The Battle of Naseby took place on June 14, 1645, during the
English Civil Wars. This battle between the Parliament, led by
Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax, and the Royalists, led
by Prince Rupert of the Palatinate, tipped the balance against
the King. The Parliamentary New Model Army had been pursuing the
Royalists, who had left Oxford and stormed Leicester on May 30.
A mile north of Naseby (about 20 miles or 32 km south of
Leicester) the two armies met. Although outnumbered 14,000 to
nearly 10,000, they attacked all along the line that the two
armies were deployed along (along parallel ridges between which
lay a valley known as Broad Moor). Prince Rupert successfully
drove back the left wing of the Parliamentary cavalry and
pursued them, leaving the center line of the royalist infantry
vulnerable. When the more disciplined Parliamentary cavalry
regrouped and delivered a decisive assault, the Royalist army
suffered a complete defeat, losing 4000 prisoners and their
artillery. With the loss of his best