Editing Battle of Naseby (section)

===Action===

The Royalist centre attacked first, with Rupert keeping his own wing of cavalry in hand so that the horse and foot could hit the enemy simultaneously.{{sfn|Young|Holmes|2000|p=246}} Skippon's infantry moved forward over the crest of the ridge to meet the Royalist foot. There was time for only one volley of musketry before both sides were fighting hand-to-hand, the veteran Royalist infantry using their swords and the butt ends of their muskets. Sir [[Edward Walker (officer of arms)|Edward Walker]], Charles's secretary of war, stated "The Foot on either side hardly saw each other until they were within [[Carabine]] Shot, and so made only one Volley; our falling in with Sword and butt end of the Musquet did notable Execution, so much as I saw their Colours fall and their Foot in great Disorder."{{sic}}{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=90}} Skippon was wounded by a bullet which splintered his armour and struck him under the ribs, although he stayed on the field to prevent panic from spreading. Even so, the Parliamentarians were hard-pressed and forced back.

On the Parliamentarian left, the opposing wings of horse paused briefly to dress ranks before charging into each other.{{sfn|Rogers| 1968|p=237}} [[Henry Ireton]]'s own regiment repulsed their Royalist opposite numbers, but Ireton then led at least part of them to the aid of the beleaguered Parliamentarian infantry. His troopers were driven off by Royalist pikemen, and Ireton himself was unhorsed, wounded in the leg and face and taken prisoner.{{sfn|Rogers| 1968|p=238}} At the same time, the second line of Royalist cavalry broke most of the Parliamentarian horsemen. Some of Ireton's regiments, on the far left, were saved from destruction by the fire from Okey's dragoons, but the others broke and fled, some of them not stopping until they reached [[Northampton]], {{convert|15|mi|km}} away. The entire Royalist right wing had been committed to defeating Ireton, and none were left in reserve.{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=209}} Rupert either neglected or was unable to rally the cavalier horsemen, who galloped off the battlefield in pursuit of the fleeing Parliamentarians.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentarian right wing of horse under Cromwell and the Royalist Northern Horse faced each other, neither willing to charge to the aid of their infantry while the other could threaten their flank. Eventually, after half an hour, the Royalist cavalry began to charge and Cromwell's troops moved to meet them. Langdale's men were not only outflanked and outnumbered two to one, but forced to charge up a slope broken up by bushes and a rabbit warren. After a brief contest, they were routed.{{sfn|Young|Holmes|2000|p=247}}

[[File:Battle of Naseby.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|Battle of Naseby, hand-coloured copper engraving by Dupuis after Parrocel, 1727 (for Rapins History, v.2, p.&nbsp;527)]]

Unlike Rupert, Cromwell had roughly half of his wing uncommitted, as only the front line of Cromwell's wing had taken part in the defeat of Langdale. He sent only four divisions (roughly two regiments) after Langdale, and turned his reserves against the left flank and rear of the Royalist centre.{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=209}} At about the same time, Okey's dragoons mounted their horses and charged from the Sulby Hedges against the right wing of the Royalist infantry, as did some of Ireton's regiments which had partly rallied.

Some of the trapped Royalist infantry began to throw down their arms and call for quarter; others tried to conduct a fighting retreat. One regiment, apparently Rupert's "Bluecoats", stood their ground and repulsed all attacks. One eyewitness said "The Blue regiment of the Kings stood to it very stoutly, and stirred not, like a wall of brasse...".{{sic}}{{sfn|Foard|1995|p=271|ps=: From ''The Kingdomes Weekly Intelligencer'', 10–17 June}} Eventually, Fairfax led his own regiment of foot and horse against them, breaking their resistance, with Fairfax reportedly capturing their standard himself.{{sfn|Young|Holmes|2000|p=248}} Archaeological evidence, chiefly recovered musket balls, suggests this episode took place in the vicinity of Long Hold Spinney, about {{convert|1|km|mi}} behind the original Royalist positions.{{sfn|The Battle of Naseby, the Formal Phase, 10am to about Noon}}

At some stage, the King attempted to lead his lifeguard of horse to the rescue of his centre or in a counter-attack against Cromwell's troopers, but was prevented from doing so by a Scottish nobleman, the [[Robert Dalzell, 1st Earl of Carnwath|Earl of Carnwath]], who seized his bridle and said, "Would you go upon your death, Sire?" Seeing the King swerve away from the enemy, his lifeguard also retreated in disorder for several hundred yards.{{sfn|Young|Holmes|2000|p=247}} Meanwhile, Rupert's cavalry had reached Naseby and the Parliamentarian baggage, whose escort refused to surrender and drove them off. Although Rupert rallied his men and returned to the battlefield, it was now too late to save the remnants of their infantry, and he could not induce his cavalry to make another charge. Fairfax halted and reorganised his lines, and when he resumed his advance, the Royalist cavalry withdrew.{{sfn|Rogers|1968|p=239}}

Fairfax's forces pursued survivors fleeing north towards Leicester. Archaeological evidence suggests fugitives and Royalist baggage guards tried to rally on the slopes of Castle Yard (also known as Wadborough Hill), a wooded hill with the ruins of a motte and bailey castle, about {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} behind the original battle line.{{sfn|The Battle of Naseby, the Formal Phase, 10am to about Noon}} Many Royalists were slaughtered when they mistakenly followed what they thought was the main road to Leicester into the [[churchyard]] in the village of [[Marston Trussell]], and were unable to escape their pursuers. In the aftermath of the battle, Parliamentarian troops reportedly killed at least 100 female [[camp followers]] and mutilated many others.{{Sfn|Hughes|2011|p=41}} This was supposedly done in the belief they were [[Irish people|Irish]], though the women were probably [[Welsh people|Welsh]] whose language was mistaken for Irish.{{sfn|Wedgwood|1958|p=428}}