Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Protestant military leader in the English civil war. 

Cromwell was born in Huntingdon on 25 April 1599.

Prior to his birth in 1538, Thomas Cromwell, (Oliver’s grandfather’s kinsman), acting under Henry VIII created the fortunes of Oliver’s grandparents with the dissolution of monastery land. In gratitude, his grandparents changed their family name from Williams, to that of their kinsman-benefactor, Cromwell. However, Oliver's father, being the youngest son, inherited the least and after his death Oliver supported his mother and eight children on only a moderate income.

On March 24, 1603 (Cromwell being nearly 5yrs), King James VI of Scotland, determined to escape the pressures of the Scottish Presbyterians, became King James I of England. This ended the line of Scottish kings. James’s English predecessor, Queen Elizabeth, had died childless with no named successor but felt comfortable with the prospect of James taking over the throne. Interestingly, Reformer John Knox read the sermon when James was crowned. 

King James (picture) used the publication of his Bible (KJV) to try and buy the Puritans into submission. It was only after a 1000 signature Puritan Party petition seeking a bible that would be acceptable to both parties that the king agreed to commission the KJV in the first place. When the Puritans, having received their bible, didn’t submit to the traditions of the English Church as expected, persecution followed.
William Shakespeare was one of James’s loyal subjects. Theatre and writing therefore thrived unhindered under his reign. 

When King James’s son, Charles I, became king in 1625 he enforced his father’s jurisdiction of “the divine right of kings”. Predictably, he clashed with Parliament therefore began ruling without it between 1629 and 1640. Under Charles, the Archbishop of Canterbury employed heavy-handed measures to force the Puritan clergy into conforming. This caused many to immigrate to America, leaving the many Protestants who remained in England to resent Charles’s rule even more. 

Eventually, this resentment toward the Anglicans created separatism between themselves and those loyal to Charles. This resulted in the birth of the Congregational Church.
Charles (picture) ventured north but was unsuccessful in imposing the Anglican Church upon Scotland and so, declared war. Having no option but to seek Parliaments approval to raise taxes for the war, he encountered conflict. Parliament was divided between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians (who were mainly Scottish Presbyterians).
The Royalists abandoned Parliament, and in defiance, offered allegiance to King Charles’s forces.
Many English people sought the establishment of a democratic parliamentary system of civil government contrary to Charles’s accepted belief of "the divine right of Kings". This all set the stage for someone to rise up as an ambassador for the common person. 

Cromwell's early years were ordinary, but after his conversion at age 27, he was seized by a sense of divine destiny, and became zealous for God. He was described as a country squire who worked on the farm, prayed and fasted often. He was known to have exhorted many fellow Christians “to the Lords work” during church meetings.
As a young adult, Cromwell whilst viewing himself as a Puritan, disliked much about both parties. He viewed both the Presbyterians and the Episcopal Church (the Royalists), in their struggle for domination, as coming between the people and God at their heart level. 

Oliver Cromwell’s career in politics began when he was elected to the House of Commons in 1628.
He was ready to immigrate to America in 1634 after unsuccessfully trying to get Charles to see his error. However he was persuaded otherwise, and in 1642 helped organise defense against Charles’s army in his locality, The Puritans, or "Roundheads" as they were called, decided to lead a civil war against the King and by doing so, in affect joined Scotland in becoming one of the Kings foes. 

An important development occurred during the Civil War.
The English Parliament commissioned the Westminster Assembly to develop “The Creed of the Church of England”. The Westminster Confession of Faith, as it was called, was completed in 1646 affirming a strong Calvinistic position and “disavowed the errors of Roman Catholicism, Armininanism and Sectarianism”.
This became the basis for Reformed Theology and freedom of worship. Much of the freedom we have today in the West can be attributed to this confession. 

When Cromwell discerned weaknesses in the Roundhead Army, he made himself “Captain of the Cavalry”. His faith convinced him of the evils of Charles’s regime and the justness of his own role in the Civil War. He had never been trained in war, but almost immediately showed his genius as a General. He understood that successful revolutions were always fought by farmers, so he gathered a thousand handpicked farming Puritans who knew the land. They were made up almost entirely of Baptists and Congregationalists.  

Cromwell like many Puritans, believed in “the working of God in the affairs of men”.
His regiment was nicknamed "Ironsides", reflecting their armor, and grew to 21,000 men - all viewing their role in English history as a personal call from God.  

Cromwell was a great follower of Old Testament military strategies. His men prayed before battles, would recite the Westminster Confession, and march into battle singing the Psalms of David, which often struck bewilderment and terror into the heart of the enemy. They never lost a battle, although they fought greatly outnumbered (at times, three to one). It was an army strategy, the likes of which hadn't been seen since O.T Israel times.
John Bunyan, (picture) author of Pilgrim's Progress served under his command, and John Milton, who penned Paradise Lost, served as his personal secretary. 

Parliament’s Puritan forces, led by Cromwell, were initially supported by the Scots. They defeated Charles’s army and compelled him to surrender in 1646. However, through secret concessions Charles formed an alliance with the Scots to entice them to his side, however they also met defeat when they confronted Cromwell at Preston in 1648. After this battle, Charles was captured, tried and condemned to death. 

Charles’s eldest son attempted to save his condemned father's life. From exile in France, he presented to Parliament a signed blank sheet of paper which would have allowed the government to agree to whatever terms necessary to save his father's life. It was rejected, and Cromwell executed Charles personally on Jan 30 1649. 

Cromwell’s army, soon after setting up its own Parliament (a rump-parliament) enforced its Puritan Christian ideals. They attempted to ‘Christianise’ the country by law. They disallowed dancing, closed down pubs, and allowed only Christian music in public places, and in England in 1652 banned Christmas. The Pilgrims in New England (an American strand of Puritanism) also disapproved of Christmas, outlawing it in Boston between the years of 1659 to 1681.  

Cromwell went on to subjugate Ireland (1649) and Scotland (1651).
As Commander-in-Chief of the army, he was able to seize rulership and reign as "Lord Protector". Cromwell became Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1653, - the only non-monarch to hold this position.  

In 1654 he ended the war with the Dutch, (which he had always disapproved of).
In 1657 Cromwell’s parliament offered him the office of Kingship, however Cromwell refused and instead accepted a new position of “Commander-in-Chief and Head of State”.  

The success of the new democracy in England was short-lived. Cromwell found that the new form of government being run by squires and lords oppressed the common people and were almost as corrupt as the deposed King Charles, (whom the Catholics had since honoured as a martyr).
In time the execution of Charles proved to be a mistake. Initially, in the eyes of the Royalist, the king was seen as been executed by “rebels”, however after a publicized portrait of his execution, and the publication of Charles’s autobiography The Royal Image, he was afterward viewed as been martyred by “religious fanatics” (the Puritans). This tainted Puritanism and religious fervor with accusations of fanatical religious enthusiasm, an image that has lasted to this day throughout much of the western world.  

Under Cromwell, England acquired her first colonies, and a good international reputation. Whilst he failed in his expedition to the West Indies, they accidentally captured Jamaica.
During the fifteen years in which Cromwell ruled, he drove pirates from the Mediterranean Sea, set English captives free, and subdued any threat from France, Spain and Italy.
He also maintained a previously unknown degree of tolerance for rival denominations. For example, he stood for a National Church without bishops. Ministers could be Presbyterian, or Baptist, or even Independent. He also initiated the first steps to allow the Jewish community to live freely in England.
However his ideals of toleration did not extend as far toward the Catholics or Anglicans. The Irish were denied the right to celebrate the Mass, and in England the Catholics were only allowed to celebrate it in their homes. 

As well as establishing peace after the Civil War, and turning England into a feared world power, Cromwell established “nonconformity” (a refusal to submit to unbiblical traditions) which endured in England until the 20^th century.
Cromwell died in 1658. His office executing ‘The Rule of the Saints’ in political terms, has never had a successor. 

Oliver Cromwell’s throne was succeeded by his son Richard, whose reign lasted less than two years. The frustrations of those excluded from Richards’s new regime led to Richard’s overthrow in 1659.
The Puritans had the unique opportunity to reform the national Church of England but failed because of their internal dissentions.
The anarchy that followed was ended by the restoration of [Catholic] Charles II (picture) in 1660 after returning from exile. He was the only surviving son of Charles I, but also a promiscuous drunk.
Charles II went on to promote the ‘English Trading Triangle’ (slavery) allowing up to 3,000 per year, and persecuted the Puritans and believers including John Bunyan (who wrote ‘Pilgrims Progress’ while in prison).