Cromwell, Oliver

Cromwell, Oliver
( 1599-1658)
   ruler of England during the Puritan Revolution
   Oliver Cromwell, who as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth ruled England through the 1640s until his death, was born in Huntingdon in 1599. He was educated in his hometown by a strict adherent of Puritanism and then studied at Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge University. In 1628, he was elected to Parliament, where he first made an impression by his advocacy of freedom for the Presbyterians and independents.
   He rose to prominence during the short Parliament (April 1640) and Long Parliament (August 1640 through April 1660). King Charles I, who favored a return to Roman Catholicism, had tried to force a new prayer book on scotland. British forces were badly beaten in the resulting conflict, and the settlement created a financial crisis. Charles was forced to summon Parliament to raise funds, but delegates at the Long Parliament seized power from the king.
   In 1642, Parliament removed the bishops who headed the Church of England and put the army and navy directly under its own authority. Charles left London to rally support, and England entered a period of civil war. As the first battles were being fought, Parliament called for an assembly of "learned, godly, and judicious divines" to meet at Westminster for the purpose of reforming the church. A total of 30 laymen, a few Scottish observers, and 125 ministers (mainly Presbyterian) took the opportunity to create a set of documents, including the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Catechism (subsequently published in both a longer and shorter version), and a Directory of Worship designed to order church life in scotland, ireland, and England. These documents came to define Presbyterianism internationally.
   Following an initial defeat of forces loyal to Parliament (termed Roundheads), Cromwell set about the task of building a professional cavalry. He subsequently proved himself a capable military leader. His leadership proved decisive in the Roundhead victory at Marston Moor in 1644, and he led the final Roundhead victory at Naseby the next year. Shortly thereafter, Charles surrendered and was placed in custody. Cromwell ordered his execution in 1649.
   Power was now in the hands of Cromwell's army. In November 1648, Cromwell expelled all opponents from Parliament. The remaining Rump Parliament formally abolished the monarchy and those government departments most loyal to the king. The Parliament and an executive Council of State constituted the new government. Favoring the Puritan factions, Cromwell then moved to crush other opposition groups that remained including the Levellers (who sought extensive economic reform). In 1649, he moved against the irish, suppressing a revolt in a bloody campaign, and then turned to quell the opposition in Scotland.
   on April 21, 1653, Cromwell disbanded the Rump Parliament, which had alienated the army. He later dissolved an unsuccessful new Parliament of Puritan leaders, assumed the title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, and ruled as a virtual dictator.
   Cromwell died on September 3, 1658. He left his son Richard Cromwell in control, but Richard proved unable to deal with the antagonistic forces in the country, and in 1660, the monarchy was restored under Charles ii. The episcopally led Church of England was also restored, and the Puritans were suppressed until the Act of Toleration of 1689 allowed them some freedom of action.
   Further reading:
   ■ Barry Coward, Cromwell. (London: Longman, 1991)
   ■ Oliver Cromwell, Writings and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, ed. by Wilbur Abbott (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1937)
   ■ Christopher Hill, God's Englishman: Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution (New York: Harper & Row, 1970)
   ■ Derek Hirst, Authority and Conflict: England, 1603-1658 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1986)
   ■ John Morrill, Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution (London: Longman, 1990).

Encyclopedia of Protestantism. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • CROMWELL, OLIVER° — CROMWELL, OLIVER°, Lord Protector of england , 1653–58. Cromwell was largely responsible for the readmission of the Jews to England. His puritan views, based largely upon the Old Testament, and his tolerant nature predisposed him to regard the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Cromwell, Oliver — born April 25, 1599, Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, Eng. died Sept. 3, 1658, London English soldier and statesman, lord protector of the republican Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1653–58). He was elected to Parliament in 1628, but… …   Universalium

  • Cromwell, Oliver — ► (1599 1658) Político inglés. Diputado puritano. En la guerra entre el rey Carlos I y el Parlamento alcanzó victorias decisivas, condenando a muerte al rey en 1649. Proclamó la República y se nombró jefe del estado en 1653. Impulsó la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cromwell, Oliver — (1599–1658)    Politician.    Cromwell was born in Huntingdon and was educated at the University of Cambridge. He was elected to Parliament in 1628 and 1640. In the Long Parliament he emerged as the leader of the Puritan party. In the English… …   Who’s Who in Christianity

  • Cromwell, Oliver —    Chiefly remembered in folk tradition as a destroyer. A considerable number of castles and manor houses, especially in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, are said (incorrectly) to have been destroyed or severely damaged by Cromwell s cannon fire; an… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • Cromwell, Oliver — (1599–1658)    Lord protector of Britain 1653–8. As lord protector after the Puritan victory in the English Civil War, Cromwell was disposed to favour the re entry of the Jews, who had been banned in 1290. He was not motivated only by religious… …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • CROMWELL, OLIVER —    Lord Protector of the commonwealth of England, born at Huntingdon, the son of Robert Cromwell, the younger son of Sir Henry Cromwell, and of Elizabeth Steward, descended from the royal family of Scotland, their third child and second boy;… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • CROMWELL, Oliver — (1599 1658)    English PURITAN general and democrat who championed the rights of commoners against King Charles I and aristocracy. He founded the New Model Army which he led to victory in the English Civil War. After Charles I threatened a second …   Concise dictionary of Religion

  • Cromwell,Oliver — Crom·well (krŏmʹwĕl , wəl, krŭmʹ ), Oliver. 1599 1658. English military, political, and religious figure who led the Parliamentarian victory in the English Civil War (1642 1649) and called for the execution of Charles I. As lord protector of… …   Universalium

  • Oliver Cromwell — Cromwell redirects here. For other uses, see Cromwell (disambiguation). For other people named Oliver Cromwell, see Oliver Cromwell (disambiguation). Oliver Cromwell Portrait of Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”