There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free.

Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app.

As a member of NoisorPlus at noisor.com or in Apple Podcasts,

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com.

Music It's the morning of June 14, 1645, in a valley in Northamptonshire, England.

Sitting on horseback on the crest of a ridge, 46-year-old Oliver Cromwell stares down the slope at a battle

unfolding below. Thousands of cavalry are formed up around him, their horses snorting and pawing

at the ground with impatience. Cromwell grips his sword tight. He's waiting for the right

moment to give the command and send his men down the hill to join the battle.

It's three years into a brutal civil war.

The conflict between King Charles I and the English Parliament has torn the country apart.

Charles believes that as king, he is appointed by God

and should wield absolute power over his subjects.

But the parliamentarians believe

that the English people should

have some say over how they are governed. The course of the war has ebbed back and forth, but today

the main armies of each side are meeting in battle. And for the commander of the parliamentary

cavalry, Oliver Cromwell, it's an opportunity to strike a decisive blow against the royalists. From his position on the ridge, Cromwell. It's an opportunity to strike a decisive blow against the royalists.

From his position on the ridge, Cromwell sees that the royalist infantry has over-extended itself.

It's pushing the parliamentary infantry back, but that has left its flank exposed. These conditions

are perfect for a cavalry charge.

Cromwell shouts out his orders, and all has won, his well-drilled cavalry surges forward.

...