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GCSE History · key term
Parliament’s national army, established in 1645, rather than an army tied to a particular region or locality.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Paper 2
The centralised Parliamentarian army formed in 1645, led by Thomas Fairfax, which became both an effective fighting force and a powerful political force.
Revise: Divine Right and AuthorityIn 1645, Parliament created the New Model Army, replacing a fragmented approach with a centralised national force.
Paper 1
The permanent army established by Parliament in 1645 to fight across the country rather than being tied to one locality.
Revise: The Nature of WarfareBy the end, the New Model Army’s balance had reversed to roughly two musketeers for each pikeman. Pikemen were vulnerable to enemy musket fire, so increasing the number of musketeers strengthened an army’s firepower. However, pikes remained useful: their decline was not immediate disappearance.
The national army established by Parliament in February 1645, with central organisation, paid soldiers and standardised training.
Paper 2, Paper 3
Parliament’s centrally organised army, formed in 1645 with paid soldiers, regular training and a unified command.
Revise: The Nature and Impact of the British Civil WarsParliament reorganised its forces into the New Model Army in 1645, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax, with Oliver Cromwell as a leading cavalry commander. Paid soldiers, training and a unified command made it more effective than poorly coordinated separate armies. Its victory at Naseby in June 1645 destroyed much of Charles’s main army and helped secure Parliament’s victory.
The reorganised Parliamentarian army formed in 1645, which became an increasingly powerful political force after the First Civil War.
For the standing army, distinguish Parliament’s New Model Army of 1645 from Charles II’s small permanent professional force after the Restoration in 1660.
Do not describe the New Model Army as entirely voluntary. It included experienced volunteers and impressed infantrymen.
Use precise roles: Fairfax was the New Model Army’s first commander-in-chief; Cromwell commanded its cavalry.
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