Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the British Isles. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially as a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and latterly as a politician. A leading advocate of the execution of Charles I in January 1649, which led to the establishment of The Protectorate, he ruled as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death in September 1658. Cromwell remains a controversial figure due to his use of the army to acquire political power, and the brutality of his 1649 campaign in Ireland1 Educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, Cromwell was elected MP for Huntingdon in 1628. The first 40 years of his life were undistinguished and at one point he contemplated emigration to New England. He became a religious Independent in the 1630s and thereafter believed his successes were the result of divine providence. While he generally supported tolerance for the various Protestant sects of the time, he later opposed those he considered heretical, such as Quakers and Fifth Monarchists1 In 1640, Cromwell was returned as MP for Cambridge in the Short and Long Parliaments, and joined the Parliamentarian army when the First English Civil War began in August 1642. He proved himself to be a skilled and charismatic leader, winning notable victories at Marston Moor, Naseby, Dunbar and Worcester. He also played a key role in the trial and execution of Charles I, which he justified as the will of God and the people. He then led the Commonwealth of England as Lord Protector, with the support of the army and the Rump Parliament. He sought to reform the legal, social and religious institutions of the nation, as well as to expand its influence and territory abroad. He was offered the crown in 1657, but declined it, preferring to retain his military title and authority1 Cromwell died on 3 September 1658, aged 59. His death was due to complications relating to a form of malaria, and kidney stone disease. It is thought that his death was quickened by the death of his daughter a month earlier. Cromwell appointed his son, Richard as his successor. However, Richard was not as successful at leadership as his father, not having as good a relationship with the army. There was also conflict between parliament and the army. In May 1659 Richard renounced power, just 9 months after his father’s death. This ended the protectorate and paved the way for the restoration of Charles II to the throne in 16602 Charles II decreed that Cromwell be disinterred from Westminster Abbey, and that he be ‘executed’ – despite already being dead – for regicide. The bodies of Cromwell, Henry Ireton, (General in the Parliamentary Army during the Civil War), and John Bradshaw, (the President of the High Court of Justice), were removed from their graves. They were hanged in chains at Tyburn before being beheaded. Their bodies were thrown into common graves, and their heads were placed on spikes above Westminster Hall. During a storm in 1685 Cromwell’s head reportedly fell from the spike and was thrown to the ground. Since then the head has been reportedly through numerous hands, in various private and museum collections, even being put on display numerous times. Eventually it was buried at Sydney Sussex College at Cambridge University. However, historians have been unable to agree on whether this head, and the body hanged at Tyburn, were really Oliver Cromwell’s2