The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was the first major engagement of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Kineton in southern Warwickshire on October 23, 1642. The inconclusive result denied the Royalists the chance to march on London and achieve a quick victory over the Parliamentarians, and led to three years of civil war. The First English Civil War (1642–1646) was the first of three wars known as the English Civil War (or Wars) which refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1652 and include the Second English Civil War... A kineton noseband is a type of noseband used on the bridle of a horse. ... Warwickshire (pronounced worrickshur or worricksheer) is a landlocked county in central England. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 69 days remaining. ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ...

On October 12 King Charles I set out with his Royalist forces from Shrewsbury heading for London. In parallel to Charles' southerly movement, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex with the Parliamentarian forces set out from Worcester, also headed for London. By October 21 they were barely seven miles away from each other. October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... Charles I (19 November 1600–30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625, until his death. ... The noun or adjective, Royalist, can have several shades of meaning. ... This article is about the town of Shrewsbury in England. ... St. ... Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, (January 11 1591 – 14 September 1646), was the son and heir of the unfortunate Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and succeeded to his fathers title in 1604, three years after the previous earl had been executed for treason. ... A parliamentarian is a specialist in parliamentary procedure. ... The city of Worcester (pronounced Wuh-ster) is the county town of Worcestershire in England; the river Severn runs through the middle, with the citys large Worcester Cathedral overlooking the river. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ...

Perceiving the dangers of a flanking attack, Charles was persuaded by Prince Rupert to deploy on the side of Edge Hill. Essex, unaware of their proximity, drew dangerously close before actually preparing his troops. Battle commenced in the afternoon of the 23rd. A flank is the side of either a horse or a military unit. ... for the city in British Columbia, see Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619-1682), soldier and inventor, was a younger son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart, and the nephew of King Charles I of England. ... Edge Hill is an escarpment in the county of Warwickshire, England (national grid reference SP3747). ...

As Charles rode past his forces to raise morale, the Parliamentarian artillery opened fire. This started a mutual exchange of artillery fire that lasted for about an hour. At this point Prince Rupert started the battle properly by leading the Royalist cavalry charge, whereupon a substantial number of the Parliamentarian cavalry defected and rode off to join the Royalists. A swathe was cut through the Parliamentarian infantry on that flank and they broke and ran. In a critical error, the Royalist cavalry continued in pursuit of the fleeing infantry, leaving the Royalist forces entirely unsupported. Morale measures the degree to which people hold to belief. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The Parliamentarian cavalry reserve was brought up and the Royalist infantry centre, unprotected by cavalry, was cut apart from the rear. However, the Royalists managed to regroup and form a new defensive line. Essex, seeing that Rupert's cavalry were returning, and also conscious of the gathering darkness, decided to disengage.