Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (born January 17, 1612 in Denton , Yorkshire , † November 12, 1671 in Nunappleton ) was general and Commander-in-Chief of the Parliamentary Army , the New Model Army , during the English Civil War .

Life

Fairfax was the son of Troop Leader Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron . Although the family held a Peerage of Scotland title, they were based in England .

Fairfax studied at Cambridge , then volunteered in Holland and was appointed General of the Horse by Parliament when the Civil War broke out. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Marston Moor , in which he himself was badly wounded and his brother Charles was killed.

In 1645 he was appointed commanding general of the newly formed parliamentary army. Soon Oliver Cromwell , who was assigned to him as Lieutenant General and who, with his troop of horsemen, the Ironsides , contributed significantly to the victories of the New Model Army, had a great influence on him. After the victory at the Battle of Naseby (June 14, 1645), Fairfax subjugated all of England west of London, besieged Leicester , forced the heavily occupied Oxford to surrender and then received the thanks of Parliament in London.

He met his opponent, King Charles I of England, whom the Scottish Army surrendered to him against payment of £ 400,000 , with great respect. In 1648, after the death of his father, he inherited the title of Lord Fairfax of Cameron, which he had held until then . After the king escaped and resumed the fight, Fairfax and his troops successfully besieged Colchester while Cromwell defeated the Scots. Fairfax supported Cromwell's purge of Parliament and was appointed chairman of the court that was to judge the king. However, when he discovered that the aim of the trial was the execution of the king, he no longer took up his position. After the death of Charles I appointed commander of the troops in England and Ireland, he gave up his post in 1650 before the start of the campaign against the Scots, whereupon Cromwell took his place. He received an annual pension of £ 5,000 and retired to his estate.

In 1660, Fairfax was a member of Parliament for Yorkshire that resolved to restore the monarchy and headed the delegation that brought Charles II back from exile in Holland. After the dissolution of this parliament at the end of the year, he finally retired to his estates, where he died on February 12, 1671.

family

Fairfax married Anne de Vere, daughter of Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury , in 1637 . The couple had a daughter who later married George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham . The title fell to his cousin Henry when Fairfax died .

Works

Fairfax left behind other writings "Memoirs" (London 1699). Johnson (London 1848–1849, 4 vols.) Published his correspondence.

• George W. Johnson and Robert Bell: The Fairfax Correspondence: Memoirs of the Reign of Charles the First. 4 volumes. R. Bentley, London 1848-1849

literature

• Clements Markham : Life of the great Lord Fairfax, commander-in-chief of the Army of the Parliament of England. Macmillan, London 1870

predecessor	Office	successor
Ferdinando Fairfax	Lord Fairfax of Cameron 1648-1671	Henry Fairfax