ABSTRACT
Despite Thomas Fairfax's notable achievements as battlefield commander, humility features almost as prominently in contemporary representations of the general as does his valour and fame. Andrew Marvell observed that Fairfax 'did [... ] Ambition weed, [and] conscience till'. 1 George Villiers claimed that 'Had any spied him talking in a room / With some of those whom he had overcome [ ... ] They would have sworn he had the vanquish'd been'. 2 Such praise is more remarkable given the rise of Fairfax's reputation through the 1640s, which made him a household name in England. 3 The extent of Fairfax's success was so great that many contemporaries considered him within reach of the crown after Charles I's execution. 4 However, the regicide also marked the beginning of the trajectory that has defined Fairfax's modern reputation: 'one of the ironies of English history is that the man who as much as anyone was responsible for the ruin of Charles I was the same man who played an essential part in restoring that king's son to the throne. 5 That Fairfax resigned from his position as general not long after leading the Parliament's army to victory, and later came to support the cause of Charles II, invites questions about the circumstances of his changing political views between the 'ruin' of 1649 and 1660.
