0:00:15 > 0:00:20350 years ago a great battle was fought in the heart of Britain,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25a battle that would shake the British monarchy to its core.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27It would challenge forever
0:00:27 > 0:00:30the belief that the King had a God-given right to rule
0:00:30 > 0:00:32without the consent of his people.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Together with my son, Dan, I'll be revealing how the ferocious clash
0:00:40 > 0:00:45that took place here revolutionised the way Britain was governed.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48On one side - soldiers of the King,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51on the other - men fighting for Parliament.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55The first British army where talent meant more than breeding.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01I'll be following the story of these ordinary men who were shaped into a new kind of fighting force.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06Our officers are on the field because they are good soldiers,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09not because they have been placed there by right of birth.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13A man fights for his conscience, it's better than any King.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18These English fields are seen as the birthplace of British democracy,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21but it was a birth that was drenched in blood.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Bloodshed, right here,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28in 1645, on the battlefield of Naseby.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00In 1629, England was ruled by an uneasy alliance
0:02:00 > 0:02:02between the King and Parliament.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06But the alliance was reaching breaking point.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11At the heart of the problem was a conflict about how much control
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Parliament could or should have over the monarch.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24The King, Charles I - a neat, elegant man -
0:02:24 > 0:02:27believed he had been appointed by God
0:02:27 > 0:02:29to rule as he saw fit,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33that he had the Divine Right of Kings.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Charles had been at loggerheads with the Members of Parliament for years.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41The Puritans amongst them disliked his marriage to a French Catholic
0:02:41 > 0:02:45and his fondness for lavish religious ritual.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Others criticised his choice of political advisers
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and his expensive wars in Europe.
0:02:51 > 0:02:57By 1629, Charles was so sick of Parliament arguing with him
0:02:57 > 0:02:59that he shut it down and ruled alone.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But this left Charles with a problem.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10The King needed MPs to vote him the right to collect key taxes.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15Without Parliament, Charles had to find other ways to get money out of his subjects.
0:03:15 > 0:03:21Loopholes were found in ancient tax laws to squeeze as much cash out of the people as possible.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27Taxpayers were outraged at this abuse and the sidelining of their Parliament.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Many regarded Charles as a tyrant.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33We had nothing, we were bled dry.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36He made demands that were unreasonable.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40He believed only in his divine right to rule
0:03:40 > 0:03:43and then he ignored the will of Parliament.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Charles ruled on his own for 11 years,
0:03:46 > 0:03:52but in 1640 he found himself in need of serious money to finance a war.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Desperate for cash, he swallowed his pride
0:03:56 > 0:04:01and turned to the people who could vote him the money - Parliament.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03The MPs returned to London
0:04:03 > 0:04:07and amongst them was one who would rise from obscurity
0:04:07 > 0:04:10and become the King's most powerful enemy.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Oliver Cromwell.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Oliver Cromwell was stocky, ruddy-faced
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and famously he had warts.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27He was hard-working Puritan gentry...
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Call himself a gentleman, he didn't even look like a gentleman,
0:04:30 > 0:04:35didn't sound like a gentleman. He's a farmer, nothing elegant about him.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40He may only have been a farmer,
0:04:40 > 0:04:45but now Cromwell and his fellow MPs had the King in their power.
0:04:45 > 0:04:51They would give him the money he wanted but only if he agreed to radical reforms.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56At first, Charles accepted their demands,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00but his anger was growing with these upstart MPs,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05then they insisted on a veto over his choice of political advisers.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08This was a drastic challenge to his authority.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12And the King refused to give in.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Over the next six months the crisis deepened.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18No political compromise could be found,
0:05:18 > 0:05:24and it seemed increasingly likely that the power struggle would erupt into a civil war.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32On Monday 22nd August 1642,
0:05:32 > 0:05:38King Charles raised the royal standard. This was a call to arms for his supporters.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45The King of England had declared war on his Parliament.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49As both sides began to raise armies,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53difficult decisions had to be made up and down the country.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Which side would people support?
0:05:55 > 0:06:00Should they back the King and join his cavaliers or support Parliament
0:06:00 > 0:06:02and become known as a roundhead?
0:06:02 > 0:06:08These decisions would set brother against brother and friend against friend.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Within weeks the country was thrown into brutal conflict.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35When the civil war began,
0:06:35 > 0:06:40both sides thought one great battle would decide it, but it didn't.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42It went on and on.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46There was the battle of Edge Hill, the battle of Turnham Green,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48the battle of Hogden Heath,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Bristol Field, Sorton Down, Nantwich,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Adwarton Moor, Lansdown Hill,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Barston Moor and many others.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06The problem was both sides maintained armies
0:07:06 > 0:07:10strong enough to threaten each other but not to deal out the killer blow.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13So the civil war dragged on.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Two years into the conflict, the situation was bleak.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26'44, I'd say it was definitely one of the darkest periods of the war.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29England was in a terrible state.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Families fighting families, brothers fighting brothers.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35How Englishmen could do this to one another...
0:07:37 > 0:07:39The country was weary.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42In fact, after two years of warfare,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45there was still no clear victor.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48The war had divided the country in half, literally.
0:07:48 > 0:07:55The Royalists had their capital here in Oxford and controlled the Midlands, the south-west and Wales.
0:07:55 > 0:08:01Parliament had its capital here in London and controlled the south-east, East Anglia and the North.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Something had to happen to break this stalemate,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07and in the autumn of 1644,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10it looked as if that moment had come.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15A crucial encounter took place near the Berkshire town of Newbury.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Here Parliament was handed a golden opportunity
0:08:25 > 0:08:29to inflict a crushing defeat on the King once and for all.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34It ordered three armies to join together to confront the Royalists.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38The Parliamentarians would have Charles totally outnumbered.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41At last, an end to the civil war was in sight.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49On the evening of the 26th October 1644,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52the two sides met face to face just north of Newbury,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55not far from this castle at Donnington.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58The castle was held by the Royalists,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01commanded by the King in person.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Here's the castle here.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07The Royalists also held strong defensive positions at Shaw House
0:09:07 > 0:09:08and Speen Hill,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12with a total of 9,000 cavalry and infantry.
0:09:12 > 0:09:18The Parliamentarians were massed over here to the east, up on Clay Hill.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21They had the King powerfully outnumbered,
0:09:21 > 0:09:2419,000 men to the King's 9,000 -
0:09:24 > 0:09:27an advantage of more than two to one.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32It was the greatest numerical advantage Parliamentarians had enjoyed since the Civil War began.
0:09:34 > 0:09:40The Royalists stationed around Shaw House were told to strengthen their defences and dig in.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44400 Musketeers were placed in a dry moat around the house,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46another 400 in the gardens there.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48They may have been outnumbered,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50but they'd been on a winning streak
0:09:50 > 0:09:53and they were feeling confident.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56During the last battle we had three positions,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59we were dug in at Shaw House, we had the castle
0:09:59 > 0:10:03and, all right, we were outnumbered,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06but we had one thing - we weren't afraid.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Seeing that the Royalists held strong defensive positions,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14the Parliamentarians, up here on Clay Hill, came up with a bold idea.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19They would exploit their advantage in numbers by splitting their forces
0:10:19 > 0:10:23and by attacking the Royalists from front and rear simultaneously.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Once night fell, two-thirds of the Parliamentarian army
0:10:27 > 0:10:30would march off through the dark in a great arc,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34which would take them round behind Donnington Castle
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and put them here, in the rear of the Royalist line.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Once in position, they would fire a cannon as a signal
0:10:41 > 0:10:44to those over here on the east side
0:10:44 > 0:10:49to start a simultaneous attack on this sector, around Shaw House.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51It was an ambitious and daring plan,
0:10:51 > 0:10:56and among the Parliamentarian commanders in the outflanking party
0:10:56 > 0:11:02was Oliver Cromwell, now a Lieutenant General in the Parliamentarian forces.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Before the war, Cromwell had never fought in a battle,
0:11:05 > 0:11:10but after two years of conflict, he'd proved a gifted cavalry officer.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15As night fell, Cromwell,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19his cavalry and thousands more Parliamentarian soldiers,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21set off on the long march.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59When the troops marched off, half carried muskets weighing 7lb
0:11:59 > 0:12:02and the other half were carrying these -
0:12:02 > 0:12:05very cumbersome, very long spears called pikes.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08They were about 16 to 18 foot long.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13Given that I'm 6' 6" - about a foot taller than the average infantryman in the Civil War -
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I'm finding it difficult to use. I don't know how they managed.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29I've been marching for over an hour tonight,
0:12:29 > 0:12:34but I probably managed a measly three miles, which is a fraction of what they had to.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37The interesting thing about these
0:12:37 > 0:12:40is that night marches must always have been tricky -
0:12:40 > 0:12:43before GPS and infra-red night sights and stuff -
0:12:43 > 0:12:47but with these it's lethal! I've hit trees about four times,
0:12:47 > 0:12:52I've piled it into the ground several times almost killing myself, let alone the guys behind me.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57Just the thought of a whole army of people walking down the road with these is terrifying.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01My shoulder and neck are really stiff, really painful,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04and I can see why they risked such punishment
0:13:04 > 0:13:08by sawing the bottom two or three feet off their pikes.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18The Parliamentarian soldiers marched through most of the night and into the following day.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22By early afternoon the next day,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26the Parliamentarians' great encircling movement was complete.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32They had the King surrounded, and at three o'clock the commander of the troops over on this side
0:13:32 > 0:13:35gave the order for his infantry to attack
0:13:35 > 0:13:39and for a cannon to be fired as a signal to comrades over here.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45The battle of Newbury had started.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12As soon as they made their move,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16those Parliamentarians came under a hail of cannon fire.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28They pushed on and soon infantry was fighting infantry.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16The Royalists put up an impressive defence.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29The Parliamentarians hadn't expected it to be this difficult.
0:15:29 > 0:15:35The Royalists should have been on the point of collapse, outnumbered and threatened from two sides,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39but they weren't collapsing. Something was going wrong.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51The Parliamentarians' plan had relied on a co-ordinated attack on two fronts.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55But whilst the Parliamentarians here were in the thick of it,
0:15:55 > 0:16:00the rest of their army over here on the east had still not made a move.
0:16:00 > 0:16:06It was only after an hour of fighting that they finally received the command to attack.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11The bold plan to trap the King in a simultaneous two-pronged assault had failed.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Soon it was too dark for anyone to see and the battle simply stopped.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28What had seemed a golden opportunity for Parliament had been thrown away.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31It was said their plan for a two-pronged attack failed
0:16:31 > 0:16:35because the cannon signal hadn't been heard on the second front.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Possible, but there was a suspicion amongst some Parliamentarians,
0:16:39 > 0:16:45Cromwell included, that the high command simply wasn't up to the job,
0:16:45 > 0:16:50and in view of what happened later that night, he may have been right.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58The Royalists had fought ferociously to hold off the Parliamentarians,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01but knew they weren't up to another day.
0:17:01 > 0:17:07So that night the entire Royalist army quit Newbury and headed off on the road to Oxford.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Thousands of them would have crossed this bridge in Donnington.
0:17:10 > 0:17:16It was the obvious line of retreat, but no Parliamentarians blocked their path.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20There was nothing to stop the Royalists escaping.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23We got the order to withdraw
0:17:23 > 0:17:25and they let us walk away.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28They gave us no trouble,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31much to my amazement.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35The next day, Cromwell was desperate to give chase,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39but to his fury his request for troops was refused.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Newbury had been a humiliating fiasco.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Cromwell blamed it on vacillating and incompetent leadership.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53He was furious that such a perfect chance to end this destructive war had been squandered.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03Cromwell was now convinced that if Parliament was to win the war
0:18:03 > 0:18:07its army needed new commanders and a radical overhaul.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11So he headed to Westminster to make this happen.
0:18:14 > 0:18:20Throughout the rest of the winter, Cromwell worked to push two new laws through Parliament.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24These laws would revolutionise Parliamentarian forces.
0:18:24 > 0:18:30MPs passed one bill to create the country's first ever national army.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Out would go the loose network of local militias
0:18:34 > 0:18:38and in would come a new force, centrally administered,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40a slick co-ordinated organisation.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46The second bill removed all members of the Commons and the Lords from military command.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51Leadership would now be based on ability, not class.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54The lessons of Newbury had been learned,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58the so-called New Model Army was born.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38Soon, equipment, uniforms and weapons were pouring in. There was a recruitment drive too.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Both old and new soldiers were freshly equipped.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44March on!
0:19:46 > 0:19:50There were thousands of new muskets, pikes, saddles and swords,
0:19:50 > 0:19:55and for the first time a uniform coat, the same for all the infantry.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59To keep costs down they went for the cheapest dye, red.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02The New Model Army were the first redcoats.
0:20:03 > 0:20:09Discipline was very strict. There was to be no swearing, no excess drinking and no plundering.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Any breach of the rules would be dealt with severely.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Should you blaspheme? You'll have a hot spike thrust in your tongue.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Also, if you were to call a fellow Parliamentarian a roundhead,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26then you will be cashiered instantly upon the spot.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29We are a professional fighting army.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33The Royalists, those rogues, are ill-disciplined.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37We will beat them in battle with discipline.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42In the New Model Army, only two things counted to get to the top.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48One was proven ability as a soldier, and the other commitment to Parliament's cause.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54Social standing didn't really matter. For the first time ordinary men could become senior officers.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57One man, Thomas Pryde, had been a drayman before the war.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Another, John Houston, had been a cobbler, and yet both these two
0:21:01 > 0:21:05were now Lieutenant Colonels in the New Model Army.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Myself, I'm just a man of the land, a farmer.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14My men are proud of me and I am proud of them and I am proud to lead them.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19Oliver Cromwell was a driving force in designing the new army.
0:21:19 > 0:21:25Early in the war he had created an outstanding regiment of horsemen known as the Ironsides.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29They were now the core of the New Model Cavalry
0:21:29 > 0:21:33and Cromwell made sure that the key principles, training and discipline,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37that made the Ironsides so formidable,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41were now applied to the entire New Model Army.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Nice!
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Cromwell made his horsemen train relentlessly to perfect the skills
0:21:57 > 0:22:00of disciplined riding and effective use of weapons,
0:22:00 > 0:22:05skills still practised for competitions by the army today.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07He sliced that one in two, I reckon.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- Melon juice.- Almost half and half.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13The army riders have been doing this for years.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18We've only got one day. ..What'll we be able to do by the end of the day?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Right. So I'll get you to sit on a broom handle,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25and we'll put you on motorbikes because you don't ride,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29so you'll ride as pillion, and get you attacking the target.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34And then walk forward, simulation of being on the bike.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38The momentum will take you forward, you'll come to the melon and stop.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44- That's the easy bit.- That's the easy bit. Now, see what we do when we get on the bike.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Time to trade our broom handles for the real thing.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- There you go, Peter.- Yeah.- ..Dan.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- Thank you.- Take your swords.- It's a sharp sword, this.- Very sharp.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57That's why we're careful and do the broom handles to start with,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- you don't want to damage the men. - Absolutely.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04- I'm feeling sorry for those melons, particularly mine.- That's good.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49OK, well, let me take that off you.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Let me take that sword off you, Peter.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- Woo! Right.- And helmet.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Well!
0:23:59 > 0:24:01How did you find that?
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Er, good. At low speeds it's all right,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08but when the speed comes up near a horse, that target just flashes by.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09I don't know how you can hit it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13It becomes second nature. You just go straight into it.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18That's training, day after day. Get the technical side sorted, so in a battle you're aggressive.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21- That's right.- So once again it's momentum that counts?
0:24:21 > 0:24:26If you get the aim right, you'll make a real mess of the person you hit.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30- Just hold that sword.- Yeah. It's a very, very effective weapon.
0:24:36 > 0:24:43From winter to spring 1645, the men of the New Model Army honed their skills.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Their commanders were determined that training and discipline
0:24:46 > 0:24:51would make the New Model into a crack force to crush the Royalists.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03But as the New Model Army began to take shape,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05there was one notable absentee -
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Oliver Cromwell himself.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13The very law that Cromwell had promoted to improve the professionalism of the army,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16the one that blocked MPs from holding command,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19excluded him too from holding command.
0:25:19 > 0:25:25The driving force behind this military revolution had to sit and watch from the sidelines.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I thought it was very foolish.
0:25:27 > 0:25:33I mean, Cromwell was a man amongst men and we believed in him.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36He had proven himself so many times on and off the field.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42It was like we'd thrown away one of our greatest strengths.
0:25:44 > 0:25:50Parliament appointed Sir Thomas Fairfax as overall commander of the new army.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55Fairfax was a battle-hardened soldier, respected by his friends and enemies alike.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58He took to the job with great energy.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Just as well, because with the arrival of Spring
0:26:01 > 0:26:05the start of a new campaigning season was now very close.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Charles had spent the Winter in Oxford.
0:26:20 > 0:26:26The city had been transformed since becoming the Royalist capital.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Teaching work at the university almost ground to a halt.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34This beautiful cloister was the Royalist gunpowder store.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Imagine - one mistake with a match and it'd be blown to smithereens.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Students who had been learning their Plato and Aristotle
0:26:42 > 0:26:45now used these quads as military training grounds.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51As Winter turned to Spring, King Charles must have been aware
0:26:51 > 0:26:54that Parliament was creating a new army.
0:26:54 > 0:27:00But he didn't believe this demanded any changes on his side, except one.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03He appointed his nephew, Prince Rupert,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07as Lieutenant General in charge of all his forces in England.
0:27:09 > 0:27:15Prince Rupert is a fearsome man of immense personal courage.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19I felt that with Prince Rupert in overall command,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23the next season's fighting would be successful.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30The new commander was not the only thing Royalists felt they had in their favour.
0:27:30 > 0:27:37Many also had a very low opinion of Parliament's so-called New Model Army.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41I heard that one officer was nothing more than a brewer's drayman,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43another a shoemaker.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48With officers like these,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50I feel very confident.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53We didn't think we had any reason to feel scared.
0:27:53 > 0:27:58The Parliamentarian commander, Fairfax, was confident too.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04By the end of April the New Model Army was far better drilled, equipped and organised
0:28:04 > 0:28:07than the army that had been humiliated at Newbury.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Now Fairfax wanted just one thing,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13to find and defeat the King.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36By early May, Charles and the Royalists were also on the march - heading North.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Everyone was in buoyant mood.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43The King himself wrote to his wife that things had never looked so good.
0:28:43 > 0:28:49Perhaps Charles was being over-confident because he'd just made an extraordinary decision.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54Against the advice of his new commander, Prince Rupert, he divided his army.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57He sent off 3,000 cavalry to the west country,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00where he believed the New Model Army were heading.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03And he and Prince Rupert had taken the rest of his army North
0:29:03 > 0:29:07to relieve garrisons and gather reinforcements.
0:29:07 > 0:29:14Little did he know Charles was within days of the battle that would decide his fate.
0:29:34 > 0:29:42Charles, Rupert and the Royalist army arrived here in the town of Market Harborough in June 1645.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46At this stage, they had no clear idea where the New Model Army was.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50In fact, Fairfax and his Roundheads were hard on their heels -
0:29:50 > 0:29:55they were just 15 miles away, and in very good cheer.
0:29:55 > 0:30:00That same morning they'd had some excellent news.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06At 6am, the New Model Army were preparing for the day ahead,
0:30:06 > 0:30:12saddling their horses and packing up their kit, when they saw Oliver Cromwell galloping into camp.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16The news spread fast. Parliament must have realised its mistake
0:30:16 > 0:30:21in excluding one of its most talented and popular officers.
0:30:21 > 0:30:27'Cromwell was now in charge of the New Model Cavalry, with the rank of Lieutenant General of Horse.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30The men greeted his arrival with a huge cheer.
0:30:30 > 0:30:36That was a beautiful sight. We believe now we have God on our side with the general,
0:30:36 > 0:30:39and we must surely win.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46The New Model Army was spoiling for a fight.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Soon, word reached the Royalists that the enemy was close by.
0:30:49 > 0:30:55The moment he received the news, Charles called a council of war here in Market Harborough.
0:30:55 > 0:31:02And the outcome - rather than march on north, they would turn around and confront the Parliamentarians.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Some, like Prince Rupert, had urged caution,
0:31:05 > 0:31:11but Charles was convinced that he had an army of veterans who could see off the untested New Model Army.
0:31:13 > 0:31:19In the next 24 hours, the most decisive battle of this protracted civil war would be played out,
0:31:19 > 0:31:27and the battlefield? A hilly area between Market Harborough and Naseby, six miles to the south-west.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44Early on the morning of Saturday 14th June, 1645,
0:31:44 > 0:31:49at 6am, the Royalists moved South out of Market Harborough
0:31:49 > 0:31:54and formed a battle line along that high ground about three miles away over there.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57This is that ridge just here.
0:31:57 > 0:32:03The King and Prince Rupert positioned their forces all the way along that ridge.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Now, this piece of high ground here, where I'm standing now,
0:32:06 > 0:32:10is where Cromwell and Fairfax rode up to, to look at the lie of the land.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15They'd moved their New Model Army up here, just slightly north of the village of Naseby,
0:32:15 > 0:32:17which is just off down there.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22They could clearly see the Royalists fanning out on that other ridge over there,
0:32:22 > 0:32:26so they were in no doubt the King and his men wanted to do battle.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28But there was one snag.
0:32:28 > 0:32:35The trouble was, the New Model Army's position was too good, and actually made a battle less likely.
0:32:35 > 0:32:41The slope in front of them was so steep it would be suicide for enemy cavalry to charge up it.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Fine for defence, but not if you wanted to provoke an attack,
0:32:45 > 0:32:49and that was exactly what Cromwell wanted to do.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52So he said to Fairfax, "I beseech you,
0:32:52 > 0:32:57"draw back to yonder hill which will encourage the enemy to charge us."
0:32:57 > 0:33:02And so they agreed to shunt their entire battle line sideways,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04to some more gentle ground to the west.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08The Royalists followed the lead,
0:33:08 > 0:33:13also eager to bring the conflict to a head.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32Both sides now began to assemble on either side of the valley
0:33:32 > 0:33:35that was to become the battlefield of Naseby.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49By 10am, the two armies had moved to their new positions -
0:33:49 > 0:33:54the Royalists all along that slope over there, the Parliamentarians up there.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00That Royalist ridge over there is just here.
0:34:00 > 0:34:06The two sides were on opposite slopes facing each other, with 800 metres of flat ground between them.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11The two battle lines were about a mile wide from end to end.
0:34:11 > 0:34:16Estimates varied, but the king had roughly 4,500 infantry
0:34:16 > 0:34:18in three lines in the centre.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22The king himself, dressed in full plate armour,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25was back here with his reserves in the third line.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28On the flanks, the Royalists cavalry.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Around 10,000 Royalists altogether.
0:34:31 > 0:34:37Against them, around 13,500 men of the New Model Army.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Their cavalry were also split into two wings.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Their right wing was commanded by Oliver Cromwell.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48In the centre, here, were the infantry.
0:34:48 > 0:34:54Neither side had a great battle plan. Both thought they would win in a straight contest, a head-on clash.
0:34:54 > 0:35:00It was on strategy, the strength, courage and discipline that would decide the battle.
0:35:00 > 0:35:05The New Model Infantrymen began to form up here, on this slope.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09Then came an order from Fairfax - they were to move back over the crest of this hill,
0:35:09 > 0:35:13so that the Royalist infantry over there wouldn't be able to see them.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17This may have been to disguise their strength and their numbers,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20but it also meant that any raw recruits amongst them
0:35:20 > 0:35:25wouldn't be intimidated by the terrifying sight of their enemy.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32Just before the battle began, Cromwell spotted another opportunity.
0:35:32 > 0:35:39In those days, all this was open land except for long hedgerow here.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Cromwell saw that these hedges could provide perfect cover,
0:35:43 > 0:35:49so he sent an attachment of dragoons - soldiers who travelled on horseback but fought on foot -
0:35:49 > 0:35:54led by Colonel Oakey, up behind the hedges to a spot right up here,
0:35:54 > 0:35:59yards away from where Prince Rupert's horsemen were preparing to advance.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09We galloped there, which took the edge off my nerve
0:36:09 > 0:36:12and, er, we positioned ourselves as we were told.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21Oakey's men rode up here, dismounted, and then took cover behind these hedges.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25From this vantage point, they could see the Royalist cavalry,
0:36:28 > 0:36:32preparing for a charge. The dragoons loaded their weapons,
0:36:32 > 0:36:36and through the hedge they unleashed a hail of musket fire.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38MUSKET FIRE
0:36:43 > 0:36:48Shots came from nowhere, and the horses just went,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50had no choice.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Some of our men were hit.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57We had to keep moving. The rebels were firing from behind hedges.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03The battle of Naseby had begun.
0:37:16 > 0:37:22Startled by the surprise attack, 2,500 horses of the Royalist cavalry
0:37:22 > 0:37:27charged in waves, three men deep, swords drawn.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31The left wing of the New Model Cavalry, facing them, moved forward to meet them.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49They all seemed to move at once.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52It sounded like thunder.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Swords drawn, charging off.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26Then we were in the thick of it. It was all a blur,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29you can't remember details - you just keep at it.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37The Parliamentarian cavalry did well in the initial flash,
0:38:37 > 0:38:42but as reserves piled in on both sides, the Royalists got the upper hand.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49We were just too good for them. Swordplay, everything - too strong.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53The rebels just turned and fled.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57They turned and ran like cowards, and we chased them.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16Most of the New Model Horsemen were chased off this battlefield by the Prince's cavalry.
0:39:16 > 0:39:22In fact, some of them kept going and didn't stop till they reached Northampton, 15 miles away.
0:39:22 > 0:39:29The Royalist cavalry galloped off in pursuit, until they discovered the Roundhead baggage train.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Unable to resist the temptation,
0:39:31 > 0:39:36many of them didn't return to the battle, but got stuck in a tussle for booty.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Our charge was a complete success. It was an exhilarating time,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45and then to be faced with all that plunder...
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Well, I defy any man to ignore it.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52The cavalry charge over there was a disaster for the Parliamentarians.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57Half their supposedly disciplined force of horsemen had disappeared from the field altogether,
0:39:57 > 0:40:02and by now the Royalist infantry had begun their advance straight up here.
0:40:05 > 0:40:11They tramped forward in tight formation, five regiments in a line half a mile wide.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25We got the order to advance, the drum sounded,
0:40:25 > 0:40:27and we began to march to the beat.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31Muskets loaded, ready to fire.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34VOICE BARKS ORDERS
0:40:37 > 0:40:39We moved up the hill,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43and we still couldn't see them.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54We knew they were there, we knew they weren't far away.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57But we didn't know what we were going to walk into.
0:40:57 > 0:41:03These men were hardened veterans, but they would have had dry mouths and pounding hearts.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06It must have been unnerving, knowing the New Model Army
0:41:06 > 0:41:10was ready and waiting, but just out of sight over the brow of the hill.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23We were just behind a hill,
0:41:23 > 0:41:28which meant the Royalists could not see us, but it also meant that we could not see the Royalists.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32And we were all of us nervous, old hands and new recruits alike.
0:41:49 > 0:41:56Suddenly, Parliamentarians moved to the crest of the hill into full view of the advancing Royalists.
0:42:07 > 0:42:12They came into view over the slope and they were so close! We had no idea they were that close.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19I looked down and there was the enemy, closer than I had imagined.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Both sides fired.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32Up to half of the New Model Infantry were new recruits,
0:42:32 > 0:42:36and when they found themselves face to face with the Royalists,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39much of what they'd learnt in training seemed to melt away.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Many failed to grip their muskets tightly enough.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54When they fired, the shot passed over the head of the Royalists.
0:42:59 > 0:43:04After the initial round of fire, everything seemed to go silent for a moment.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06It seemed like forever.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11You lived those minutes like days,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14but I hadn't been hit.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21I thought, by God's hand, this day was my last.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24But somehow, by His grace,
0:43:24 > 0:43:26I was still standing.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32With the gap between the two sides fast closing,
0:43:32 > 0:43:36there was no time for reloading of muskets,
0:43:36 > 0:43:38and so they fought hand to hand.
0:43:42 > 0:43:48The musketeers grabbed their weapons by the barrels and used the butt to club people to the ground.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52We went straight in there - turn your musket round and crack a few skulls.
0:43:52 > 0:43:59The pikemen threw away their long pikes and lashed out with their swords instead.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02There was a great roar from both sides
0:44:02 > 0:44:04and I began to run without thinking.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37All about was chaos.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40A bloody mess.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Blood.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47Mud, screaming -
0:44:48 > 0:44:52enough to turn a heathen to God, that's for sure.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14After half an hour of this furious infantry battle,
0:45:14 > 0:45:20so successful was Royalist pressure that parts of the Parliamentarian line were fragmenting.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24Fairfax's regiment here was still standing its ground,
0:45:24 > 0:45:28but to his left men were running for their lives.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32The fiercest battle of all was fought by Skipman's regiment, here.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36They fought valiantly. But eventually, they were pressed back.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40Despite its new commanders, recruits and training,
0:45:40 > 0:45:44the New Model Army's first line looked close to collapse.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53Half our cavalry had left the field.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55God knows where they went.
0:45:55 > 0:46:01And our infantry were being hard-pressed.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04It seemed to me that we were breaking.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10As the Parliamentarian infantry fought for survival in the centre over there,
0:46:10 > 0:46:14Oliver Cromwell and the rest of the Parliamentarian cavalry
0:46:14 > 0:46:19were right here where I'm standing, looking on helplessly.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24This is where Cromwell was, over here on Parliament's right wing.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28Cromwell would have liked to come to the rescue of the infantry
0:46:28 > 0:46:31to his left, over here, but he now had to deal with a bigger threat.
0:46:31 > 0:46:38He and his horsemen had to face the rest of the king's cavalry about to attack him from this slope over here.
0:46:38 > 0:46:44Prince Rupert's first cavalry charge over on the other side had destroyed the Parliamentarian left.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48Now Parliament's centre was being beaten back as well.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51So if Cromwell failed to fight off the King's cavalry
0:46:51 > 0:46:57over here on the right, the battle of Naseby would be as good as lost.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03The Royalist horsemen started to charge.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Cromwell ordered his men to charge to meet them.
0:47:06 > 0:47:12The fate of Parliament's army now depended on Cromwell and his Ironsides.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37The cavalry battle that followed was savage.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40The Royalist horsemen fought hard,
0:47:40 > 0:47:45but eventually the New Model Army's discipline and training began to pay off.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50We rode in at their line and took them straight.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53That was hard, that was hand to hand.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57My men held their line, my men went through their line,
0:47:57 > 0:48:01and this time it was them Royalists that turned and fled.
0:48:01 > 0:48:07For the first time in the battle, Parliament had the edge.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Maybe the King could have regained the advantage now -
0:48:13 > 0:48:16if he had introduced his reserve,
0:48:16 > 0:48:21they MIGHT have overpowered the Ironsides and won the day. But he did not.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25Soon, the Royalist cavalry were fleeing back over the hill there.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30Suddenly, it was Cromwell and the New Model Army who had the golden opportunity.
0:48:34 > 0:48:39As the Royalist cavalry turned and galloped off in utter confusion,
0:48:39 > 0:48:43Cromwell allowed only part of his force to chase them away.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51With the cool judgment that Prince Rupert had lacked,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Cromwell held back most of his cavalry,
0:48:54 > 0:48:59wheeled them to the left and fell upon the Royalist infantry in the centre.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19We turned our men on horse and we went back to their infantry.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22That was exciting. That was exhilarating, we were proud.
0:49:22 > 0:49:28And it seemed then that with God on our side we would surely have victory.
0:49:41 > 0:49:46Cromwell's cavalry had turned the battle in Parliament's favour.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50Now the Royalist infantry were at their mercy.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53What really went wrong for us?
0:49:53 > 0:49:58As the Roundhead cavalry, we were in no shape to defend ourselves.
0:50:00 > 0:50:05There's nothing you can do against the horses, kicking and slashing through with their swords,
0:50:05 > 0:50:07and men were falling like flies.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13To make matters worse, the Parliamentarian infantry,
0:50:13 > 0:50:17who had seemed to be on the brink of collapse, were now strengthened.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Some of these reinforcements were from the reserves.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31Others were men who had fled from the battle
0:50:31 > 0:50:35but were now being sent back into the fray by their commanders.
0:50:41 > 0:50:46Those men whose firing had started the whole battle, Colonel Oakey's dragoons,
0:50:46 > 0:50:50were so inspired by what they saw, they came out from behind the hedges and charged.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56Dragoons - well, we'd never done cavalry charges before.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58We was all fired up,
0:50:58 > 0:51:00we all wanted to be part of it,
0:51:00 > 0:51:04and so we did. We rode and we fought.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15And it wasn't long before the combined Parliamentarian pressure
0:51:15 > 0:51:18of the reinvigorated infantry in the centre,
0:51:18 > 0:51:22Cromwell's rampaging horsemen over here on the right,
0:51:22 > 0:51:26and the daredevil dragoons coming in on the left
0:51:26 > 0:51:32began to break the Royalists' line and turn the king's infantry regiments into flight.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34All except one, just here.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56Not all regiments broke.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59One regiment stood -
0:51:59 > 0:52:02the Bluecoats.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06They were there at the storming of Bolton and Liverpool,
0:52:06 > 0:52:09and at York.
0:52:09 > 0:52:10They were notorious.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13There was only the Bluecoats left -
0:52:14 > 0:52:18one regiment against the whole rebel army.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29'Ready!
0:52:31 > 0:52:33'Set!
0:52:35 > 0:52:37'Fire!'
0:52:37 > 0:52:41As other troops surrendered or fled, the Bluecoats stood firm.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44They were like a wall of brass,
0:52:44 > 0:52:48thrusting their pikes at attacking horses and firing volley after volley.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55The New Model Cavalry charged once and then again, but to no avail.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58The Bluecoats held their ground.
0:53:15 > 0:53:21The odds were massively against them, but the Bluecoats refused to surrender.
0:53:37 > 0:53:43More and more New Model Army troops set upon them with sword, pike and musket butts.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46The cavalry hammered them from front and rear.
0:53:58 > 0:54:03I could see them - they were standing strong and they held on and they held on
0:54:03 > 0:54:07and they were withstanding wave upon wave of attack.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18I knew they couldn't last forever.
0:54:18 > 0:54:23But as they held on and held on, I began to think that they might.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27But the New Model Army relentlessly pursued its assault,
0:54:27 > 0:54:30pouring fire into the ranks of blue.
0:54:32 > 0:54:38Faced with overwhelming force, the Bluecoats finally broke, and they were cut to pieces.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47We stood and watched them all being slaughtered.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51And I cried.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58The Royalists were in retreat.
0:54:58 > 0:55:05But then Charles, who seems to have been strangely inert throughout the battle, had a sudden burst of zeal.
0:55:05 > 0:55:09Even though he MUST have known the battle was now certainly lost,
0:55:09 > 0:55:11surveying the scene here before him,
0:55:11 > 0:55:17Charles tried to rally men for one final cavalry charge against the pursuing enemy.
0:55:17 > 0:55:22But someone, described by the council at the time as a person of quality,
0:55:22 > 0:55:24seized the King's bridle,
0:55:24 > 0:55:28swore at him and exclaimed, "Would you go upon your death?"
0:55:28 > 0:55:32Charles, always swayed by the last person to speak to him,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35heeded the warning, and fled.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42The King may have escaped but his men weren't so lucky.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46A group thought they were on the main road, but when they got here,
0:55:46 > 0:55:48they realised it was a dead end.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51When the Roundheads caught up with them, there was carnage.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55This field is still known today as Slaughterford Field.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59But wherever the Royalists ended up, they fared little better.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Thousands were taken prisoner.
0:56:01 > 0:56:08The Royalist army was cut down at its knees, and with it went the Royalist cause.
0:56:10 > 0:56:16Naseby was not the last battle of the Civil War, but it was the beginning of the end.
0:56:16 > 0:56:21The destruction of Charles' infantry on this battlefield was decisive.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25The King would never lead such an experienced army again.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32Don't know what the future holds.
0:56:34 > 0:56:39I never thought we... would be defeated like this.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42Why do they want a country without a king?
0:56:43 > 0:56:46What would that be like?
0:56:46 > 0:56:51I hope the King sees reason now. He listens to the will of Parliament.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55That is my hope,
0:56:55 > 0:56:57but...
0:56:57 > 0:57:00I think it might be too late for that.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07The King did not make peace with Parliament.
0:57:07 > 0:57:12He tried to fight on, but it was futile.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16Within a year, Parliament had triumphed and Charles was a prisoner.
0:57:16 > 0:57:22In 1649, he was tried for treason here, in Westminster Hall,
0:57:22 > 0:57:25condemned to death and beheaded.
0:57:25 > 0:57:30The country became a republic, with Oliver Cromwell as its head of state.
0:57:30 > 0:57:36The monarchy was eventually restored, but the Civil War had changed Britain forever.
0:57:36 > 0:57:42Parliament had entrenched itself at the heart of the constitution.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46King Charles I had aimed at absolute power.
0:57:46 > 0:57:52After Naseby, no other British monarch would dare do that again.
0:58:15 > 0:58:18Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd