Editing Prince Rupert of the Rhine (section)

===Later stages, 1644–1646===
[[File:Van Dyck, Sir Anthony - George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|[[George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol|George Digby]], by Sir Anthony Van Dyck; although a less successful soldier, Digby was an increasingly powerful political rival to Rupert within the Royalist court during the second half of the [[English Civil War]]|alt=A side-on portrait of George Digby, wearing a voluminous satin cloak and sporting a wispy ginger moustache.]]

During the second half of the war, political opposition within the Royalist senior leadership against Prince Rupert continued to grow. His personality during the war had made him both friends and enemies. He enjoyed a "frank and generous disposition", showed a "quickness of... intellect", was prepared to face grave dangers, and could be thorough and patient when necessary.<ref name="auto">Wedgwood, pp. 148–149.</ref> However, Prince Rupert lacked the social gifts of a [[courtier]], and his humour could turn into a "sardonic wit and a contemptuous manner": with a hasty temper, he was too quick to say whom he respected and whom he disliked.<ref name="auto"/> The result was that, while he could inspire great loyalty in some, especially with his men, he also made many enemies at the Royal court.<ref>Wedgwood, p. 149.</ref> When Prince Rupert [[Siege of Bristol (1643)|took Bristol]], he also slighted the [[William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset|Marquess of Hertford]], the lethargic but politically significant Royalist leader of the South-West.<ref>Wedgwood, pp. 219–220.</ref> Most critically, he fell out with [[George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol|George Digby]], a favourite of both the King and the Queen. Digby was a classic courtier and Rupert fell to arguing with him repeatedly in meetings.<ref>Spencer, p. 134.</ref> The result was that towards the end of the war Prince Rupert's position at court was increasingly undermined by his enemies.

Rupert continued to impress militarily. By 1644, now the [[Duke of Cumberland]] and [[Earl of Holderness]], he led the relief of [[Newark, England|Newark]], as well as [[York]] and its [[York Castle|castle]]. Having marched north, [[Storming of Bolton|taking Bolton]] and [[Liverpool]] along the way in two bloody assaults,<ref>Wedgwood, p.313; Spencer, p. 118.</ref> Rupert then intervened in Yorkshire in two highly effective manoeuvres, in the first outwitting the enemy forces at Newark with speed; in the second, striking across country and approaching York from the north.<ref>Wedgwood, p. 313.</ref> Rupert then commanded much of the royalist army at its defeat at [[Marston Moor]], with much of the blame falling on the poor working relationship between Rupert and the [[Marquess of Newcastle]],<ref>Wedgwood, p. 315.</ref> and orders from the King that wrongly conveyed a desperate need for a speedy success in the north.<ref>Spencer, p. 117.</ref>

In November 1644, Rupert was appointed general of the entire Royalist army, which increased already marked tensions between him and a number of the King's councillors. By May 1645, and now desperately short of supplies,<ref>Spencer, p. 148.</ref> Rupert captured [[Leicester]], but suffered a severe reversal at the [[Battle of Naseby]] a month later.<ref>Wedgwood, p.422.</ref> Although Rupert had counselled the King against accepting battle at Naseby, the opinions of Digby had won the day in council: nonetheless, Rupert's defeat damaged him, rather than Digby, politically.<ref>Wedgwood, pp. 422–423.</ref> After Naseby, Rupert regarded the Royalist cause as lost, and urged Charles to conclude a peace with Parliament. Charles, still supported by an optimistic Digby, believed he could win the war. By late summer, Prince Rupert had become [[Siege of Bristol (1645)|trapped in Bristol]] by Parliamentary forces. Faced with an impossible military situation on the ground, Rupert [[Royal Fort#History|surrendered Bristol]] in September 1645, and Charles dismissed him from his service and command.<ref>Spencer, p. 160.</ref>

Rupert responded by making his way across Parliamentary held territory to the King at [[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]] with Prince Maurice and around a hundred men, fighting their way through smaller enemy units and evading larger ones.<ref name="Wedgwood, p.471">Wedgwood, p.471.</ref> King Charles attempted to order Rupert to desist, fearing an armed coup, but Rupert arrived at the royal court anyway.<ref name="Wedgwood, p.471"/> After a difficult meeting, Rupert convinced the King to hold a [[court-martial]] over his conduct at Bristol, which exonerated him and Maurice.<ref name="Wedgwood, p.472">Wedgwood, p. 472.</ref> After a final argument over the fate of his friend [[Richard Willis, 1st Baronet|Richard Willis]], the governor of Newark, who had let Rupert into the royal court to begin with, Rupert resigned and left the service of King Charles, along with most of his best cavalry officers.<ref>Wedgwood, p. 473.</ref> Earlier interpretations of this event focused on Rupert's concern for his honour in the face of his initial dismissal by the King;<ref name="Wedgwood, p.472"/> later works have highlighted the practical importance of the courts martial to Rupert's future employability as a mercenary in Europe, given that Rupert knew that the war by this point was effectively lost.<ref>Spencer, p1.69.</ref> Rupert and Maurice spent the winter of 1645 in [[Woodstock, Oxfordshire|Woodstock]], examining options for employment under the [[Republic of Venice]], before returning to Oxford and the King in 1646.<ref>Spencer, p. 173.</ref> Rupert and the King were reconciled, the Prince remaining to defend Oxford when the King left for the north. After the ensuing [[Siege of Oxford|siege and surrender of Oxford]] in 1646, Parliament banished both Rupert and his brother from England.<ref>Spencer, pp. 176–177.</ref>