Opposing him was the altogether less glamorous commander of the Parliamentary force, the Earl of Essex. While his father had been the toast of Elizabeth's court - until he got his head cut off for treason - Essex was a dull man.
His joie de vivre was not helped by being publicly accused of impotence by his wife, of having to accept another man's child as his own, and an array of other Court humiliations.
He had tried to banish these ghosts through some vigorous combat on the continent during the Thirty Years War. Though he had not distinguished himself, he was dutiful, loyal and had a passing knowledge of military manoeuvres. Pym, the strategic mastermind, trusted him and placed Essex in charge of the Parliamentary army.
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