Oliver Cromwell | |
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A 1656 Samuel Cooper portrait of Cromwell
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1st Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland | |
In office 16 December 1653 – 3 September 1658 |
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Preceded by | Council of State |
Succeeded by | Richard Cromwell |
Member of Parliament for Cambridge |
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In office 1640–1649 |
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Monarch | Charles I |
Member of Parliament for Huntingdon |
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In office 1628–1629 |
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Monarch | Charles I |
Personal details | |
Born |
Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, Kingdom of England |
25 April 1599
Died | 3 September 1658 Whitehall, London, The Protectorate |
(aged 59)
Resting place | Tyburn, London |
Nationality | English |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Bourchier |
Relations |
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Children |
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Alma mater | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge |
Occupation | Farmer, parliamentarian, military commander |
Religion | Reformed (an Independent Puritan) |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Nickname(s) | "Old Ironsides" |
Allegiance | Roundhead |
Service/branch | Eastern Association (1643–1645); New Model Army (1645–1646) |
Years of service | 1643–1651 |
Rank | Colonel (1643 – bef. 1644); Lieutenant-General of Horse (bef. 1644–1645); Lieutenant-General of Cavalry (1645–1646) |
Commands | Cambridgeshire Ironsides (1643 – bef. 1644); Eastern Association (bef. 1644–1645); New Model Army (1645–1646) |
Battles/wars |
Royal styles of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth |
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Reference style | His Highness |
Spoken style | Your Highness |
Alternative style | Sir |
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader and later Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Cromwell was born into the middle gentry, albeit to a family descended from the sister of King Henry VIII's minister Thomas Cromwell. Little is known of the first 40 years of his life as only four of his personal letters survive alongside a summary of a speech he delivered in 1628. He became an Independent Puritan after undergoing a religious conversion in the 1630s, taking a generally tolerant view towards the many Protestant sects of his period. He was an intensely religious man, a self-styled Puritan Moses, and he fervently believed that God was guiding his victories. He was elected Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in 1628 and for Cambridge in the Short (1640) and Long (1640–1649) parliaments. He entered the English Civil War on the side of the "Roundheads" or Parliamentarians. Nicknamed "Old Ironsides", he demonstrated his ability as a commander and was quickly promoted from leading a single cavalry troop to being one of the principal commanders of the New Model Army, playing an important role in the defeat of the royalist forces.