Why did parliamentarians win the english civil war?
The Cavalier side was not as disciplined or well trained as the parliamentarian army, and most Cavalier generals were so because of nobility, not skill, and were often useless. Also, the parliamentarian army had many powerful supporters, and were popular among peasants. But the royalists had some advantages, such as money, more men, and more defensive settlements,and a lot of people would have been loyal to the king.But after the Parliamentarians created the New Model army, it became almost one sided.
Some good points have been made – especially that the New Model under Fairfax initiated the English tradition of disciplined infantry well-trained in musketry which has been so successful ever since. However, no-one has made the vital point that the Parliament represented the moneyed class, and so could easily arm and equip its forces. The Royalists were down to selling the Queen’s jewels to buy powder. Jewels are expensive, but not enough, by themselves, to fight a war lasting years. Wars are fought not only in the field, but in the banks and offices of the business world. Money not only talks – it fights as well.
