Battle of Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was one of the decisive battles of the English Civil War. It took place on July 2, 1644. The battle resulted in a Parliamentarian victory, and meant that, effectively, the North of England was in their control.
| Battle of Marston Moor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dates of battle | July 2, 1644 | |
| Conflict | English Civil War | |
| Battle before | ||
| Battle after | ||
| Site of battle | near Long Marston, 11km west of York | |
| Combatant 1 | Parliament | |
| led by | Alexander Leslie, Earl of Leven | |
| Forces | 27,000 men | |
| Combatant 2 | Royalists | |
| led by | Prince Rupert | |
| Forces | 7000 infantry, 7000 cavalry | |
| result | decisive Parliamentary victory | |
Prelude
The royalist position in North England was precarious by early Summer 1644. The last major royalist stronghold, York, was under siege from Leven and Edward Montague.
Prince Rupert decided to relieve York and marched North. Cavalry officer Oliver Cromwell, responsible for patrolling the area, reported Ruperts approach to Montague, who together with Leven marched south to intercept Rupert. But Rupert evaded them, and found a small cavalry detachment under Sir Thomas Fairfax at Marston Moore. Fairfax recalled his superiors. Rupert called the Duke of Newcastle out of York for the upcoming battle.
Description
Parliamentary froces were in the south, with their infantry under Leven and Manchester in the center. Their cavalry was on the flanks, with Fairfax, Cromwell and Sir David Leslie in command.
Royalist forces occupied the moor, also with the infantry in the center and cavalry under Goring and Byron on the flanks. Rupert commanded the reserve cavalry in the rear.
At about 6 pm, Leven ordered an advance, and Cromwell succeeded to rout the Royalist cavalry under Byron, assisted by Leslie when Rupert came in to support Byron. On the other flank, Goring routed Fairfax, and most of Gorings horse pursued them. The rest of Gorings horse assaulted the Parliament infantry, till Cromwell arrived to chase them off and assisted Manchester to take on the royalist infantry. The royalist whitecoats bravely refused to surrender and were killed.
Aftermatch
In this battle Rupert lost his reputation of invincibility, and Cromwells reputation as a cavalry commander was made.
With their major force destroyed, York fell on July 16, and the Royalists lost their influence in Northern England.