Cavaliers & Roundheads
On 22nd August 1642, Charles raised his standard at Nottingham and called on his
subjects to support him against Parliament. From that moment, ordinary people were
forced to choose which side they were on. In the majority of cases this choice was made
for them as they simply joined the army that reached their town or city first.
People who supported the King were
called Royalists, however, they were
known by their enemies as Cavaliers.
Although
“cavalier”
simply
means
horseman, this was meant as an insult,
as it was a reference to the Spanish
Caballeros, who had a reputation for
cruelty and brutality in the Dutch Wars.
The Cavaliers were quite elegant for
soldiers. They wore dashing uniforms
that were based on the Court dress of
the day; knee length leather boots,
tunics and hats complete with plumes.
A large number of the nobility joined
Charles’ army. At that time, upper class
men were trained to ride horses from a
young age; that gave Charles the
advantage of having a very good cavalry. The King’s nephew, Prince Rupert, was put in
charge of the cavalry. Although only twenty three, he had gained combat experience in
the Dutch army. In England, he used a trick he had learned when fighting the Swedish;
the cavalry charged at their enemy at full speed, with the horses in tight formation and
just before impact the men fired their pistols.
Drawing from a Pamphlet “The Cruel Practices
Of Prince Rupert” 1643
People who supported the
radical MPs were known as
Parliamentarians,
however,
they too had a nickname:
Roundheads. This referred
to their hair, which they
chose to cut short in a time
when long hair was the
fashion.
The
London
Apprentices, who had caused
a lot of trouble during
Stafford’s trial, wore their
hair this way, as did the
Puritan MPs, who wanted to
Woodcut produced during the Civil War
show they were not vain. The
Roundheads were not as well equipped as the Cavaliers and their clothing was much
simpler. They wore a leather tunic, a metal helmet and later a metal breastplate.
After 1644, the New Model Army was raised. These soldiers also had a nickname: the
ironsides, because they stood firm and decisive in battle. This was an amalgamation of
three armies, numbering 22,000 men. Soldiers were paid around 10p per day: an
impressive amount of money for the time. These soldiers were promoted based on merit
rather than social standing. This meant that for the first time, working class men could
rise up through the ranks to serve as officers. These soldiers were well trained and by
the time they saw combat were well disciplined. Cromwell felt it was important that a
man should know what he was fighting for, so he recruited men who were devoutly
Puritan. The soldiers advanced into battle singing Psalms and firmly believing that God
was on their side. As the Ironsides were mostly Puritan, religion remained an important
factor throughout the war. Oliver Cromwell commanded the cavalry, while Thomas
Fairfax was Commander-in-Chief.
Support for each side remained much the same throughout 1642 and 1643, but during
1644 and 1645 people began to change sides.
For the King
For Parliament
Catholics, most of the Nobles and
Gentry, about half of all Members of
Parliament, the poorer areas of the
North and West.
Puritans, the more militant Members of
Parliament, merchants, the richer
areas of the South and East.
These maps show how Charles gradually lost control of England and Wales as the
Parliamentarians gained more and more support.