The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution

by Ian Gentles

The definitive account of the superior fighting force that powered the English Revolution

The New Model Army was one of the most formidable fighting forces ever assembled. Formed in 1645, it was crucial in overthrowing the monarchy and propelling one of its most brilliant generals, Oliver Cromwell, to power during the English Revolution. Paradoxically, it was also instrumental in restoring the king in 1660. But the true nature of this army has long been debated.
 
In this authoritative history, Ian Gentles examines the full scope of the New Model Army. As a fighting force it engineered regicide, pioneered innovative military tactics, and helped to keep Cromwell in power as Lord Protector until his death. All the while, those within its ranks promoted radical political ideas inspired by the Levellers and held dissenting religious beliefs. Gentles explores how brilliant battlefield maneuvering and logistical prowess contributed to its victories—and demonstrates the vital role religion played in building morale and military effectiveness.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, English Civil War

400 pages, Hardcover

Published April 19, 2022

About the author

Dr. Ian Gentles is Professor of History at Tyndale University College in Toronto, Ontario. He received his BA and MA from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D from University of London, England. He specializes in British history from 1500-1800 and early Christian history. Apart from authoring four books, such as: Oliver Cromwell: God’s Warrior and the English Revolution (2011). He is also the Research Director of the De Veber Institute of Bioethics and has published on topics such as abortion and euthanasia. As well, he is a member of the Royal Historical Society.

Reviews

[Suzanne McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel very torn about this new Gentles book. It genuinely is a mostly excellent narrative overview of the NMA, and it is really good to have this taken up to 1660, but the losses for historians in comparison to his first volume are huge. As he points out in the Preface, this has turned out to be a different kind of book from the first, and for the field I think it is a much lesser one. I hope that the earlier volume stays in print. The new one really is only an overview. The highly detailed work in the first book remains extremely important, and the loss of it here, to make room for the later material, means that this book is a vastly inferior resource for historians.

I can see that the sweeping summaries that have replaced the details probably also make for a better narrative flow for a more popular audience, but I do wonder how many non-specialists are going to read a book like this...? Plus, compressing the earlier book has led to material that is misleading / nonsensical at times, and some errors have crept in along the way. We’re left with both a major loss of detail, and some details that are incorrect. Definitely verify the sources if you use the new book for your research - or just go back to the old one :) Otherwise, if you’re not careful you could end up with e.g. the wrong Lords on committees, or the wrong people in Harrison’s bed :)

My respect for Fairfax means I’m also sensitive to how some cuts have undermined the balance struck in the first book between Fairfax and Cromwell. We’ve lost some important material for conveying Fairfax’s character and leadership, and how that shaped the early years of the NMA.

For me, Gentles’s account of the later history of the NMA is not worth all the losses. The new material from 1653 onwards lacks precisely the kind of detail which made the first volume so valuable on the earlier years. (And BTW, there is almost nothing new on 1645-53. Just a few paragraphs here and there).

So, I don't think this new book should be regarded as the ‘definitive’ account of the NMA, and I think it would actually set the field back if it became the new academic go-to volume. Without question his first book remains the gold-standard account of the NMA for the period with which it deals.

[Stephen Ede-Borrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

You cannot argue with Gentles' knowledge of the subject but as a "second or revised edition" of the New Model Army this goes from an in-depth analysis to a general overview. Basically Gentles is trying to cover too much ground in too few pages.

As a general overview of the period this is superb but it would have been better as two volumes. so don't sell your "first edition" but buy this as well but in comparison it IS a disappointment.