Historica Wiki
Advertisement
Robert Dalzell, 1st Earl of Carnwath

Robert Dalzell, 1st Earl of Carnwath (1611-21 June 1654) was a Scottish Royalist general during the English Civil War. He most notably saved the life of King Charles I of England at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

Biography[]

Robert Dalzell was born in Scotland in 1611, and he succeeded to his father's lordship in 1636 and was appointed to the Privy Council of Scotland in 1638. In 1639, he was named Earl of Carnwath by King Charles I of England, and, on 25 February 1645, the Scottish Estates sentenced him to death for betraying them to the King, whom he had sided with during the English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, he prevented King Charles and his lifeguards from riding out to rally the faltering Royalist forces, hoping to save his life; however, upon seeing the King turn around, much of his army routed. Carnwath was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and imprisoned in the Tower of London, and he died in 1654.

Advertisement