First English Civil War, 1645 facts for kids

The year 1645 was a tough one for King Charles I during the First English Civil War. Things were not looking good for him, and the events of this year didn't help his chances of winning.

Creating the New Model Army

At the start of 1645, King Charles's side was struggling. This was more due to problems within his own forces than from attacks by his enemies. There were new talks for peace in January 1645, but these didn't lead to a solution.

Meanwhile, Parliament was trying to create a new, stronger army. There were disagreements about this new army and a rule called the Self-Denying Ordinance. This rule meant that members of Parliament had to give up their military commands.

However, a small rebellion in one of the Parliamentarian armies in February made everyone realize they needed to act. So, by February 15, they agreed on army reforms. Even though the final rule was passed later, Sir Thomas Fairfax and Philip Skippon were chosen to lead this new army. Fairfax became the main general, and Skippon led the foot soldiers. The leader for the cavalry was left open, but everyone knew who would likely get it.

How the New Model Army Was Organized

The most important thing for the New Model Army was to get paid regularly. Its main job was to go wherever it was sent. Before this, many armies were tied to specific areas or didn't get paid on time.

In April 1645, important generals like Essex, Manchester, and Waller gave up their commands. This was because of the Self-Denying Ordinance. Soldiers who weren't part of the New Model Army were sent to do local duties. Smaller armies still existed in different parts of England, and the Scottish army was in the north.

The New Model Army started with about 14,400 foot soldiers and 7,700 cavalry (horse soldiers and dragoons). Only about 6,000 foot soldiers came from the old armies; the rest were new recruits. This meant there were some problems with discipline at first, and the new army had to be very strict.

The King's side didn't think much of this new army. They called Fairfax "the rebels' new brutish general." But soon, everyone would see how powerful Parliament's "own army" truly was.

Early Actions of 1645

The Royalist (King's side) campaign in 1645 started in the west. Prince Charles, the King's son, was sent there with advisors. However, the Royalist general in charge, Lord Goring, was often disobedient and caused problems.

Battles usually began with sieges, where armies surrounded towns or castles to force them to surrender. Plymouth, Lyme Regis, and Taunton were all under siege. Parliamentarian forces tried to help Taunton. But the fighting in the west in February and March didn't achieve much. Taunton remained under siege, and Goring's cavalry rode freely around Dorset.

Rupert's March North

In the Midlands and Lancashire, the King's cavalry also caused trouble. Prince Maurice and Prince Rupert joined forces in March 1645. They lifted the siege of Beeston Castle and helped Lord Byron in Cheshire.

There was a big worry that Rupert would invade Lancashire and Yorkshire again. So, all available forces in the north were ordered to stop him. But Rupert had to turn back to protect his route to Oxford.

Local people in Herefordshire and Worcestershire were tired of the war and the demands of the soldiers. These groups, called "Clubmen", wanted peace. They didn't join Parliament, and regular soldiers could easily scatter them. But their efforts showed how much people wanted the war to end.

The Royalists were fighting with great desperation. Those fighting against King Charles were determined to win and believed the only way was to destroy the King's army. Many people were so tired of the war that they would have accepted peace on almost any terms. But Fairfax, Oliver Cromwell, and their allies in Parliament pushed for a complete victory.

Cromwell's Cavalry Raid

After dealing with the Clubmen, Rupert wanted to continue his march north. He probably wanted to fight the Scottish army. But he needed infantry and cannons, which were coming from Oxford.

The New Model Army's first big operation focused on stopping these cannons from reaching Rupert. The main infantry wasn't ready yet. So, Cromwell, who was supposed to resign his command, was instead put in charge of a cavalry group. His orders were to stop the King's cannons.

On April 23, 1645, Cromwell set out. The next day, he defeated a Royalist cavalry group at Islip. He also scared the governor of Bletchingdon House into surrendering, even though he had very few guns. Cromwell won another cavalry fight at Bampton-in-the-Bush on April 27. He then attacked Faringdon House without success.

Cromwell had done his job well. He had weakened the Royalist cavalry and taken all the horses in the area. King Charles couldn't move his cannons for a while and even had to call Goring's cavalry from the west to replace his losses.

Shifting Strategies

Cromwell's success forced the King to gather his armies near Oxford. Fairfax and Cromwell hoped this would be their chance to fight the King's main army. But the "Committee of Both Kingdoms" (Parliament's war council) and King Charles had different ideas.

On May 1, Fairfax was ordered to relieve Taunton and began a long march west. Cromwell was told to watch the King's army. So, Fairfax and the main Parliamentarian army were marching away, while Cromwell's smaller force was left to hold the King.

The Committee of Both Kingdoms eventually realized their mistake. They ordered Fairfax to send a small group to Taunton and bring the main army back. Fairfax was happy to obey, even though his original goal was to besiege Oxford, not fight the King's army.

Rupert, now with the cannons, convinced the King to continue his march north. They believed Oxford would be safe with Fairfax far away. So, King Charles marched out of Oxford on May 7. But Goring and other generals wanted to march west to fight Fairfax. So, the armies split up. Rupert and the King went north, while Goring returned to his independent command in the west.

This split didn't help the Royalists. The Parliamentarian forces relieved Taunton long before Goring returned to the west. Fairfax was also out of Goring's reach, preparing to besiege Oxford.

Charles in the Midlands

Parliament's leaders also made mistakes. Fairfax's siege of Oxford, ordered on May 10, was a big error. It was hard to understand why Parliament, after creating a new army for general service, tied it down to a local siege. They then relied on quickly assembled local troops to fight the King's main army.

The Committee seemed to have received false information that Goring and Oxford's governor might switch sides. If they hadn't sent Fairfax to Taunton first, these problems wouldn't have happened. Fairfax obeyed orders and besieged Oxford for two weeks without proper siege equipment. During this time, King Charles and Rupert moved freely through the Midlands.

Eventually, the news was so bad that the Committee gave Fairfax complete control over military operations. Fairfax quickly abandoned the siege of Oxford and marched north to fight the King. Meanwhile, Charles and Rupert were also moving north. They reached Droitwich on May 11. They then marched against Brereton, a Parliamentarian commander. Brereton quickly lifted his sieges and asked for help from Yorkshire and the Scottish army.

But only the old Lord Fairfax and the Yorkshiremen responded. The Scottish general, Leven, had just heard of new victories by Montrose in Scotland. He could only move his army into Westmorland, hoping to block the King's march to Scotland.

The Naseby Campaign

News of Montrose's victory in Scotland made Leven move towards Carlisle. But it didn't affect his English allies much. Fairfax was still stuck besieging Oxford. Another Parliamentarian commander, Massey, was sent to fight Goring, not the King.

Then, the military situation changed again. King Charles, instead of going to Lancashire, turned east towards Derbyshire. This caused panic in Westminster. Cromwell was sent to raise an army to defend the Eastern Association, even though he was supposed to resign his command. The Royalists, however, weren't planning to go there. They were waiting for news about Oxford and whether they should return there or fight Leven in Yorkshire.

Goring had been ordered to join the King, but he ignored the order and marched towards Taunton instead. He helped the Royalists there for a short time and made money by taking things from people. But he and his men were not at Naseby. Meanwhile, the King captured and thoroughly looted the wealthy town of Leicester on May 30-31.

This caused more panic in Westminster. But this time, it led to Fairfax being ordered to abandon the siege of Oxford and given full freedom to fight the Royal army wherever he found it. The King, after taking Leicester, decided to protect Oxford. Rupert, the commander-in-chief, couldn't convince him to continue the northern plan. So, they marched to Daventry to send supplies to Oxford.

Fairfax was now free to move, thanks to Goring's disobedience. Fairfax moved from Oxford towards Northampton to protect the Eastern Association. By June 12, the two armies were only a few miles apart. The Royalists turned north again on June 13, but Fairfax followed closely.

On the morning of June 13, Cromwell, who had just been made lieutenant-general of the New Model Army, arrived with fresh cavalry. More cavalry joined the next morning. So, Fairfax fought at Naseby on June 14 with more soldiers and much higher morale. The battle was a decisive victory for Parliament. The Royal army was destroyed. Most of the cavalry escaped, but the cannons, baggage, and all the King's excellent foot soldiers were killed or captured.

After Naseby

After Naseby, the war continued for another year, but King Charles never managed to raise an army as good or as large as the one destroyed on June 14, 1645. The victory didn't end the war quickly due to several reasons:

• Slow communication.
• The relatively small number of soldiers fighting compared to the total number of armed men.
• Political disagreements between different groups in Parliament.

The Scots were happy that the "back of the malignants (Royalists) was broken." But they also worried about Cromwell and the Independents, who they felt were getting too much credit for the victory.

Leven's Scottish army had returned to Yorkshire. Two weeks after Naseby, Carlisle fell to the Scots. Leicester was taken back by Fairfax on June 18. Leven's army moved south, reaching Mansfield on June 20. This move was partly political, to balance the power of the victorious New Model Army.

But for now, the Scottish army's advance was very important. It freed Fairfax from having to besiege towns. Also, the King's private papers, captured at Naseby, were published. These papers showed that Charles had been trying to bring Irish, Danish, French, and other foreign soldiers into England. This made Fairfax's troops very popular and gave them official support. Even the Presbyterians stopped trying to negotiate with the King and pushed for a strong continuation of the war.

Fairfax's Western Campaign

Fairfax and Cromwell were very effective. While the King and Rupert, with their remaining cavalry, went to South Wales to gather new foot soldiers, Fairfax decided that Goring's army was the most important Royalist force left. He turned west, reaching Lechlade on June 26, less than two weeks after Naseby. Parliament tried to tell him what to do, but Fairfax was allowed to deal with Goring as he wished.

Time was short. Charles in Monmouthshire and Rupert at Bristol were in good positions to join Goring. This would have given them a combined army of 15,000 men. Taunton was again under siege. In Wiltshire and Dorset, many Clubmen groups were active, and the King's officers were trying to turn them into soldiers. But raising a new Royal army was slow. Goring and his officer, Sir Richard Grenville, were making the King's most loyal supporters angry with their bad behavior.

Goring also didn't want to lose his independent command. Still, it was clear he had to be dealt with quickly. On June 26, Fairfax asked Parliament for help against the King. They did this by paying the Scottish army and bringing it to the Severn valley. On July 8, Leven reached Alcester, planning to besiege Hereford.

Battle of Langport

By this time, Fairfax and Goring were close to each other. Goring's defense line faced west along the River Yeo and the Parrett, blocking the direct route to Taunton. Fairfax, however, marched around, using Dorchester and Lyme Regis as his bases. This allowed him to get around Goring's river defense.

The Royalists quickly abandoned the south and west side of the rivers. The siege of Taunton had already been given up. Goring's new line was from Bridgwater to Ilchester. This allowed him to stay in touch with King Charles in South Wales through Bristol. But Goring's army was disorganized and undisciplined. The New Model Army's swift and determined regiments easily defeated their strong positions.

On July 7, 1645, Fairfax secretly occupied Yeovil. Goring seemed unable to handle the new situation. He might make good plans when the enemy wasn't there, and he was brave in cavalry charges. But he couldn't plan well when facing the enemy. When he heard about Yeovil, he gave up the River Yeo line without a fight. Fairfax then crossed the river at Long Sutton on July 9.

Goring then made a new plan. He left a strong group of soldiers at Langport to hold Fairfax. He himself rode off early on July 8 to surprise Taunton. But Fairfax heard about Goring's raid and sent Massey after him. Massey surprised a large group of Royalists at Ilminster on July 9, wounded Goring, and chased them towards Langport.

On July 10, Fairfax's lead soldiers bravely attacked Goring's rearguard position east of Langport. Cromwell himself led the New Model cavalry in pursuit, chasing Goring's army all the way to Bridgwater. Goring's army was in chaos and almost collapsed.

Goring himself retreated to Barnstaple. His army defended Bridgwater bravely until July 23, when they surrendered. The fall of Bridgwater gave Fairfax complete control of Somerset and Dorset. Even if Goring could raise a new army, he would have to fight his way to Bristol, and a battle between Goring and Fairfax would have only one outcome. So, King Charles had to give up his plan of joining Goring and restarting his northern campaign. His efforts to recruit soldiers in South Wales hadn't been successful due to the people's lack of interest and the strong local Parliamentarian leaders.

Lord Digby's Plans

This time, Rupert would not be with the King. Rupert had lost hope and only wanted peace on the best possible terms. He returned to his command in Bristol and prepared for Fairfax's attack. Rupert's influence was replaced by Lord Digby. Digby was very optimistic and energetic, becoming the main leader for the Royalists for the rest of the campaign. But he was a civilian and didn't understand military strategy well. He also upset officers and was not trusted by many Royalists because of his overly hopeful plans. His idea to restart the northern campaign, which Rupert opposed, led to nothing.

King Charles marched north to Doncaster, where he met many Yorkshire gentlemen who promised new recruits. For a moment, things looked good. But two days later, he heard that David Leslie's cavalry was behind him, and Major-General Poyntz's forces were in front. It was impossible to wait for new soldiers. Reluctantly, the King turned back to Oxford, raiding areas on the way.

Bristol Falls

King Charles was not in a position to resume his northern march. Fairfax and the New Model Army, after taking Bridgwater, had gone to clear out the Clubmen in Dorset and besiege Sherborne Castle. After that, they decided to besiege Bristol. On August 23, 1645, while the King's army was still far away, Bristol was surrounded. In this urgent situation, King Charles left Oxford to help Worcester first, believing Rupert could hold out longer in Bristol.

Montrose's victories in Scotland forced Leslie to take his cavalry north to help the Scottish forces there. Without their cavalry to find supplies, Leven's Scottish foot soldiers were more focused on finding food in Worcestershire than on the siege. So, Leven had to retreat without fighting as the Royalists approached Worcester. Worcester was relieved on September 1.

King Charles entered Worcester on September 8. But he found he couldn't get new recruits from South Wales. Worse news came a few hours later. On the night of September 9/10, Fairfax's army stormed Bristol. Rupert had known for a while that further fighting was hopeless. The defenses around Bristol were too large for his small force. On September 10, he surrendered Bristol on agreed terms. He was escorted to Oxford, talking about peace and the future of England with the escorting officers.

King Charles was shocked by this sudden defeat. He removed Rupert from all his positions and ordered him to leave England. He also called on Goring to rejoin his small, disheartened army near Raglan. But before Goring could agree, Charles had again turned north towards Montrose.

A difficult march through the Welsh hills brought the Royal army near Chester on September 22. King Charles entered the city, which was partly surrounded by Parliamentarian forces. The rest of his army tried to attack the Parliamentarian lines from behind. But at that moment, Poyntz's forces, who had been following the King, appeared behind them and defeated them at the Battle of Rowton Heath on September 24. At the same time, the King's troops trying to break out of Chester were pushed back. The Royal army then retreated, and Chester, the only important port connecting Charles with Ireland, was again under siege.

Digby's Northern Journey

King Charles heard about the defeat at Philiphaugh on September 28, 1645. He ordered that the west should be given up, Prince Charles should be sent to France, and Goring should bring any forces he could to the Oxford area. On October 4, King Charles reached Newark. He gave up the idea of going to Montrose for now. He was just waiting for Goring and the Royalist local forces, but they were not reliable. A temporary peace was made between Charles and Rupert, and the court stayed at Newark for over a month. Before they left for Oxford, another Royalist force was destroyed.

On October 14, the King heard that Montrose had raised a new army. He allowed Langdale's northern troops to try again to reach Scotland. Digby was put in command of this mission. Even though he was a civilian and his influence had been bad for army discipline, he led them bravely. His opponent was Poyntz, who had followed the King for a long time. On October 15, Digby surprised Poyntz's foot soldiers at Sherburn. Digby hoped to trap Poyntz's cavalry too.

At first, everything went well, and many rebel groups were defeated. But by a strange mistake, the main Royalist force thought the fleeing Parliamentarian cavalry were their own friends, and believing all was lost, they also fled. So, Digby's cavalry fled as fast as Poyntz's. Poyntz's men, realizing what happened, chased the Royalist cavalry in confusion. Lord Digby was still hopeful and even reached Dumfries in Scotland. But Leven and Leslie were on the border, and this wild adventure soon ended. Digby, with only a few men left, was driven back into Cumberland. On October 24, his army had completely disappeared, and he sailed to the Isle of Man with his officers.

The King's chances of escaping from Newark were getting smaller each day. A big argument between him and Rupert and other officers made things worse. These officers left to ask Parliament for permission to go overseas. The reason for the argument didn't matter much. The main difference was that Rupert and his friends believed peace was necessary, both politically and militarily. Meanwhile, South Wales, except for Raglan Castle, had been taken over by Parliamentarians. Royalist strongholds were falling everywhere. The New Model Army, no longer worried about Goring, split up. Fairfax reduced garrisons in Dorset and Devon, and Cromwell reduced those in Hampshire. Among these was the famous Basing House, which was stormed and burned on October 14. Cromwell, having finished his work, returned to headquarters, and the army spent the winter near Crediton.

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