Oliver Cromwell is best known as the man who overthrew King Charles I and disrupted the long-held belief in the divine right of kings to rule England as ‘God’s representative on Earth’. He was a deeply religious Puritan who sought to reform the Church of England and change the way the country was ruled. Yet despite being buried in Westminster Abbey, his beginnings were far more humble. Here are some interesting Oliver Cromwell facts about England’s first – and last Lord Protector.
1- Early life in Cambridge
Oliver Cromwell was born on 25 April 1599 in Huntingdon in Cambridge. One of ten children, he was the only boy who lived longer than infancy. He studied at Cambridge University and managed a small estate. At 21, he married Elizabeth Bourchier, daughter of a leather merchant from London, and they had nine children of their own. He fostered an interest in politics and was elected as MP for Huntingdon in 1628. However, his political career did not get off to a stellar start and he was recorded as being a fairly mediocre backbencher. His ambitions were also hindered by King Charles I dismissing Parliament the following year and not recalling it for 11 years.
2- A reprimand leads to the farming life
In 1630, Cromwell was caught in a dispute in Huntingdon when he was angry that he had not been appointed an alderman under the town’s new charter. He argued his case before the King’s Privy Council, which reprimanded him for pursuing his own selfish interests. This, along with financial worries, caused Oliver Cromwell to move away from Huntingdon in 1631, settling near St Ives for a time and working as a yeoman farmer. After an inheritance restored the family fortunes somewhat a few years later, the Cromwell family moved again, this time back to Ely in Cambridgeshire.
3- Spiritual awakening
At some point during this agricultural stage of his life, Oliver Cromwell underwent a powerful spiritual awakening. He became a Puritan Christian, convinced that God would direct his purpose. He wrote in a letter to his cousin: “My soul is with the congregation of the firstborn, my body rests in hope. The Lord accepts me in His Son and gives me to walk in the light, as he is in the light. Blessed be His name for shining on so dark a heart as mine!"
4- Bringing Oliver Cromwell religion into his politics
Oliver Cromwell’s strengthened Christian beliefs led him back into politics in 1640, when he was elected as MP once again – this time for Cambridge. He became a key figure in what was known as the Long Parliament, sitting on several committees that discussed Parliamentary reform and defence of the Protestant reformation of the Church of England. His was a passionate faith and he once proposed bill for “the abolition of superstition and idolatry and for the better advancement of true worship and service of God." In other words, his contempt for the concept of the divine right of kings was rapidly gaining traction. The Long Parliament had already made several significant changes, that reduced the monarch’s power, including preventing him from dissolving Parliament without the consent of its members.
5- Roundheads and Cavaliers
By 1642, King Charles I had declared Civil War on Parliament. Cromwell left London to lead a military regiment based in Huntingdon. This was despite having had no previous military experience. Cromwell and Parliament’s supporters were colloquially known as the Roundheads due to the close-cropped style in which they wore their hair. By contrast, the Kings forces were nicknamed Cavaliers – a name that had connotations of foppish aristocracy who looked down on those lower than them on the social scale.
6- Roundhead victory – and a ‘cruel necessity’
A few years into the conflict, Parliament established a professional army called the New Model Army following persuasion from Cromwell to do so. The army won a key victory over King Charles I’s troops in Naseby in 1645. This was the turning point in the Civil War and the start of the Roundheads’ victory. Three years later, Cromwell signed papers declaring King Charles I a traitor. Charles I was executed by beheading the following year, an act he described as a ‘cruel necessity’. Cromwell became the undisputed leader of Parliament and worked to foster unity between those who supported the removal of the monarchy and those who wanted to eventually work towards its restoration.
7- A pattern of European rebellion
Cromwell had taken charge at a restless time across England and Europe. Rebellion against the ruling classes was on the increase and people were becoming less afraid to speak out and fight for reform. For instance, Spanish rule across the Hapsburg domains was being vehemently challenged in many areas. This included a short-lived rebellion in Naples in 1647 by Italian fisherman, Tommaso Aniello (known as Masaniello). At the age of 27, he led a revolt against the Hapsburg Spanish rulers of Naples and their taxes imposed on fruit. Despite being successful, Masaniello was executed shortly after by assassins hired by Spanish nobles.
Discover the Medallion: 1658 Naval Action Off Tory Island Historical Medallion by W Muller
8- Royalist rebellion creates Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector
Meanwhile, Oliver Cromwell was battling his own Royalist rebellions in Scotland and Ireland. In 1650, the Battle of Dunbar was fought between the New Model Army and Scottish troops who wanted to accept Charles I’s son, Charles II, as their king. Cromwell’s army emerged victorious. In 1653, Cromwell became the self-styled Lord Protector, assuming the leadership role of the monarch without officially accepting the name or powers of King.
Discover the Medallion: 1650 Battle of Dunbar, Military Reward Historical Medallion by T Simon
9- Christmas curtailed
Cromwell’s rule was influenced by his Puritanical beliefs. It is commonly quoted that Cromwell ‘banned Christmas’ during his time as Lord Protector. This is true to an extent. While the Christian festival was not made illegal in itself, Cromwell’s Parliament passed laws requiring people to refrain from celebrating the occasion joyously, ordering them instead to spend it in respectful contemplation. Cromwell instructed shops to stay open on Christmas Day and had soldiers patrol the streets to seize food being prepared for Christmas feasts. This edict proved unsurprisingly unpopular among many people and several pro-Christmas riots broke out in the streets.
10- You only die twice?
Cromwell died in 1658, possibly from septicaemia. He was buried in Westminster Abbey In London with lavish pomp and ceremony. Just two years after the death of Oliver Cromwell, however, the country had rejected his style of Republican rule and reverted back to having a monarchy. Charles I’s son, now recognised as Charles II, came out of hiding and was declared King in 1660. In 1661, Cromwell’s body was exhumed and hanged before his head was cut off and displayed on a spike outside Westminster Abbey. Here it stayed until 1685. It was eventually reburied at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, but not until three hundred years later in 1960. Its exact location remains a secret to this day.