Oliver Cromwell

was a villain. There are many pieces of evidence for this, one being because in 1 he sent the New Model Army to kill thousands of men, women and children in Drogheda in Ireland then became Lord Protector. Hundreds people hid in a church but Cromwell ordered it to be burnt down, all the local priests and many innocent people were burnt alive.  Most people thought this was extremely unnecessary and shows Cromwell to be heartless.  But the Irish refused to surrender when they were given the chance. In 1650 he also sent his army to crush Scotland. People were worried that Britain was sliding into the madness of religious wars. Another reason was that Cromwell made a lot of changes, for example; he dissolved the parliament when it suited him. He is also a villain because he was one of several names on the king’s death warrant. Another point was that Cromwell was after power to himself. He stood outside of Parliament and barred all of the MPs who disagreed with his beliefs from entering. This showed that he was determined to have a country the way he wanted it to be. Cromwell was also a villain because he killed many people who weren’t the same religion as him. Other people believe that Cromwell was a hero. The main reason being because he created the New Model Army. They were a well-paid, fed and equipped army. They were successful for many reasons and in many different ways. The Civil Wars which broke out in 1642, made it clear that he had unexpected talents and abilities. Though totally lacking in previous military experience, he created and led a superb force of cavalry. He led this army for many years. Another reason that some people think Cromwell was a hero is because when he was offered the crown he did not accept it. This was because in those days most kings had a bad reputation. Cromwell didn’t want to be thought of badly and he was then known as “lord protector”. Overall I don’t know if Cromwell was a hero or villain because I have many points for both sides of the argument. By Sophie Roche 8N2A