CROMWELL, Oliver

  • Era: 1599 - 1658
  • Location: England
  • Categories: POLITICS, RELIGION

 

Puritan social and political reformer whose religious convictions led him to challenge the hierarchical establishment and monarchy. With a background as an Oxford undergraduate, legal training, and farm management, he served as an MP, becoming known as a leader in both local and national settings from the outset of the Civil War in 1642. Thereafter he had repeated military successes as commander of the New Model Army and consistently promoted local engagement with political power.  He was associated with the legal decisions which led to the trial and execution of the king. He was then elected as Lord Protector of the newly created Commonwealth, reinforcing its authority in Ireland and Scotland as well as England. His life is rich in material for study of the interplay between religious conviction, democratisation and moral judgement - and any constraints from one on the others.

Life

Writing