Fairfax commanded the New Model Army at Naseby in June 1645, the battle that effectively ended Charles I's ability to field a serious fighting force. What the coin's series title glosses over is the awkward historical fact that Fairfax himself opposed the king's trial and execution in 1649, refusing to attend the proceedings and resigning his command shortly after rather than serve the new republic unconditionally. Jersey, which had remained a Royalist stronghold throughout the Civil War, is perhaps an unlikely issuer for a coin honoring the man most responsible for defeating the Crown's armies.
Fairfax commanded the New Model Army at Naseby in June 1645, the battle that effectively ended Charles I's ability to field a serious fighting force. What the coin's series title glosses over is the awkward historical fact that Fairfax himself opposed the king's trial and execution in 1649, refusing to attend the proceedings and resigning his command shortly after rather than serve the new republic unconditionally. Jersey, which had remained a Royalist stronghold throughout the Civil War, is perhaps an unlikely issuer for a coin honoring the man most responsible for defeating the Crown's armies.