English Civil War
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New Model Army
Tower of London
Parliament’s resources
King’s poor finances
Rupert’s cavalry charge
Solemn League &
Covenant
Conclusion
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English Civil War
New Model Army ‘page2’
The New Model Army was an important reason for victory because they had many
advantages over the Royalist army. Sir William Waller was the man behind the
‘remodelling’ of Parliaments’ army, after his defeat at Cropredy Bridge June
1644. Soldiers were recruited from most areas but soldiers were reluctant to be away
from their local areas, as Waller found when trying to control his mutinous London
Regiments. Oliver Cromwell backed Waller’s idea of an army with no regional affiliations
and in December 1644, gave a speech to parliament on the idea. The Self Denying
Ordinance was passed through Parliament quickly to eliminate the current military high
command, and the New Model Ordinance was passed on 19 February 1645. Generals
would now be chosen on merit, giving the parliamentary army an advantage over the
Royalists who still chose officers by standing rather than merit.
The New Model Army was planned to compromise Pike men, Dragoons, Musketeers and
Horseback. This gave it an advantage over the Royalists because it was better
organised, and had more discipline. If the army had not been used, the Cavaliers would
have reigned supreme in battle and the civil war would have had a different end.
Troops from the New Model Army were better equipped than the Royalist army. Each
soldier was equipped with a rapier (a sword) and all were armoured – except the
musketeers as the armour would be too bulky and would prevent them from using the
rifle properly. Because the New Model army was well equipped, they had an advantage
over the Royalists, because they had a plentiful amount of munitions and this showed
they were ready to fight. It showed determination.
English Civil War
• New Model Army contd
Troops from the New Model Army were better
equipped than the Royalist army. Smith
agrees that it was a combination of
“Parliament’s reorganisation of its finances
and its military forces” which ensured a
Royalist defeat.
• Each soldier was equipped with a rapier (a
sword) and all were armoured – except
the musketeers as the armour would be
too bulky and would prevent them from
using the rifle properly. Because the New
Model army was well equipped, they had
an advantage over the Royalists, because
they had a plentiful amount of munitions
and this showed they were ready to
fight. It showed determination.
English Civil War
Possession Of The Tower Of London
‘page3’
The possession of the Tower of London provided
parliament with a source of trade, power and wealth
which gave it an advantage over the Royalists.
It provided parliament with:
1) Money- from the royal mint and melting the crown
jewels – to pay for a professional army.
2) Weapons from the armoury to equip the army
3) The control of London, giving a permanent
garrison in the Tower, prison & army base
4) Propaganda- making use of the dominance of the
White Tower & the ownership of the ravens legend
It therefore proved to be a big Royalist Mistake to
lose the Tower. Charles did not seem to realise its
significance, since the Parliamentarians seized the
Tower early on in 1643.
“The loss of the Tower, and London as a whole, was
a crucial factor in the defeat of Charles I by
Parliament” [Tower of London official guidebook*]
English Civil War
Parliament’s superior financial resources ‘page4’
Whoever controlled the most resources had the strongest
chance, and here Parliament held that advantage. Parliament
controlled London throughout the war, a fact of very
considerable significance in view of the city’s importance as a
supplier both of money and men. Most of the larger towns in
the country were also under parliamentary authority as were
most of the seaports, even those in royalist areas.
The Parliamentarians had the ability to collect most of the
customs revenue which continued to flow into the country.
They were able to use the navy under authority from the
beginning of the war. This was to ensure that their general
control of the coasts was maintained and to move food and
men to ports which were threatened by Royalist attack.
Parliament therefore controlled the greater part of the country’s
wealth and manpower, and the major issue during the war was
whether it would be able to bring this superior material strength
to bear in an effective assault upon the King.
‘’Parliament’s victory in the Civil War was less to do with their
greater physical resources, and Sir Thomas Fairfax's strategic
flair, than on the King's faulty command structure’’.
Malcolm Wanklyn,
English Civil War
King’s Poor Finances ‘page5’
Charles faced financial difficulty when his first
Parliament refused to follow the tradition of giving
him the right to collect customs duties for his entire
reign, deciding instead to grant it for only a year at a
time. This meant that he had an unpaid and ill
disciplined army
According to Alan GR Smith, The Emergence of a
Nation State, Parliament therefore controlled the
greater part of the country’s wealth and manpower,
and the major issue during the war was whether it
would be able to bring this superior material
strength to bear in an effective assault upon the
King.
As King of Scotland, Charles needed to find money
to pay the Scottish army and equip them. But he was
in a bad financial position.
English Civil War
PRINCE RUPERT’S CAVALRY CHARGES
‘page6’
On the eruption of the Civil War, Prince Rupert was put in
charge of the cavalry, where he introduced a new cavalry
tactic that he had learnt fighting in Sweden. This involved
charging full speed at the enemy, where the horses were
kept close together and just before impact the men fired their
pistols, usually causing the roundheads, threatened by the
full speed attack, to turn and run. However, soon Oliver
Cromwell realised a disciplined and fearless army would
easily defeat Prince Rupert’s charges by standing their
ground with sixteen-foot-long pikes at the ready. Rupert’s
army were ill disciplined, and because of the impulsive order
of Princes Rupert, they became easily tired after all of their
charges, prohibiting them from further attacks.
This lead to significant defeats, including the surrender of
Bristol by Rupert to Cromwell, giving great encouragement
an confidence to the parliamentarians, and hugely weakening
the Royalist armed forces.
English Civil War
The Solemn League and Covenant ‘page7’
In 1643, the English Parliament and Scottish covenanters solidified their alliance by
signing the Solemn League and Covenant. First proposed by John Pym, he was set on
securing military support from Scotland in order to counter Royalist victories; at the
time, the cavaliers were seemingly gaining prominent strength and power in the civil
war. Yet the Covenanters regarded the alliance principally as a religious union of the two
nations, hoping to unite the churches of Scotland and England under a Presbyterian
system of church government. In January 1644, the Army of the Covenant marched into
England against the Royalists. Parliament decreed that the Covenant was to be taken by
every Englishman over the age of eighteen. This alliance contributed to the
parliamentarian success almost immediately, as G.E. SEEL highlights; ‘having formed an
alliance with the covenanting Scots – the solemn league and covenant – on 25
September 1643, the tide seemed to turn in favour’. This was because firstly, the
roundheads were given significant military support, giving them an additional advantage
over the cavaliers. Moreover, the support of another close located, powerful country
gave parliament great confidence in the war effort, and unnerved the royalists greatly,
leading to their downfall both on and off the battlefield. Additionally, Jane Ohlmeyer in
History Today states, ‘It is doubtful whether Parliament could have won the First English
Civil War without Scottish intervention’, which shows how highly significant the Scottish
alliance really was in the final parliamentarian victory
English Civil War
Conclusion ‘page8’
Of all the various factors, the most
significant cause of Parliamentary
victory was the fact that the New
Model Army was paid and well
equipped. Whilst some historians
argue that the army itself was the
main cause of Charles’ defeat, we
would argue that it was
Parliament’s control of finance
which won them the war. As Giles
argues, victory was “ultimately
dependent “ on controlling
resources.