In 1645 he became general of cavalry under Fairfax and played the principal role in defeating the king at the Battle of Naseby in 1645, which effectively ended the First Civil War, although fighting continued for another year before Charles escaped to Scotland. In January 1647, the Scots returned Charles to England. Cromwell was now the most prominent military commander in England. As such, he was involved in the intense debates regarding what form of government England should have and who should be allowed to vote. An important debate took place in the town of Putney in October 1647 and involved members of the army and the Levellers, a radical political group demanding franchise reform, religious toleration, and the overthrow of the monarchy. During the debates, Cromwell and his son-in-law, Henry Ireton, successfully faced down the Levellers. ''I do very much care whether a king or no king, lords or no lords, property or no property; and I think, if we do not all take care, we shall all have none of these very shortly.'' /2/
In 1647 Charles, who had refused to agree to demands made by Parliament and the army, escaped to the Isle of Wight and made an alliance with the Scots to invade England. This led to the start of the Second Civil War. Cromwell again united the army and put down an attack in Wales before defeating the Scots in the bloody Battle of Preston in August 1648. That year he expelled those who still wished to negotiate with king. Those who remained were known as the Rump Parliament. When Cromwell arrived back in London, he was an active member of the High Court of Justice set up for the king’s trial and signed the king’s death warrant.''He faced execution, on a platform raised outside the Banqueting House, with exemplary dignity, and there was much popular sympathy for his plight''./3/ For the next two years Cromwell remained a soldier in service to the state. The new Commonwealth had powerful enemies, especially in Ireland and Scotland, where Charles II, son of Charles I, was proclaimed king. The following year Cromwell won one of his greatest victories against overwhelming enemies at Dunbar on 3rd September 1650. Cromwell was now regarded as the savior of the Commonwealth. In December 1653 Cromwell refused to accept the crown and was instead named Lord Protector. He ruled as head of the military with a Council of State and a Parliament that met every three years and included members from England, Scotland, and Ireland. His government took on the look of a royal court, and on his deathbed he nominated his eldest son, Richard Cromwell, to succeed him.
Cromwell died on 3rd September 1658. He was one of the most important person in the English history. He was a puritan, great military leader and a member of parliament As a general he was universally successful, but as a politician he experienced more frustration than achievement. His government enjoyed little support, even from those who had fought against the king, and his efforts to establish stability after 15 years of civil war came to nothing. He refused to rule as a military dictator but struggled to rule as a constitutional officer. The revolution that he, more than anyone, had made possible could not survive his death, and in 1660 the monarchy was restored in England with Charles II taking the throne.
/1/- Cromwell's letter from the Marston Moor to his brother, Colonel Valentine Walton source: Carlyle Thomas: Oliver Cromwell: Leters and speeches
/2/- Part of the speech for the Levelers;
source: Brian MacArthur: The penguin book of historic speeches
/3/- Essay: Killing of the king by Ian Roy
Bibliography:
Ashley Maurice. Charles I and Oliver Cromwell: A Study in Contrasts and Comparisons.
Brian MacArthur: The penguin book of historic speeches
Carlyle Thomas: Oliver Cromwell: Leters and speechesAshley Maurice. Charles I and Oliver Cromwell: A Study in Contrasts and Comparisons.
Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia deluxe 2001
name:Marek Novotný year:2003/04
group:3Z
