Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell by Sir Peter Lely c.1653

Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599 - September 3, 1658) was an English statesman and soldier born in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. He was educated at Huntingdon Grammar School and Sydney Sussex College, Cambridge, and went on to study law in London.

Parliamentarian

Sponsored by the Montagu family, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Huntingdon to the House of Commons in 1628. When Parliament was dissolved by King Charles I in 1629, Cromwell took up farming in Huntingdon. Soon afterwards he was converted to Puritanism. When Charles was forced by a shortage of funds to recall Parliament in 1640, Cromwell was returned to this Parliament as the M.P. for Cambridge. Known as the Short Parliament, Charles again dissolved the house after only 3 weeks. A second Parliament was called later in 1640, afterwards known as the Long Parliament. Cromwell returned to this Parliament again as M.P for Cambridge.

The Civil War

Cromwell was a fierce critic of King Charles and on the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642 he joined the Parliamentary army, serving under Edward Montagu, the Duke of Manchester. Although Cromwell had no military training, his experience as a large landowner had given him a good knowledge of horses. Cromwell became convinced that if he could produce a well-disciplined army he could defeat the Royalist forces under the king's nephew Prince Rupert, the Duke of Cumberland, and his Cavaliers. He also knew, as a result of his limited experience with the local county militia that pikemen, armed with sixteen-foot-long pikes, who stood their ground during a cavalry attack, could do a tremendous amount of damage.

Cromwell had also realised that the Prince's cavalry were poorly disciplined, and that after they charged the enemy they then went in pursuit of individual targets. At the first major battle of the civil war at Edgehill, the majority of the Prince's cavalry did not return to the battlefield until over an hour after the initial charge. By this time the horses were so tired they were unable to mount another attack.

Cromwell instead trained his cavalry to stay together after a charge, and in this way his forces could repeatedly charge the Cavaliers. Cromwell's new cavalry took part in its first major battle at Marston Moor in Yorkshire in July 1644. The king's forces suffered a crushing defeat, and Cromwell's soldiers became known as the Ironsides because of the way they cut through the Cavaliers on the battlefield. Cromwell himself earned the nickname Old Ironsides.

New Model Army

At the beginning of the Civil War, Parliament relied on soldiers recruited by large landowners who supported their cause. In February 1645, Parliament decided to form a new army of professional soldiers. This army of 22,000 men became known as the New Model Army and its commander-in-chief was General Thomas Fairfax. Cromwell was placed in charge of its cavalry.

Members of the New Model Army received proper military training and by the time they went into battle they were very well-disciplined. Previously, people only became officers because they came from powerful and wealthy families. In the New Model Army men were promoted when they showed themselves to be good soldiers. For the first time it became possible for working-class men to become army officers. Cromwell thought it was very important that soldiers in the New Model Army believed strongly in what they were fighting for. Where possible he recruited men who, like him, held strong Puritan views and the New Model Army always went into battle singing psalms, convinced that God was on their side.

The Battle of Naseby

The New Model Army took part in its first major battle just outside the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire on 14 June 1645. The battle began when Prince Rupert led a charge against the left wing of the parliamentary cavalry which scattered and Rupert's men then gave chase. While this was going on Cromwell launched an attack on the left wing of the royalist cavalry. This was also successful and the royalists that survived the initial charge fled from the battlefield. Cromwell then ordered his cavalry to attack the now unprotected flanks of the infantry. Charles I was waiting with 1,200 men in reserve, but instead of ordering them forward to help his infantry he decided to retreat. Without support from the cavalry, the royalist infantry realised their task was impossible and surrendered. By the time Prince Rupert's cavalry returned to the battlefield the fighting had ended and his horses were exhausted after their long chase and not in a fit state to take on Cromwell's cavalry. The prince had no option but to ride off in search of the fleeing Charles I.

The battle was disastrous for the king, with 1,000 of his men killed, and another 4,500 of his most experienced men taken prisoner. The Parliamentary forces were also able to capture the Royalist baggage train that contained the king's complete stock of guns and ammunition. After Naseby, Charles was never able to raise another army strong enough to defeat the parliamentary army in a major battle.

Second English Civil War

In January 1647, Charles I fled to Scotland where he was captured and handed over to the New Model Army. Charles was imprisoned in Hampton Court, but in November 1647 he escaped and managed to rally support to raise another army. This time he was able to persuade the Scots to fight on his side. However, in August 1648 Cromwell's New Model Army defeated the Scots army (the "Engagers") at Preston, where Cromwell tool sole command for the first time over an army of 9,000, which won a brilliant victory against the 18,000 strong Scots force.Once again Charles was taken prisoner.

Politics and regicide

Now that Parliament was in full control of England its members began to argue amongst themselves. Most Members of Parliament were Presbyterians, and were willing to share power with the king. Presbyterians also had strong feelings on religion. They disapproved of other puritan groups such as the Anabaptists, Quakers and Congregationalists and wanted them suppressed. The other major group were called the Independents. They tended to be followers of the religious groups that the Presbyterians wanted to suppress. The Independents argued for a policy of religious toleration. Some Independents also wanted to bring an end to the monarchy.

The Independents had a strong following in the New Model Army and had the support of Cromwell. Afraid of their power, Presbyterian members of the House of Commons now tried to disband the army. The soldiers were furious, especially as Parliament made no effort to pay them the wages that were due to them. The army decided to take action and the Presbyterians were expelled from Parliament. With the Independents now in control, it was decided to put Charles I on trial as a traitor. In 1649 Charles was found guilty and executed by beheading outside his Whitehall Palace.

The Independents now passed a series of new laws. The monarchy, the House of Lords and the Anglican church were abolished. Lands owned by the royal family and the church were sold and the money was used to pay the parliamentary soldiers. The Independents also kept their promise regarding religious toleration. People were no longer fined for not attending their local church. However, everyone was still expected to attend some form of religious worship on Sundays.

This article is currently being updated.