What was the New Model Army and how was it different to earlier armies? The New Model Army was created by Parliament in February 1645. This army was a military force based on a person’s ability rather than position in society. One of the leading officers in the New Model Army had been a butcher. This removal of social obstacle meant that the New Model Army was open to new ideas as social class meant nothing. It was a force based mainly on lightly armed cavalry. These cavalry soldiers wore thick leather jerkins for protection as full plated armours would slow down their horses.
The horses were the key to the success of the New Model Army as their attacks were based on speed, so they could surprise the enemy. The New Model Army also meant a change in tactics they now decided to attack from the sides- to avoid artillery and muskets, which were hard to handle. Why did Charles I move out of Oxford just prior to the Battle of Naseby? In May 1645 Parliaments army besiege Oxford (the King’s wartime capital). Initially, Charles welcomed this move as the army would not be able to interfere with his move north.
Then at the end of May he was told that Oxford was short of provisions and that it could not hold out long. So on the 31st of May, just before (2 weeks) the Battle of Naseby, Charles left Oxford. Royalists stormed the Parliamentary garrison at Leicester to distract Fairfax who was controlling the army. After this Charles’ army marched south to relieve Oxford. Why did Parliament’s army win the Battle of Naseby? Parliament won the battle because they outnumbered the Royalists by 19,000 to 9,000. Parliamentarians walked all the way around the royalists to attack the other half of the land.
This took the royalists by surprise and they were not completely prepared. Oliver Cromwell devised a plan to outsmart the royalists. He placed the New Model Army on a slant hill so the Royalists failed because if they came up it would be suicidal. He also hid another quarter of the army in the bushes, next to Prince Rupert’s army; Cromwell’s model army fired at them from the bushes which took them by surprise, now most of the army had been knocked of their horses so Parliament had the advantage.
