Battle of Worcester

The Battle of Worcester was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Scottish forces of Charles II on September 3, 1651 at Worcester, England.

Related Topics:
English Civil War - Oliver Cromwell - Parliamentarian - Scottish - Charles II - September 3 - 1651 - Worcester, England

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The King was aided by Scottish allies and was attempting to regain the throne that had been lost when his father died. The commander of the Scots, Sir David Leslie, supported the plan of fighting in Scotland, where royal support was strongest. Charles, however, insisted on making war in England.

Related Topics:
Sir David Leslie - Scotland - England

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The King entered the city on August 23, where he rested his troops and replenished supplies. Cromwell divided his men into two groups. He began to besiege the city then failed to cross the Severn from the south. He also tried to attack by boat but again failed. He constructed a bridge and pushed back the royal army that then fled. Charles started on a counterattack. This pushed Cromwell back across his bridge, but after three hours of fighting the royalists were pushed back into Worcester. The city was surrounded and Charles fled. During his flight, in one famous incident, he hid from a Parliamentarian patrol in an oak tree in the grounds of Boscobel House. He eventually reached France and sought refuge there.

Related Topics:
August 23 - Oak tree - Boscobel House - France

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In the aftermath of the battle, eight thousand of Charles' men were captured, and were exported by Cromwell to the West Indies to work on plantations.

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It is possible that Cromwell's forces outnumbered that of the Royalists two to one.

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After the battle, Cromwell returned to Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire; one of the parliamentarian strongholds and close to the seat of his late cousin; the civil war hero John Hampden. He stayed at the aptly named King's Head Inn, Aylesbury and it was here that he recieved the thanks of parliament for his final defeat of the royalists.

Related Topics:
Aylesbury - Buckinghamshire - Parliamentarian - John Hampden - King's Head Inn, Aylesbury

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