...Oliver Cromwell was a strict Puritan, and played really important roles, not only in the civil war, but even in the government. He came from a gentry’s family, and when he was young, after having a good education at Cambridge, toke part of the Short and the long parliaments. Even if being a puritan, Cromwell supported the idea of militarism. In fact, during the first Civil War, having a strong commanding voice, and a huge military ability, Cromwell was authorized by the parliament to start his military career by razing a regiment to help the roundheads to fight the royal forces. The Ironsides, Cromwell’s own regiment, actually distinguished at the battle of Marston Moor and in many other minor engagements. In 1644 he was appointed second to Sir Thomas Fairfax, and was also authorized by Parliament to reorganize a new army which became a “New Model Army” in which Cromwell spread his puritan’s ideas. In fact he said to his soldiers: “I think that who prays best will fight best. Anyways, his new army had a great success by defeating the king in the First Civil War and the Scottish and Irish royalists in the second one. After taking over Ireland and Scotland, Cromwell, initiated a policy of systematic dispossession of the conquered lands by giving them to new puritan owners. In 1650 he also invaded Schootland and defeated all the royalist forces at Dunbar. When the second civil war ended, Cromwell realized that he had a lot of power. He was in fact controlling the army that controlled...
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... 2012 Richard Cromwell Have you ever wished that you came from a royal family? Well lucky for Richard Cromwell, his father was a very wealthy man. He was Lord Protector from 25 December 1653 to 3 September 1658 (“Collins, Jacquelin” Dictionary 380). After his father passed away, Richard took his role of Protector. He took office in 1658 immediately after the death of his father, and lasted in office all the way to 25 May 1659 (“Cromwell Richard”Encyclopaedia Britannica). This shows what type of leader he was. Richard had mostly ineffective qualities such as being unable to protect the parliament, lack of experience, and inability to use money wisely. Oliver Cromwell for the most part, was a good leader. He did not like having the Parliament in charge of England. He knew the Parliament was treating the Army poorly, so when he took office, the first thing he did was take the Army’s side. He really pushed the execution of Charles I (“Collins, Jacquelin” Dictionary 380). For a while everyone loved Oliver but by the end of his term, he became a much hated man. The citizens became tired of having such strict rules. Why did he feel he needed to be so strict on the citizens? After his death, his body was exhumed and his head was placed on a pole above the West Minister Hall (“Collins, Jacquelin” Dictionary 381). Richard Cromwell took his father’s place as Lord Protector of the Common Wealth. Richard was born on 4 October, 1626. His parents were Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier...
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...Oliver Cromwell was one of the leaders of the Puritan side of Parliament during the English Civil War from 1642 to 1646, he had some questionable actions which he would generally justify with religion. When the King of England’s forces were defeated by Cromwell’s army at Naseby in 1645 he would say that this victory was entirely the work of God and only God; he would also justify the massacre of Catholic forces in Ireland by saying “this is a righteous judgement of God upon these barbarous wretches-”. Later on, when King Charles escaped from capture to get help from the Scots, Cromwell would eventually capture him again after he won the second phase(1648) of the civil war. Then he would execute the king, not in the name of God, but for treason...
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...Thomas Cromwell was born in southwest London 1485. He had a modest upbringing and left the capital for Europe when he was a teenager. Initially fighting as a soldier in the French army he somehow acquired a broad education including some knowledge of business and law. Cromwell was the second of the great ministers to Henry VIII. He became legal secretary for Cardinal Wolsey who was in service to Henry VIII. Wolsey fell out but Cromwell survived, becoming a member of parliament. In 1523, Cromwell became a member of parliament, where he greatly extended the power of the house. During this time, he also started to dissolve monasteries to help build a college and school for Wolsey. Cromwell is thought to have been responsible for drafting the Supplication of the Commons against the Ordinaries in 1532. This parliamentary petition resurrected the protests against church courts originally made in 1529 in the attack on Wolsey; it was used to secure the submission of the clergy, which finally subjected canon law to secular review. Cromwell took charge of the drafting of the Act in Restraint of Appeals to Rome (1533) and the Act of Supremacy (1534). Cromwell persuaded Henry to agree to marry Anne of Cleves, a German princess, in hope to secure support against the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor, and strengthen the bonds of Protestantism. The marriage failed Unlike Wolsey and his predecessors, Cromwell was never Lord Chancellor; he can be regarded as the first chief minister of a new type, a...
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...Oliver Cromwell: First Lord Protector of the Commonwealth Oliver Cromwell, a well-educated, strict Puritan, and eventual temporary ruler of Great Britain, was born by his parents Elizabeth and Robert Cromwell in 1599. Born of a growing group of Puritans from Huntingdon, Cromwell was born into a time in which his gentry began to seek and demand large changes from the Church of England. His early education came from that of Doctor Thomas Beard, a family friend and very knowledgeable Puritan clergyman. At age 18, he left Huntington to attend law school in London, at Sydney Sussex College. It was only a year later, his father had passed away and Cromwell had abandoned his studies in London to return home where he had to take responsibility for his family and its’ estate. By 1620, Oliver married the daughter of a London merchant, Elizabeth Bourchier and eventually led to a family of nine children that still resided in his hometown of Huntington. Eight years later, he was elected as the representative of Huntington to the Parliament, sponsored by the Montagu family. However, just one year later, Parliament was dissolved by King Charles I, who thought the criticisms made by the members of Parliament were a threat his role as king. This resulted in Cromwell Prior to an epiphany induced by illness and depression in the late 1620’s, Oliver had never been particularly been devoted the Puritan way of life. However, after these visions, his faith had forever renewed, changed, and focused...
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...Oliver Cromwell, a devout and somewhat fanatical Puritan, played a key role in securing the Parliament’s success in the English Civil War against the king, Charles I. Through his amateur yet skillful military tactics, he gained the respect of not only his soldiers but commoners as well. Combining this with his aged experience in the Parliament before the war, Oliver Cromwell was an effective leader of England during the 17th century. In the span of his reign, Cromwell created and dissolved many forms of government, from the Rump Parliament to the Instrument of Government. Oliver Cromwell’s forceful religious views combined with his political and military ingenuity proved to be essential in the creation of a less authoritative monarchial rule in England. Religion in the English Civil War played a pivotal role of generating motivation for Cromwell to win, which ultimately also created the weaker English monarchial government. Cromwell’s Puritan belief of providence—the idea that God controls all world...
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...the people of England had never experienced. This left many people frightened due to the extreme change, however, some embraced their freedom and began doing in what they believed in, such as forming new religious groups/cults, something they had been unable to do in the past. Many historians believe that this period was very important in British history as for the first time a monarchy was not in charge and a ‘revolution’ had taken place. In this essay I will explain why Britain underwent a revolution. Firstly, the most important change was the absence of the monarchy. After Charles I’s execution, there was no monarchy and Cromwell and the army took control over England. Also, the Rump parliament had been dismissed when Cromwell had enough of their control. This left poor stability in England, as without a leader, people didn’t know who to listen to. Cromwell became Lord Protector and didn’t rule like a usual monarch. Firstly, he rejected the crown as he didn’t believe in monarchies, Jews (which had been expelled in the 1200’s) were allowed back into England and finally, although a strict Puritan, he was tolerant to many new groups and the beliefs of others e.g. the Quakers. This showed how much Britain itself had changed, people believed in what they wanted and ordinary people felt free united republic, showing there was no real revolution as it ended so quickly. Also, there was still persecution and hatred towards different beliefs. The Diggers, who believed that all land was...
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...“The World Turned Upside Down” by Christopher Hill reveals the unsung heroes during the English Revolution and their radical thinking that did not seem so radical after all. These ideas that Hill mentions throughout his book are radical ideas of the lower class groups such as; The Ranters, Levellers, Quakers, and Diggers. This Marxist Historian presents the “lunacy” of these groups during the 17th century. During this time those groups were referred to as lunatics, but may have well been saner than the society which rejected them, as Hill says, “If we dismiss such ideas because they seem irrational to us, we may be depriving ourselves of valuable insights into society.” (pg ___) Hill is interested in such radical thinking not only because they influence societies, but because they reveal the societies which gave rise to them. He tries to acknowledge to the reader not to be ignorant of what the common people thought. Hill discovers religious movements in England abundant with the ideas and themes that would eventually give birth to secular radical ideologies like materialism, secularism, and communism. He also is far more empathetic and understanding to those revolutionaries who introduced economic ideas of national communism. If you do not have the slightest interest in history this book is not for you. This book is not something a beginner reader would read, your average reader would struggle with his extensive vocabulary and lack of prior knowledge of the English Civil wars...
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...The English Revolution was a period of armed conflict and political turmoil between 1642 and 1660. This included the execution of the Charles 1st, the rise of the Commonwealth followed by the Protectorate under Cromwell and then the eventual restoration of the Monarchy. Richardson is correct to state that the events that occurred were “inherently controversial… momentous and far reaching” which are still debated today. This debate rages on whether these events can constitute a Revolution. It is dependent on what definition of the word Revolution is enacted. Historians such as Jeff Goodwin provide interpretations of what it means to have a Revolution, which shall be further explored, however what ultimately accounts is how the events and interpretations of the time fit into these interpretations. Ultimately there are two ways to look at Revolution, firstly there is the struggle or initial violent uprisings of the populous against the established state. The other way of looking at a revolution is to also examine the more long term changes or effects in the mind-set of the contemporise. In other words the changes in the way men think. Richardson pushes the idea of the initial struggle constituting a Revolution whereas others such as Hill believe that the long-term effects are more significant. Both arguments both valid against differing definitions of Revolution. Similarities between the French and English Revolutions will also provide a stark comparison of the English situation...
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...“Monarchy returned mot because of its own strengths but because of the weaknesses of the regimes it replaced.” Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1658 to 1660 Following the death of Oliver Cromwell England needed a ruler that could gain support of the army, who, since the execution of Charles I in 1649 had been the most influential groups in the country. The successor of Oliver was his son, Richard who seemingly did not possess the characteristics of his late father. The key to control of the country and the regimes following those of Oliver lay in whether a leader had the military prowess similar to that of Oliver. Furthermore the issue of whether monarchy came to power as a result of its own powers or due to the failures of various regimes that preceded it is only answered by taking into consideration the weaknesses of the regimes and the strengths of the monarchy. Following the death of Oliver Cromwell, Richard Cromwell became Lord Protector under the terms of the Humble Petition and Advice. Unlike his father Richard found it difficult to keep a balance with the remands of the army, religious radicals and traditionalists. Due to the amount of power held by the army, the power of the Protector was dependent upon the army. The lower ranks of the army resented the fact that Richard was not a soldier; on the other hand the higher ranks supported such a leader mainly because they could easily manipulate him and use him to voice their views. It is...
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...John Milton (1608-74) Biographical notes Born into a strict Protestant family in London, Milton received an excellent education which he completed at Cambridge University. After Cambridge he dismissed a career in the Church, shocked by the corruption he saw there, and decided to concentrate on writing and studying the classics. In 1638 he travelled to France and Italy to further enhance his education and culture but returned to England after just over a year when he heard of the outbreak of the Civil War. Milton was a passionate Puritan and saw in Oliver Cromwell, leader of the Parliamentarians, not only a figure intent on suppressing Catholicism once and for all, but also one who would challenge the monarchy's belief in its divine right to rule. He was so supportive of Cromwell's cause that he gladly took office for him as Secretary for Foreign Tongues for the Commonwealth after the Parliamentarian victory. Following the Restoration, however, having been publicly on the side of the Parliamentarians during the war, he was in danger of prosecution. He was in fact imprisoned for a short period but was eventually granted a full pardon. By this time his eyesight had already begun to fail him and by 1652 he became completely blind and could continue writing only with the help of secretaries. This makes the completion of his greatest works, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, in these later years, even more extraordinary. In his final years he was cared for by his daughters...
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...The Execution of Charles I Illegal, that (in my opinion) would be the best way to describe the process leading to Charles’ execution. Then again aren’t some of the best political movements illegal to begin with? There is the argument, should they have executed the King only to have a new king in the future, unlike France when the King was overthrown that was the end of royalty. Instead they took most of the monarch’s rights and put a new king on the throne (England seems to follow some sort of middle way in the end). The first procedure of the execution was a trial. There were 286 Members of Parliament, out of those 286, 240 thought Charles should have been given another chance. When Parliament was to meet for discussion those 240 were stopped by Oliver Cromwell’s troupes from entering Parliament. This left 46 Members of Parliament to decide what to do with Charles and by 26 to 20 votes, it was decided that Charles should be put on trial. Then 135 top judges and lawyers were chosen to try him. Due to the fact that 260 out of the 286 Members of Parliament disagreed with the trial this was the first ‘illegal’ part of the trial. On Saturday 20 January, 1649 Charles was brought to court by armed soldiers. This was the first day of the trial, yet only 67 out of the 135 appointed judges turned up. Charles was charged as being a tyrant, traitor and murderer. Charles was also charged for all the murder, burning, raping, damage and desolation caused during the wars against Parliament...
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...A great hero has died, Oliver Cromwell Lord protector of England. This well-known legend died at the age of 59 in Whitehall, London. Cromwell sadly died of Malaria and will be remembered for thousands or millions of years, never to be forgotten. Cromwell was born in Huntingdon on 25 April 1599, to Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward. Oliver's parents had ten children, Oliver, the fifth child, was the only boy to survive infancy. He was baptised on 29 April 1599 at St John's Church and attended Huntingdon Grammar School. He went to learn at Sidney Sussex college, Sidney. Then a recently founded college with a Puritan culture. He left in June of the year 1617 without taking any degree. Cromwell then married Elizabeth and had nine children, 3 of whom have died at a very young age and one of whom is a well-known man, Richard Cromwell, he was his father's successor as Lord protector. Oliver became a Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in the Parliament of 1628–1629. He contributed little at this stage until Charles I took the throne and the civil war took place. This is where Oliver showed his true skills as a military commander, and also where he showed how gifted he was at being a military commander. He did so much at this stage, introducing the commonly-used military rank system which is still in use today, showing how good of a PM he was and showing all other talents he had. to the left: Cromwell in his early days as a PM and military commander. The New Model Army...
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...Commonwealth lasted from the 1649-1653 and was made up of the Rump and the Nominated Assembly. At the time there were many issues that needed reform such as religious, legal, electoral, taxation and the constitution. It is fair to say that the Commonwealth did fail because of their lack of reforms to some extent; however this was not for lack of trying. The Rump did fail to reform, but the Nominated Assembly trued to reform but was dissolved by its own members before it could. However this was not the main reason why eh Commonwealth failed seeing as they were unpopular and seen as illegitimate. The failure of the two branches of the Commonwealth was confirmed in the Rump when Cromwell walked into Parliament in April 1653 and ejected the Rump. The failure of the Nominated Assembly was confirmed when Cromwell accepted the resignation of the moderates and became Lord Protector in 1653. It is fair to say that the Commonwealth failed due to lack of reform as shown by the Rump. Here there was no legal reform as the Hale Commission was ignored and furthermore, 20% of the Rump were lawyers by profession and therefore weren’t willing to offer their services for free. Furthermore, there was no religious toleration as shown by the reintroduction of a form of censorship with the Blasphemy and Adultery Acts; in 1650 this shows the Commonwealth’s preference of tradition and conservatism and therefore unlikelihood to favour reform in general. It also seemed that there was no electoral reform...
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...as James I. the relationship between the monarch and his people and the relationship between England and Scotland would be sources of friction throughout his reign. After James died in 1625 and was succeeded by Charles I, tensions persisted and intensified. Charles attempted to rule without summoning Parliament at all between 1629 and 1638. By 1642 England was up in arms, in a civil war between the king’s forces and armies loyal to the house of Commons. The conflict ended with Charles’s defeat and beheading in 1649. Although in the early 1650s the monarchy as an institution seemed as dead as the man who had last worn the crown, an adequate replacement proved difficult to devise. Executive power devolved upon a Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, former general of the parliamentary forces, who wielded power nearly as autocratically as Charles had done. Yet without an institutionally sanctioned method of transferring power upon Cromwell’s death in 1658, the attempt to fashion a commonwealth without a hereditary monarch eventually failed. In 1660 Parliament invited the eldest son of the old king home from exile. He succeeded to the throne as King Charles II. From a literary point of view, 1603 can seem a particularly capricious dividing line because at the accession of James I so many writers happened to be in midcareer (Shakespeare, Donne etcetera). The restoration of Charles II, with which this section ends, is likewise a more significant political than literary milestone:...
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