1644 proved to be a pivotal year in the military history of the civil wars.
While at the end of 1643 Royalist forces were predominant over much of England and Wales. the situation was about to change dramatically. Intervention by a Scottish army shifted the balance of power in favour of Parliament and in the north of England which until now had been strongly Royalist, from July Parliamentary forces gained total dominance after a decisive and bloody victory at Marston Moor and the subsequent occupation of the King’s northern capital at York.
But their success did not extend to the Midlands and South. Here the failure of Parliamentary forces to advance highlighted the urgent need for Parliament to restructure its military organisation and leadership. The eventual result would be the formation of the New Model Army and the emergence of Oliver Cromwell as the dominant military figure of the age.
In this landmark series of specially commissioned programmes for The World Turned Upside Down, distinguished historian, Peter Gaunt, Professor of History at the University of Chester explains how these events in 1644 changed the outcome of the conflict and made the civil wars truly “British” rather than simply “English”.
