This fascinating engraving by John Sturt details the Battle of Naseby, one of the major battles of the First English Civil War (1642-46). Waged in the countryside of Northamptonshire on June 14, 1645, the battle pitted Charles I's Royalist Army against the New Model Army of Parliament, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and his deputy, Oliver Cromwell. The New Model Army decisively defeated the outnumbered Royalist Army, killing approximately 1,000 of the king's men and capturing some 4,500 foot soldiers. During the battle, the Parliamentarian force seized the king's correspondence and published his letters as The King's Cabinet Opened. The letters revealed his attempts to garner support from the Irish Catholic Confederation and other Catholic nations on the continent, a leak which led to a windfall of support to the cause of the New Model Army. The engraving depicts the battlefield with intricately detailed accounts of troop positions. The village of Naseby appears at bottom with a windmill and cabin shown on its perimeter. Based on a drawing by Robert Streater, Serjeant Painter to King Charles II.

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Condition: B+

A nice impression issued folding on watermarked paper with a couple light dampstains at top, light soiling, and two short edge tears along the top. The upper margin has been trimmed close to the neatline.