Wikipedia:Featured topics/Scottish invasion of England (1648)
The Scottish invasion of England started near Carlisle on 8 July 1648. The First English Civil War between Royalist supporters of Charles I and an alliance of Parliamentarian and Scottish forces had ended in 1646 with Charles defeated and imprisoned. The Second English Civil War took place in 1648, beginning with a series of mutinies and Royalist uprisings in England and Wales. The Scots raised an army under the command of James Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton, which marched south to support Charles and the uprisings. It combined with English Royalists and continued along the west coast road some 24,000 strong. Oliver Cromwell concentrated 9,000 Parliamentarians in north Yorkshire and fell on the flank of the much larger Royalist army on 17 August. The Royalists proved no match for the well-trained veterans of the New Model Army and at the battle of Preston Hamilton's army was broken and the survivors, nearly all Scottish, driven south. Two days later, hungry, cold, soaking wet, exhausted and short of dry powder they turned to fight at the battle of Winwick. They were beaten again and all of the surviving Scots surrendered: their infantry the same day, their cavalry on 24 August at Uttoxeter. Winwick was the final battle of the war. In its aftermath Charles was beheaded on 30 January 1649 and England became a republic on 19 May.
