A large number of the nobility
in England joined the king's army. At that time, upper-class men were
trained at a young age to ride horses. This meant that Charles had
the advantage of having a very good cavalry. Parliament's soldiers
gave them the nickname Cavaliers (Spanish horseman called cavalieros
had been responsible for killing Protestants in Europe).
The king's nephew, Prince
Rupert, was put in charge of the cavalry. Although Rupert was
only twenty-three he already had a lot of experience fighting in the
Dutch army. Prince Rupert introduced a new cavalry tactic that he
had learnt fighting in Sweden. This involved charging full speed at
the enemy. The horses were kept close together and just before impact
the men fired their pistols.
Drawing from a pamphlet,
The Cruel
Practices of Prince Rupert (1643)
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