William
Waller was born in about 1597. He was elected to the House
of Commons in 1640 and represented Andover in Hampshire. He soon
emerged as one of the leading critics of Charles
I.
On
the outbreak of the Civil
War Waller
joined the Parliamentary army and served under Robert
Devereux,
Earl of Essex. He fought at Edgehill
(1642)
and as commander of his own army he had a series of military triumphs
in the south-west that obtained him the nickname "William the
Conqueror". However, his reputation was damaged by a defeat at
Roundway Down on
13th July, 1643.
In February 1645, Parliament
decided to form a new army of professional soldiers and amalgamated
the three armies of Waller, Earl
of Essex and
Earl
of Manchester
into the New
Model Army. Its commander-in-chief was General Thomas
Fairfax, while Oliver Cromwell
was put in charge of its cavalry.
In April
1645 Waller was forced to resign from the army. He was ousted from
the House
of Commons by
the Pride's
Purge and
was imprisoned for three years (1648-51). He was arrested again in
1659 and accused of plotting the return of Charles
II.
On the
Restoration
Waller became
a member of the Convention Parliament. Sir William Waller died in
1668.
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