What was he like?

During the interregnum, Oliver Cromwell was offered the crown several times by Parliament. He hemmed and hawed, and thought about it for a while but, he flatly refused the crown on May 8 1657.

Why was he so great?

Oliver was a very good king as he was strict and harsh when it came to punishment. He was born in 1599 but died in 1658. He was a good soldier as he was very brave and very intelligent.

Welcome to the Greatest Briton’s Factfile on......

Oliver Cromwell started off as an ordinary farmer, who later became one of the greatest Britons of all time. He became and Member of Parliament and then trained armies to a very high standard, using different methods to the usual way. He helped make Parliament win the Civil War and made England a stronger country.

After the Civil War, he became offical ‘Protector’ of England- refusing to be called King. In this slideshow, we will look at some of the important things Oliver Cromwell did in his life, and the different comparisons that make him the greatest Briton.

Oliver Cromwell- who was he?

Cromwell: Facts and figures

•Born in Huntingdon in 1599, Cromwell became a Puritan while studying at Cambridge. When he became an MP and reached parliament, his commanding voice made him stand out.

• He was elected to represent Cambridge City during the reign of Charles I - in the Short Parliament of April-May 1640, then in the Long Parliament lasting from August 1640 to April 1660.

•Soon the king was stripped of his power and parliament took control of policy and placed the army and navy under parliamentary watch. Civil war between royalists (Cavaliers) and parliamentarians (Roundheads) broke out in 1642, following Charles' failed attempt to arrest five MPs, and this was when Cromwell came into his own.

How does Oliver Cromwell compare with other Monarchs?

Oliver Cromwell (as you know) refused to be called ‘King’ and therefore was known as ‘Protector’ of England. Mind you, he did a better job of ruling the country then other Monarchs did.

• He trained a New Model Army

• He used Parliament to help him

Oliver Cromwell made the people of England happy once more and gave them Parliament back, so there were more advisors and less arguments. A few people were unhappy with the final decision of no King to rule the country as most European countries had one.

So why didn’t he want to be called ‘King’?

Oliver Cromwell did not (as you know) want to be called King. He was known as ‘Protector’ of England and ruled with the use of Parliament. People thought that Kings were chosen by God, and in a way, Cromwell was chosen by accident. People would have thought that if Cromwell was King, he only fought Charles so that he could take his place. This was not what Oliver Cromwell believed.

This was the first time England had ruled without a King, and it proved to be quite successful. Other European countries had a King which some people thought was a good thing but others did not. There were less arguments though, as Parliament was used to make decisions.

What does this have to do with religion?

•Religion was very important in the 16th and 17th century

•There were only two religions which were both Christian, Protestism and Catholicism

•Extreme Protestants were called Puritans, they thought King Charles wanted to make England a Catholic country.

•Puritans thought that Oliver Cromwell had got rid of the King because he wanted to be King, as he had the power to get rid of bishops.

•Oliver Cromwell was a Puitan.

Interesting and amazing facts

• Oliver and his wife Elizabeth slept in the same apartments at Hampton Court, breaking centuries of royal tradition.

• Unlike other Puritans, Cromwell loved drinking, dancing, race horsing and plays

• Cromwell loved practical jokes

• In January 1661, twelve years after the execution of Charles I, Cromwell's body was brought to Tyburn, the traditional site of public execution, to be hanged.

Remember...

England would not be the same as it is today if Cromwell wasn’t hadn’t intervened

If Cromwell had not stepped in, then our country could still be mainly run by the Monarch.This would not allow Parliament to have any word in how the country is run. This would cause many problems, repeating the past events when Charles I was reigning.So vote for this great leader whom we all look up to...

OLIVER CROMWELL

WHY WAS CROMWELL SO GREAT?

Cromwell was one of the greatest leaders of all time, not as a king but as a protector. He won many civil wars over King Charles I from Yorkshire to Leicestershire. He raised a very strong cavalry army, so strong he could defeat any army.

He made the new model army organised by

parliament.

INFORMATON ON CROMWELL

Oliver Cromwell was born in Huntingdon on April 25th 1599

Oliver was a strict Puritan

He died in 1658

He started wars when he was 43

He created and led a superb

force of cavalry

He went from captain to lieutenant-

general in 3 years

Oliver Cromwell was born on Huntingdon in 1599. He was puritan and was a farmer but this was all about to change .

Why Oliver was so great?

• Oliver was a great leader and showed respect to his soldiers.

• He punished soldiers that swore

• He practised and trained and made the new model army.

• This new model won every battle which raised their confidence.

The Protector

Oliver was chosen to be protector of England But refused to be king because he was not he was just a protector.He was chosen to be a protector because he was general of the army and had been an MP and was highly respected.

'I'm a monarchist but I believe that the greatest Briton ever was Oliver Cromwell, a Republican revolutionary who killed the King. Why? Because he was an ordinary man with a passion for this country. When Britain stood on the verge of anarchy he emerged from obscurity to help give us Parliamentary democracy - our proudest ever achievement. Not bad for a Fenland farmer.'

Prof. Richard

Holmes