The Battle of Marston Moor: Why so important?
My new book, Marston Moor, is about.... wait for it... yep - you've guessed it... the battle of Marston Moor.
Now I would argue, of course, that the story is much more than that. Historically speaking, it's retells the events leading up to the fight. Prince Rupert's York March, the Army of Both Kingdoms' siege of York and, finally, the battle itself. Not to mention the human tales that turn a history book into a novel.
But there's no getting away from it. In this one book, the battle is the star. So I figured I'd at least explain why the 2nd July 1644 is so important.
Don't worry - I won't give the fictitious side of the novel away. You'll have to read the thing if you want to find out what happens to the characters we've been tracking since Traitor's Blood. But there's no point avoiding what really happened on that pivotal day...
Firstly, Marston Moor was the second largest battle ever fought on English soil (only Flodden Field is thought to have involved more troops). The Royalists were technically underdogs, possessing 10,000 fewer troops than the Parliamentarian-Scots alliance against which they fought, but they were led by Prince Rupert of the Rhine, one of the most talented (and feared) generals in the king’s service. Moreover, Rupert’s tactical genius had seen him outmanoeuvre his opponents during the preceding days, wrong-footing their vastly superior force to relieve the city of York and free up the Marquis of Newcastle’s army, hitherto trapped within, to join his own.
The battle itself lasted around two hours, and, though the Royalists initially gained significant success (all three commanders of the allied Army of Both Kingdoms fled the field, believing defeat imminent) they were ultimately defeated in dramatic fashion.
The Parliamentarian right wing horse was destroyed in the first throws, very nearly leading to the collapse of the rest of the allied battle line, but their left wing, led by one Oliver Cromwell, prevailed against the opposing cavalry (including Rupert’s own fearsome cavalry regiment) and was able to roll over the Royalist infantry in the centre and take the field.
At a stroke, the fate of York was sealed, and control of the North passed to Parliament and its Scottish allies. The hitherto powerful Royalist Northern army was destroyed, the reputation of both Prince Rupert and his famed cavalry was in tatters, and the whole momentum of the war swung in favour of the rebels. Crucially, the victory made a name for Oliver Cromwell, and proved that a well-trained, organised, and religiously committed Parliamentarian army could more than match anything King Charles put in the field, heralding the dawn of the New Model Army, which would later sweep all before it.
The argument as to which battle of the English Civil Wars was most important will never reach conclusion. Was it Edgehill, for beginning it all, or Naseby, for the New Model’s crushing victory, or Worcester, the final engagement of a conflict that cost more in British life than any other? But Marston Moor was the moment when the Royalists understood they might actually lose. The moment the Parliamentarians realised that they could genuinely win. It was the turning of the tide.
Now I would argue, of course, that the story is much more than that. Historically speaking, it's retells the events leading up to the fight. Prince Rupert's York March, the Army of Both Kingdoms' siege of York and, finally, the battle itself. Not to mention the human tales that turn a history book into a novel.
But there's no getting away from it. In this one book, the battle is the star. So I figured I'd at least explain why the 2nd July 1644 is so important.
Don't worry - I won't give the fictitious side of the novel away. You'll have to read the thing if you want to find out what happens to the characters we've been tracking since Traitor's Blood. But there's no point avoiding what really happened on that pivotal day...
Firstly, Marston Moor was the second largest battle ever fought on English soil (only Flodden Field is thought to have involved more troops). The Royalists were technically underdogs, possessing 10,000 fewer troops than the Parliamentarian-Scots alliance against which they fought, but they were led by Prince Rupert of the Rhine, one of the most talented (and feared) generals in the king’s service. Moreover, Rupert’s tactical genius had seen him outmanoeuvre his opponents during the preceding days, wrong-footing their vastly superior force to relieve the city of York and free up the Marquis of Newcastle’s army, hitherto trapped within, to join his own.
The battle itself lasted around two hours, and, though the Royalists initially gained significant success (all three commanders of the allied Army of Both Kingdoms fled the field, believing defeat imminent) they were ultimately defeated in dramatic fashion.
The Parliamentarian right wing horse was destroyed in the first throws, very nearly leading to the collapse of the rest of the allied battle line, but their left wing, led by one Oliver Cromwell, prevailed against the opposing cavalry (including Rupert’s own fearsome cavalry regiment) and was able to roll over the Royalist infantry in the centre and take the field.
At a stroke, the fate of York was sealed, and control of the North passed to Parliament and its Scottish allies. The hitherto powerful Royalist Northern army was destroyed, the reputation of both Prince Rupert and his famed cavalry was in tatters, and the whole momentum of the war swung in favour of the rebels. Crucially, the victory made a name for Oliver Cromwell, and proved that a well-trained, organised, and religiously committed Parliamentarian army could more than match anything King Charles put in the field, heralding the dawn of the New Model Army, which would later sweep all before it.
The argument as to which battle of the English Civil Wars was most important will never reach conclusion. Was it Edgehill, for beginning it all, or Naseby, for the New Model’s crushing victory, or Worcester, the final engagement of a conflict that cost more in British life than any other? But Marston Moor was the moment when the Royalists understood they might actually lose. The moment the Parliamentarians realised that they could genuinely win. It was the turning of the tide.
No comments have been added yet.
