry to Market Harborough.
During the evening of the 13th June Colonel Ireton ambushed the King’s Lifeguard in Naseby village.
On receiving the news of the ambush, the King’s Council of War met and decided to turn and fight the New Model Army.
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