Author Description

Oliver Cromwell is unique in British history. No figure has risen so high from such modest beginnings, and none has generated such intense and sharply-divided opinions among both contemporaries and succeeding generations. This provincial farmer and businessman rose from obscurity to greatness in the civil wars of the 1640s. A sound politician and charismatic soldier, he quickly became one of the champions of the parliamentary cause. In the 1650s he became Lord General of the army and, for five years until his death in 1658, head of state as Lord Protectors of a united Britain. At the time, some praised him as a politician and military genius, a religious visionary, a social reformer, and a beneficent, honest statesman. To others, he appeared a self-seeking hypocrite, a betrayer of liberties and ideas, a military tyrant. Although one of the best-known and most studied figures in British history, he remains controversial, puzzling, and elusive. This book re-examines Cromwell's life and career. It opens with an assessment of the man and the myth, exploring the legends which surround Cromwell, the differing interpretations advanced by generations of historians and the source material upon which such interpretations can be based. The book then provides an extensive, chronologically based examination of Cromwell's life and career, highlighting key events and turning points and exploring in some detail Cromwell's role and power as Lord Protector. The investigation closes with thematic assessments of some key aspects of Cromwell, including his character and appearance, his political outlook and his religious beliefs. Where possible, the analysis is based upon strictly contemporary material, especially Cromwell's own writings and speeches.