He was the first commander-in-chief of England’s New Model Army.
James II
Sir Thomas Fairfax
Oliver Cromwell
Prince Rupert
Sir Thomas Fairfax was given the command of the New Model Army by the Committee of Both Kingdoms Jan. 6, 1645. The New Model Army, with the help of Oliver Cromwell’s religious discipline, defeated Charles I by 1651. Cromwell’s popularity and military might then allowed him to establish a Puritan Parliament with himself as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth.