What was the New Model Army?
The New Model Army was a force raised by Parliament in 1645 during the Civil Wars. Although other armies had earlier been recruited for the defence or conquest of a specific part of the country, soldiers of the New Model Army could expect to serve anywhere in the British Isles, including in Scotland and Ireland. Attempts were made to ensure that this new army was properly supplied and that its soldiers were paid regularly.
This army first fought in 1645 under Sir Thomas Fairfax. Oliver Cromwell was appointed Fairfax’s second-in-command and commander of the army’s cavalry. On 14 June 1645, the New Model Army won a crushing victory over the army of Charles I at Naseby in Northamptonshire, and by mid-1646 the Royalists had been defeated completely.
