Why Did King Charles I lose the English Civil War?
1.) The king was chronically short of money- He had to send his wife Henrietta Maria to Europe to pawn the crown jewels and beg other monarchs for gifts/loans. Parliament had controlled taxes and before the civil war and enjoyed a significant financial advantage. 2.) The King’s forces lacked the truly professional discipline that developed amongst the Parliamentarian forces- i.e Cromwell’s Iron Sides and the infantry of the New Model Army. The kings troops were mostly either aristocratic cavalry or infantry recruited from the poor farmers and miners of Wales and Cornwall. They lacked the training, equipment and discipline to stand against a determined and extremely well drilled enemy. 3.) The King was no great general and he lacked experienced officers. Prince Rupert, the king’s nephew, was a brave but fairly mediocre commander and he could not stand against Cromwell. 4.) Popular support for Charles in London, the center of Economic and Political life in England was almost non existent
