What Made Oliver Cromwell and Queen Elizabeth Great?

What Made Oliver Cromwell and Queen Elizabeth Great?

Introduction

Elizabeth I was Queen of England from 1558 to 1603. During her reign, she demonstrated considerable leadership skills, surviving in an environment that was often extremely hostile and threatening. Popular culture flourished during the reign of Elizabeth; her court was a focal point for writers, musicians, and scholars such as William Shakespeare (1564-1616) and Francis Bacon (1561-1626), and explorers such as Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596) and Walter Raleigh (c. 1554-1618). Elizabeth encouraged a spirit of free inquiry that in turn facilitated the scientific revolution and the age of enlightenment. During her reign, the English economy expanded massively. The queen herself came to be known as Gloriana, a name that reflected the triumphs of the age she oversaw.

Similarly Oliver Cromwell is an important figure in the historical development of England and the United Kingdom. As a soldier, politician, and statesman Cromwell played a significant part in changing the constitutional power of the monarchy in the United Kingdom forever. He was born in 1599 into a strict Puritan family living in Huntingdon, England. He was educated at Sidney Sussex College Cambridge and became a member of Parliament for Huntingdon in 1628. As a military and political leader, his rise from the middle ranks of English society was spectacular. Cromwell was a key person in the English Civil War (1642-1646), significantly influencing the strategic plans of those rebelling against the dictatorial rule of Charles I (1600-1649). Despite his lack of military experience, Cromwell became a captain in 1642 when the civil war began. He then swiftly rose through the military ranks. Early in 1643 he was promoted to colonel.

Discussion and Analysis

Like many English monarchs before him, King Charles I believed that the king's power and authority was “God-given” and thus unassailable (the “Divine Right of Kings”). Charles's concern to crush any challenge to his “divine” authority brought him into conflict with the English Puritans. His persecution of the Puritans (he had their ears cut off and their noses slit) led to a clash with Parliament, culminating in the English Civil War that began in 1642. The Puritans, known as the “Roundheads,” led the civil war against the king and his troops, known as the “Cavaliers.” Throughout his life Cromwell held radical puritanical views that brought him into direct conflict with the king.

During its early stages, the civil war did not go well for the Roundheads. In the Battle of Edge Hill, in 1642, they were defeated by the Cavalier army. Cromwell was quick to see the weaknesses of the Roundhead army and, although he had not been trained in warfare, he made himself captain of the cavalry and began to organize his troops. Cromwell proved to be an inspirational leader. His leadership skills were clearly demonstrated when, in 1644, his New Model Army routed Cavalier forces at the Battle of Marston Moor and his regiment earned the name “Ironsides.”

Their reputation as a fighting force ...