Question: who lead the roundheads in the english civil war
Answer: The Roundhead commander - in - chief of the first Civil War , Thomas Fairfax , remained a supporter of constitutional monarchy , as did many other Roundhead leaders such as Edward Montagu , 2nd Earl of Manchester and Robert Devereux , 3rd Earl of Essex ; however , this party was outmanoeuvred by the more politically - adept Cromwell and his radicals , who had the backing of the New Model Army and took advantage of Charles ' perceived betrayal of England by allying with the Scottish against Parliament .