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By the mid-1640s, the British Isles had descended into total war. With the alliance between Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters, and the pact between King Charles and the Irish Confederate forces, soldiers from England, Ireland and Scotland fought each other across the three kingdoms. In Scotland, Charles's ally, the Earl of Montrose, led a brilliant guerilla campaign against the Covenanters - it became known as the 'Year of Miracles'.

In England, Oliver Cromwell emerged from this maelstrom as a great military genius. Though not the official commander of the Parliamentary army, as its Cavalry Commander, Cromwell won a string of remarkable victories. It was at Marston Moor in 1644 that Cromwell's leadership of men first became apparent. As weaker souls fled the field, Cromwell's charges, backed up by a reserve of Scottish cavalry, saved the day, and from Marston Moor onwards he proved to be an unbeatable tactician and an inspired organiser.

It was Cromwell's determination to win the war which led to the creation of the New Model Army - a professional army in which the troops were regularly paid, promoted on merit and properly trained. Above all, they were inspired by a religious zeal to beat the Cavaliers, a Christian army determined to cleanse the stain of popery from England. At the battle of Naseby, they demonstrated their ferocious power and utter commitment to the cause.

The rise of religious militants in the army frightened the Parliamentary old guard, the men who had first taken the initiative against the Crown in the early 1640s. As elements in the army became increasingly radicalised more conservative figures such as Essex and the leaders of the Scottish Covenanters became alarmed, fearing social anarchy and religious chaos. The growing tensions between the radical Independents in the army and the more moderate Presbyterians in Parliament and the Covenanter camp threatened to undermine the Roundhead-Covenanter alliance.

Charles sought to take advantage of these divisions for this own ends. Throughout the war, he was convinced that he would ultimately regain his monarchical powers- all he had to do was to exploit his opponents' divisions and make the best deal possible. Sensing the growing tensions within the Parliamentary side, in May 1646, Charles gave himself up to the Scottish Covenanters at Southwell in the hope of furthering these splits. It was a catastrophic decision, and he would never know freedom again.