Why Have Interpretations of Oliver Cromwell Changed over the Centuries?

Though she only lived to some 35 years and her reign as Queen Consort of England lasted a mere three years, Anne Boleyn, loved by many among the royal court and referred to as the “great whore” by her many enemies, left a legacy that will last through the ages as one of the most famous and influential royals of all time. Ultimately, it was King Henry VIII’s romantic interest in the young Anne, and his desire to produce a legitimate male heir, that led him to disavow his relationship with Pope Clement VII and the Catholic Church, to found the Church of England and begin a period of religious and political change known as the English Reformation.

There are many interpretations of Oliver Cromwell as he lived in the 17th century, he was seen differently at that time than he is seen today. There are different interpretations because historians might have been biased because they were on one side at that time and unbiased now. Another reason could be that people at that time knew more about him then people do now. However, religion and nationality changed people’s minds too.

The success of Parliament during the first phase of the English Civil War can be attributed to Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army. This army consisted of radical Puritans and Independents, who believed they were fighting for God. Cromwell was one of the Independents. The first phase of the war was ended with capture of Charles I. Blinded by his belief in divine right, Charles took advantage Parliament’s troubles and decided to flee to the Scots for protection. The Rump Parliament now accused the king of treason saying that he had acted as a tyrant, traitor, murder, and a public enemy to the good people of the nation. Charles was beheaded for his actions in 1649 and his attempt at absolutism was put an end. This was a great achievement in the rise of absolutism, as Parliament continued to gain more power in England with every passing monarchy. After the death of Charles I, his son Charles II rose to power (during the civil war). The Roundheads, supporters of Parliament, were victorious by the end of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of England and held all executive power; legislative power was given to Parliament. Cromwell came to find that it was difficult to work with Parliament, even more so when members debated his authority. Six years after the death of Charles I, who Cromwell fought so hard to eliminate, Cromwell himself had done the exact same thing as Charles; demolish Parliament.

Oliver Cromwell is – and has always been – one of the most controversial characters in British and Irish history. There are few people in Great Britain and Ireland today who have not yet heard of Oliver Cromwell and either loathe him or see him as a hero. Yet, the world is not black and white and so is the truth about Cromwell. In order to understand his role in both countries as a whole, one has to look at the perspective of both nations, Cromwell’s beliefs and his motives.

Throughout the 1700’s there was an array of enlightenment thinkers and many of the spoke at the virginia convention and they discussed the idea of whether or not to go to war with Britain. One of the speeches made that day was “Patrick Henry's speech in the Virginia Convention”. In order to convince the delegates to secede from Britain and to fight back against then Henry employs cause and effect, intellectual diction, as well as powerful metaphors to substantiate his argument.

During the 1770s, Britain had multiple conflicts with the colonists, leading to a strained relationship between Britain and its colonies. Talk of revolution and rebellion began to unite the colonies and their people with a common passion. Patrick Henry, a Virginian orator, uses moving words that had influences on the rise of the revolution. In Henry’s famous speech he persuades the House of Burgesses in opposition to the Stamp Act. Henry exclaims, “‘We must fight! I repeat it, sir we must fight!’” (Henry 72). He encourages the Virginian legislature to stand and revolt against British tyranny and oppression. Henry’s use of literary elements in this speech makes all the difference on the impact and influence that Henry’s words have over his listeners. His use of metaphors and repetition give his speech a more lasting effect and feeling in

From around 1450 to 1650 is referred to as The Early Modern Period (True, “The Early Modern Period” slide 2). This point in history is marked with important people, movements, and advancements in technology (True, “The Early Modern Period”). Some of the most prominent names from this time are Martin Luther, King Henry VII, and John Wycliffe (True, “The Protestant Reformation”). All of these people played a significant role in the movement referred to as the Protestant Reformation. For instance, William Tyndale was able to produce one of the first English versions of the bible (True, “William Tyndale” slide 3). All of these people left their mark on history in some way. Another important, but

King Henry VIII was an important figure in helping to kick start the Reformation in England, even though it was not his intent. His break with the Papacy and his constantly changing ideas on how the new Church of England should be run gave the Protestants the foothold they needed to gain popularity in Europe. Although his intentions were purely politically motivated, he started a change in the way the layman viewed the church and how it should be run.

hated by his subjects. However, this misconception of mine changed when I read that while he was on his way to Parliament in his carriage, the crowd was cheering for him and he seemed popular with them during that time period. He was not as cruel or oppressive as how many people in the colonies suspected him to be. In fact, he behaved more like a common English gentleman who loved gardening, enjoyed building up his library and had a fine sense of art. Being patriotic and the leader of England he felt it was his duty to preserve the British empire, a legacy he had inherited; though averse to going to war circumstances forced him to make this choice in order to safeguard his country's interests. His decision to fight the American colonist was

There are many interpretations of Oliver Cromwell as he lived in the 17th century, he was seen differently at that time than he is seen today. There are different interpretations because historians might have been biased because they were on one side at that time and unbiased now. Another reason could be that people at that time knew more about him then people do now. However, religion and nationality changed people’s minds too.

Oliver Cromwell and his New Modern Army were heavily motivated by their political and religious beliefs, these beliefs gave them motivation and helped them succeed in their mission. At the time of the invasion of Ireland, England had just finished a civil war of its own. The parliamentary party just defeated King Charles to gain control over England. This party was strongly founded on the principal of Protestantism, rather than Catholicism. The New Model Army was motivated through political means, due in part to the allegiance between the Royalists and the Catholic rebels in Ireland. The New Model Army had already defeated the Royalists in England and as such they had a vendetta against them in Ireland. The New Model Army, especially Oliver

King Henry VIII was one of the most powerful rulers in the fifteenth century, who had a very captivating life many people are not aware of. Most people know Henry VIII as a berserk king with too many wives, but there is more to Henry VIII than that. Many few people know about his life and what he truly contributed to our world. Henry VIII was an almighty leader in England who won’t soon be forgotten.

He had failed doing this, as the amount of hate received from Ireland, Scotland, and his own people were very displeased. His failure had made him have to call for the one thing he didn’t want, parliament. He needed the money and support that they could provide so he had to let parliament control the government again, as it was with Elizabeth. Charles mistakes had led to a civil war. The country chose sides, and parliament abolished many of the king’s choices. The country was a mess, and would never return to its full state. There was only one man to blame for this mess, and it was King Charles himself. On January 30th 1649 he was executed for being a traitor and for treason. James I and his son Charles I had made the government all about they in a way no other ruler had before. Because they did not have equal say in government or among the British people, England was in turmoil and had no worth to their once profound name. Having equal say could have kept some violent outbursts contained among certain groups of the British people. Equal representation could have controlled not only the citizen’s actions but the king’s actions as

Oliver Cromwell's Achievement of His Objectives from 1642 to 1658 To look at Cromwell’s aims and whether he achieved them or not is to enter “a minefield of` historical controversy and uncertainty,” as modern day historian Barry Coward put it. Cromwell’s aims have always been somewhat of a paradox so to answer whether he achieved them all would be impossible. Many of his goals contradicted or obstructed some of his other views. The views which he held closest to his heart were ‘Liberty of Conscience’ – Cromwell’s belief in religious toleration, a united National Church, the ‘Reformations of Manners’- his goal of a nation of Godly people, and social and legal reform. Although these were his most

Obviously, this is something that can be refuted, as all history can. If one looks at different sources and examines different areas or even examines it in a different light, a different conclusion can be made, but through all of the information given in her article, the reader can be convinced to agree with her. Before this article, Samuel Gorton was is often an unknown historical figure, but through her character development, all sides of his personality, his work and the events and his dissent, he turns into a understandable man who lived in the time period, along with what a Leveller is and what they support. She establishes Gorton as a Leveller by comparing and contrasting the beliefs of the group to Gorton’s personal beliefs exhibited through his writing, actions, religion and the writing of other about him. However, to make this argument more solid, she could have introduced more of a background on Levellers, because even with her definition and description they appear as sort of an ambiguous group, due to her focus almost completely on the ideas of theirs that coincide with Gorton’s. Overall, as Burnham securely establishes in her article, Samuel Gorton is a Leveller, in puritan New England that caused many problems due to his differing theological and political views which he expressed