Ironsides
The Ironsides were the members of the light cavalry force that was set up by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War and fought on the side of Parliament against the royalists . The term iron sides , more aptly the iron hard for these arquebusier riders , goes back to a nickname Cromwell (Old Ironsides) .
prehistory
At the beginning of the civil war in 1642, the parliament's armed forces suffered several defeats by the troops of King Charles I. Cromwell attributed this largely to her poor leadership. After the defeat at Edgehill , he wrote to a colleague in the House of Commons :
“What we need are new regiments. The reason our troops didn't hold out is because they lacked fighting spirit. You have to bring together people of fiery zeal, of a zeal that goes to the last, or you will be beaten again and again - of that I am certain. "
Line-up and special features of the troops
In 1643 Cromwell set about building up a riding troop of such people himself. Firstly, it was well trained and equipped, and secondly, it consisted almost entirely of devout Puritans , men who fought for their cause out of conviction, not for money. Thirdly, the officer positions were filled solely on the basis of merit and ability. For example, even simple craftsmen could rise to command.
Cromwell also spoke to Parliament about this:
“I beg you to be careful who you make cavalry captains. Select decent men and decent men will follow them. "
The Ironsides were soon known for their discipline - including towards the civilian population - and thanks to their fighting power they quickly became indispensable as an elite force for Parliament.
Victories in civil war
The "godly party", as Cromwell described his troops, made a decisive contribution to the first major victory of the parliamentary army over the royalist army under Prince Ruprecht of the Palatinate on their first important mission, the Battle of Marston Moor on July 2, 1644 . In his report to the House of Commons, Cromwell wrote:
“We chased the entire prince's cavalry off the battlefield. God made them stubble under our swords in the cornfield. Then we took their regiments on foot with our cavalry and rode to shame everything that came in our way. "
A victorious military man, Cromwell, who until then had played no special role in the Civil War, was now a key figure in the conflict.
After the commander-in-chief of the parliamentary army, the Earl of Manchester, wasted the opportunities that had arisen after Marston Moor in the following months, Cromwell's influence in the House of Commons was already so great that he was able to enforce Manchester's recall. In addition, he pushed through a parliamentary resolution to create the New Model Army , a new type of army that was formed in the spring of 1645 on the model of his cavalry force.
As early as June 14, 1645, the New Model Army under Thomas Fairfax inflicted the final military defeat in the civil war on the royalists in the battle of Naseby . Parliament also owed this victory to a large extent to the work of the Ironsides.
After the civil war
When, after the execution of Charles I in 1649, his son, later Charles II , wanted to recapture the throne with the help of a Scottish army, the Ironsides under Cromwell also defeated these troops in 1650 at Dunbar and in 1651 at Worcester .
literature
- Peter de Mendelssohn: Conscience and Power. In: The Birth of Parliament. Munich 1983.