Oliver Cromwell



Table of Contents

Introduction1

About Oliver Cromwell1

Personal life1

Lifestyle in the initial days2

Religion2

Character and Influence2

Cormwell's rule3

Political life3

Parliamentary General4

Lord Protector4

Views of people about Cromwell4

Conclusion5

Illness and death5

Political scenario after Cromwell's death5

Return of Royalists6

End Notes7

Oliver Cromwell

Introduction

Oliver Cromwell, English military and political leader was born on 25th April 1599. He was the one who put an end to the monarchy and made England into a republican Commonwealth. He also ruled England, Scotland and Ireland. He was the commanders of the New Model Army. This army had conquered the royalists in the English Civil War and after King Charles I was executed in 1649. The Commonwealth of England was dominated by Cromwell. After he captured Ireland and Scotland, he ruled it as Lord Protector from 1653 and till the time he died in 1658.

About Oliver Cromwell

Personal life

Cromwell was born in April 1599 in the Cromwell House to Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward. He descended from a Tudor statesman, Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell's father was the younger son of the family and was a minister of Henry VIII. He became quite wealthy since he took over monastery property during the Reformation. When Oliver Cromwell was born, his grandfather was one of the two richest landowners in Huntingdonshire. However, his father was modest and his inheritance was limited since he was a younger son. An income of 300 pounds could be generated from the land that his father was inherited to which equaled the “gentry” income.

Oliver Cromwell attended the Huntingdon Grammar School and for college, he went to Sidney Sussex College. When Cromwell was admitted to this college it had been recently founded and followed strong Puritan ethos. However, Cromwell left it in 1617 without taking the degree right after his father died. He returned home because his mother became a widow and he had seven unmarried sisters, who he had to take care of.

Lifestyle in the initial days

Cromwell was born in the middle gentry and remained fairly obscure until the first forty years of his life. He lived with his brother whose name was Henry, he had a small holding which included the chickens, sheep and sold eggs and wool in order to support himself. This shows that his lifestyle was that of a farmer and he lived like this until he received the inheritance from his uncle. During this decade, he also converted to another religion and he made an individual style of Puritanism a part of his life which made him more different from other common human beings.

Religion

Cromwell was a self styled “Puritan Moses”, he was a religious man and strongly believed that God was behind all his success. He practiced religious tolerance and never favored any group in particular.

Character and Influence

Cromwell had good military skills which have been recognized universally. He met the task of holding together the gains of the civil war and the discordant groups in the Puritan party. Due to this, he had to enforce force as well as tolerance. However, he tolerated the Jews and the ...