1638 people began to sign the covenant in their thousands in support of their own prayer book. Charles had lost the support of the Scottish forever. Up until 1643 Parliament had been merely fending off the king but now decided to up the offensive. Along with the creation of the New Model Army, Parliament also dealt with Scotland. In promising that they would convert England into a Presbyterian church, they secured Scottish military help which would prove crucial at the battle of Marston Moor. The king’s loss of this battle would effectively lose him the north of England. Parliament had indeed found itself a useful ally. The Scottish army had previously resided in the north of England that had placed a heavy burden on Charles that he could not overcome through military means. And with this alliance the royalist forces were fighting not just Parliament and the New Model Army, but also the Scots as well. It was to prove an uphill struggle, soon to be in vain.It is taken for granted that Parliament won the civil war. It could also be said however, that the King lost the war for a number of reasons. The territorial possessions of both Parliament and the king were vastly different. Parliament had its disposal a great deal of the major ports and London. It was because of this that they always had a larger base of manpower to draw upon for soldiers than the king. They also had far stronger finance than the King. Arguably the biggest reason for the consequence of the war was that of each sides objectives. Parliament was fighting to defend its gains whereas the king was mostly trying to regain his losses which proves far less fruitful. The king could also be questioned as a leader, often believed to have poorer strategies than that of Parliament. For example, at the Battle of Naseby he ordered his troops to march uphill against superior forces, ultimately resulting in defeat. He made the mistake to underestimate the New M...
