On 2 July 1644, the Battle of Marston Moor was fought in northern England between the Royalists under Prince Rupert of the Rhine and the Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax during the English Civil War.
Why did it happen?
The English Civil War began in 1642 after Charles I, who believed in the king’s 'divine right' to rule, attempted to arrest leading members of Parliament who opposed his support of Catholicism. By 1644, the war was going badly for the Royalists (followers of Charles I) in northern England with Royalist forces under Marquis of Newcastle being driven back to York where they were besieged by the Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax. On 1 July 1644, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, the nephew of Charles I, led a relief army to break the siege of York, and met the Parliamentarian army in battle six kilometres west of York at Marston Moor. Throughout the morning of 2 July, reinforcements from both sides arrived on the battlefield awaiting to fight the largest battle of the war.
Who was involved?
The Royalist army at Marston Moor consisted of 11,000 infantry, 7,000 cavalry and 20 artillery. The left-wing was commanded by Lord Goring and Charles Lucas with 3,700 cavalry. The centre consisted of 10,500 pikemen and 20 artillery under the command of Lord Eythin with 700 cavalry in reserve under Prince Rupert. Finally, on the right-wing were positioned 2,600 cavalry and 500 musketeers under Lord Byron. The Parliamentarian army at Marston Moor consisted of 19,000 infantry, 8,000 cavalry and 30 artillery. The left-wing was under the command of Oliver Cromwell who led 5,000 cavalry and 1,500 musketeers. In the centre were positioned 17,500 pikemen and 30 artillery under the Earl of Manchester and the right-wing consisting of 3,000 cavalry under Sir Thomas Fairfax himself.
What happened?
At 2 pm on 2 July, with reinforcements still arriving on the battlefield, both the Royalist and Parliamentarian artillery opened fire upon each other’s forces with neither side making a decisive move. Five hours later at 7.30 pm, the Parliamentarians took advantage of a thunderstorm to make a general advance against the Royalist army. Under Oliver Cromwell, the Parliamentarian left-wing charged the Royalist right wing, scattering the cavalry and musketeers stationed there. As the Parliamentarian right-wing advanced, the cavalry on the Royalist left wing charged and routed the Parliamentarian cavalry under Thomas Fairfax. The Royalist cavalry then charged the exposed flank of the Parliamentarian pikemen in the centre, which caused the Earl of Manchester to flee the battle. Meanwhile, after repulsing a counterattack by Prince Rupert, Oliver Cromwell led the Parliamentary left wing around to attack the Royalist infantry in the rear, thereby relieving the beleaguered Parliamentarian centre. After regrouping, the Parliamentarian pikemen in the centre attacked the Royalist centre, where some Royalist pikemen made a final stand while their commanders and fellow soldiers retreated, having suffered 4,150 casualties as opposed to the Parliamentarian’s 2,000 killed.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Marston Moor was a decisive victory for the Parliamentarians. Not only did the Royalists lose control of northern England and most of their northern army, but they were also permanently driven onto the defensive by the Parliamentarians and their allies, the Scots. In 1645, Charles was defeated again at the Battle of Naseby which was the first victory of the Parliament's ‘New Model Army’ of professional soldiers. As stated by Geoffrey Regan, “Until 1644 the king could still envisage a victory in the war, but after Marston Moor it was only a matter of time before he lost his throne – and eventually his life” (Regan, 2002, p.113). In 1649, Charles was captured, put on trial, and executed by Oliver Cromwell, who declared England a commonwealth and ruled the country until his death in 1658, after which the monarchy was restored in 1660 under Charles II.
Bibliography
David, Saul. War: The Definitive Visual History. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2009.
Grant, R.G. Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5,000 Years of Combat. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2005.
Mackenzie, John. “Battle of Marston Moor.” British Battles. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.britishbattles.com/english-civil-war/battle-of-marston-moor/
Regan, Geoffrey. Battles That Changed History: Fifty Decisive Battles Spanning Over 2,500 Years of Warfare. London, Andre Deutsch, 2002.
Young, Peter. Marston Moor 1644: The Campaign and the Battle. Moreton-in-Marsh, The Windrush Press, 1998.