He rose to become the first commoner to become Head of State in British history. Cromwell divides opinions: partly this is down to those after the Restoration who wanted blacken his name, partly because some of his actions, such as his Irish campaign, were controversial even during his lifetime and continue to cause discussion and debate even today.
Some love him; others loathe him — either way he is impossible to ignore. The modern British army was founded from the New Modelled Army that Cromwell helped found and led so effectively. Cromwell was a key figure in the trial and execution of King Charles I. This was the first time that a monarch had been deposed and put on trial by his own people, as opposed to being simply deposed by a rival royal. He thought that Parliamentary leaders did not do enough to try to defeat Charles I.
Cromwell became the leader of England in by leading the New Model Army. This included opponents that held different opinions about the type and degree of changes they wanted but they all agreed that Charles needed to change policies or go.
In Charles I betrayed them starting the Second Civil War and they resolved to 'bring him to account'. Cromwell was known for being ruthless in battle, and he twice led successful efforts to remove the British monarch from power.
Called a dictator by some — including future British Prime Minister Winston Churchill — Cromwell, a devout Puritan , was particularly intolerant of Catholics and Quakers , though he is also credited by others for helping to lead Great Britain toward a constitutional government.
Cromwell was born in in Huntingdon, near Cambridge, in England. The Cromwells had been a wealthy family for generations, and were part of the landed gentry in the region. Like most children born in the country at the time, Cromwell was baptized in the Church of England.
At 21, he married Elizabeth Bourchier, daughter of a wealthy merchant family. The Cromwells had nine children, though three died young, which was not unusual at the time. Their son Richard, who succeeded his father as Lord Protector, was born in Cromwell was first elected to Parliament , representing Huntingdon, in Though this marked the start of his political career, his success in the halls of power was not matched in other aspects of his life.
In , for example, Cromwell was forced to sell much of his land holdings in Huntingdon following a dispute with local officials. In addition, he was reportedly treated for melancholy, or depression, at this time. His tenure in Parliament was also short, as a result of King Charles I and his decision to suspend the legislative body in Cromwell would return to government in , when Charles I was essentially forced to reconvene Parliament following a rebellion against his rule in Scotland.
Like most Puritans, he believed that Catholic influence tainted the Church of England, and that it must be removed. Charles I may have reconvened Parliament, but his commonwealth remained a fragile state. In , an armed conflict began between troops loyal to Parliament — the New Model Army — against those allied with the monarchy.
Cromwell and others leading the Parliament side also differed significantly from Charles I in their religious views, which helped fuel the conflict. Though he had no formal military training prior to the start of the war, Cromwell soon distinguished himself on the field of battle, recruiting and leading troops in key victories in at the Battle of Edgehill and in East Anglia.
The bodies were then thrown in a common grave and the heads were displayed on a twenty foot spike at Westminster Hall, where they remained until when a storm caused the spike to break, tossing the heads to the ground below. On his deathbed, he bequeathed the relic to his daughter. For many years the head passed through numerous hands, the value increasing with each transaction until a Dr.
Wilkinson bought it. It was given a dignified burial in a secret place in the college grounds. Despite his death over years ago, to this day Cromwell continues to provoke a strong reaction following his significant role in a dramatic and troubled period of British history. It is very strange how the body parts of famous people often go missing, only to reappear hundreds of years after the demise of their owners.
Read on for the true if rather gory! It is a common myth that Cromwell personally abolished Christmas. The ancient city of Ely occupies the largest island in the Fens.
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