The Battle of Naseby 1645

• What were the two sides of the battle

  The royalists and the parliamentarians
• Background to the battle

  • Parliament after failing to win the civil war in 1644 had created the New Model Army commanded by Fairfax task was to bring Charles I main army to battle and defeat it.
  • The Royalists wanted the New Model Army from joining the Scottish army and then defeat them
• What was the strategy in the battle

  • Charles split army and took main part north from Oxford, his capital, to the Midlands
  • Fairfax besieged Oxford to lure Charles back to attack him but he didn't and Charles captured the Parliamentarian town of Leceister and wanted to force Fairfax to leave Oxford and he did
  • Despite Charles wanting to lure Fairfax into Battle he surprised a royalist group at Naseby
• What was the composition of the armies

  • The Royalist Army - 12,500 men (6700 cavalry and 5800 infantry) experienced and had been successful
  • The New Model Army - 17,000 men (8500 cavalry and 8500 infantry) well experienced, well trained and disciplined and due to fear from fall of Leicester, Parliament agreed to let Cromwell be Fairfax's second in command
• What was the battlefield like

  Around Naseby was an area of open field villages, there was one hedge and in the middle a large expanse
• How did the battle begin

  • Both sides deployed on two ridges
  • Royalists attacked first
• What was Stage 1 of the battle

  Royalists advance up the hill and the New Model Army advance over the ridge to meet them coming up
• What was Stage 2 of the battle

  New Model Army break and flee and almost all Royalist Cavalry pursue them and attack baggage train for plunder
• What was Stage 3 of the battle

  New Model Army front line breaks but second line holds as Royalists continue to attack causing the New Model Army to lose ground
• What was Stage 4 of the battle

  Royalist cavalry break and flee Cromwell sends first line but keeps rest under control
• What was Stage 5 of the battle

  Cromwell makes his 2nd and 3rd lines to attack Royalist infantry in the flank and rear

  Fairfax rallies New Model Army centre and combines with Cromwell's horse to attack Royalist infantry causing some royalist to surrender
• What was Stage 6 of the Battle

  Rupert returns to the battlefield with some cavalry and makes way to King's reserve but Fairfax brings up New Model Army Infantry and cause royalist cavalry to flee and remaining infantry to surrender
• Why did the New Model Army win

  • Royalist overconfidence as they thought New Model Army was weak despite being outnumbered
  • New Model Army cavalry were as good as the royalists and were better disciplined
  • Second line of New Model Army held out long enough for Cromwell to attack Royalists in the flank and rear
  • Parliament created an army with experienced officers
• How important was Cromwell

  • Recruited and trained the best cavalry
  • His arrival was a morale boost to the New Model Army
  • His leadership on the east side was vital to not lose control of the battle
  • Supported the policy of officers being the best soldiers rather than well off upper class nobility and men