The life of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who was one of England's most enduring personalities. Among his many achievements, he was best known for heralding England's transition into a republic and for leading the Commonwealth of England.
A mid-gentry farmer for most of his early life, a religious experience when he was about 40 years old marked a turning point for Oliver Cromwell, and he began to live a life in which religion played a key part of his life and his work.
Called by those close to him, Old Ironside, he distinguished himself as an exceptional soldier who rose from the ranks to become the leader of the army.
He took on the political role of Lord Protector and as such ruled England, Scotland and Ireland from December 16, 1653 until his death in September 3, 1658.
Considered quite a controversial figure in English history, Oliver Cromwell has been called a regicidal dictator by historians David Hume and Christopher Hill and a hero of liberty by others such as Thomas Carlyle and Samuel Rawson Gardiner.
The controversies surrounding Oliver Cromwell's life stems in part from his career which was marked by numerous contradictions. A regicide, who in actuality had considerably more political power than Charles I, Oliver Cromwell was in a position to accept the crown himself although he decided not to for various reasons.
Although he was an avowed parliamentarian, at one point he ordered his soldiers to dissolve the Parliament of England.
Acting on his orders, the Protectorate campaigned for religious liberties of conscience, while Cromwell himself allowed the torture of hundreds of blasphemers.
He stood for equitable justice and yet sought to imprison those people who opposed his move to raise taxes without the consent of Parliament.
In spite of all these contradictions, Oliver Cromwell was considered by many admirers to be a strong and stately leader who brought a measure of stability and brought international respect to the English political landscape. He was also renowned throughout the country for abolishing tyranny and the promotion of republicanism as well as liberty. In fact a recent poll conducted by the BBC ranked him in the top 10 of the greatest Britons who ever lived.
Oliver Cromwell however, had his fair share of detractors many of whom painted him in a less than favourable light as an over reaching hypocrite, driven by ambition. These same critics blamed Cromwell for betraying the cause of liberty, imposing his own puritanical values upon the people and at the same time displaying little respect for the traditions of England.
So lasting were the effects of these perceived offences of Oliver Cromwell that upon the Royalists reinstatement to power, the monarchy ordered his corpse exhumed, hung up in chains and subsequently beheaded!
Oliver Cromwell's early life is thought by many historians to have had a significant and long lasting effect upon his later life and subsequent actions. As such, these early years deserve a mention in this article.
Cromwell was born in the town of Huntingdon in what is now the county of Cambridgeshire, in East Anglia. His date of birth was recorded at April 25 1599. His line of descent has been traced back to Catherine Cromwell who was born sometime in the year 1482. An older sister of Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell (who was Oliver Cromwell's second great-granduncle), Catherine Cromwell was married to Morgan ap Williams who in turn was the offspring of William ap Evan of Wales and Joan Tudor. The bloodline of Oliver Cromwell has been further traced to Richard Cromwell (who lived from 1500 to 1544), Henry Cromwell (who lived from 1524 to January 6, 1603) then still further on to Oliver's father, Robert Cromwell (1560-1617). Robert Cromwell married Elizabeth Steward (alternatively spelled as Stewart) on the day of Oliver Cromwell's birth. Elizabeth Steward lived from 1564 to 1654.
To this day, records of Oliver Cromwell's baptism survive as well as records of his attendance at Huntingdon grammar school. It is this school that Cromwell attended prior to his later studies at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge. Sidney Sussex College at that time was a recently established learning institution, which was distinguished by a marked by a strong puritan philosophy and it is highly likely that this ethos had a profound effect on the young Cromwell.
In any case he failed to obtain a degree from this institution and left in June of 1617, immediately following the death of his father. At this point Oliver Cromwell whereabouts becomes somewhat murky. Many early historians contend that he attended Lincoln's Inn although no record of such attendance exists in the Inn's current archives. It is more probable that Oliver Cromwell returned to his home in Huntingdon at this point in order to take charge of the family. This was a more probable cause of action and perhaps even necessary considering that his mother was then widowed and his seven sisters were as yet unmarried.
A major turning point of his life came when he married Elizabeth Bourchier (1598-1665) on August 22, 1620. This union produced seven offspring for the couple and the third son, Richard Cromwell (1626-1712) went on to become Oliver's successor.
The marriage between Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier was significant in that it brought Oliver into contact with many of the leading puritan gentry families of the day as well as numerous leaders of the London merchant community. The fact that Elizabeth Bourchier's father, Sir James Bourchier was a London merchant with strong connections to these communities, as well as being owner of several vast tracts of land in Essex, was of major significance to Oliver Cromwell as well. These numerous associations, along with substantial influence from the earls of Warwick and Holland later on had significant effect upon Oliver Cromwell's military and political career.
In 1631 Cromwell was forced to sell off many of his properties in Huntingdon because of a conflict with the town's gentry and this new hardship likely played a role in his subsequent conversion to Puritanism.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: RPN
Updated On: 07/03/2007
