Cromwell, Oliver (1599–1658)

Oliver Cromwell, a painting attributed to Van Dyck. Lord Protector and virtual dictator of England after the execution of Charles I, Cromwell inherited a divided and war-weary nation, to which he forcibly united Scotland and Ireland for the first time in their histories. His rule became associated with an unpopular type of Puritan zeal, and the Stuart Charles II was welcomed back by most of Britain after Cromwell's death.

A silver crown of 1658, depicting English statesman and general Oliver Cromwell in Roman style, wearing a laurel wreath. A Puritan leader, Cromwell came to power as Lord Protector in 1653. After the restoration of the monarchy, Cromwell was reviled: his bones were hung up at Tyburn, London, and his head was displayed on a pole.

Oliver Cromwell, in a portrait attributed to Anthony van Dyck. This was the year in which King Charles I was beheaded, and when Cromwell declared Britain a republic – the Commonwealth.

English general and politician, Puritan leader of the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War. He raised cavalry forces (later called ‘Ironsides’), which aided the victory at Marston Moor in 1644, and organized the New Model Army, which he led (with General Fairfax) to victory at Naseby in 1645. He declared Britain a republic (the Commonwealth) in 1649, following the execution of Charles I. As Lord Protector (ruler) from 1653, Cromwell established religious toleration and raised Britain's prestige in Europe on the basis of an alliance with France against Spain.

Cromwell was a critic of Charles I and became active in events leading to the Civil War. He signed the king's death warrant in 1648 and in the power struggle that followed sided with the army and the establishment of the Commonwealth. He expelled Parliament and established the Protectorate. His foreign policy was dictated by religious and commercial considerations; he found no constitutional basis for his rule and refused the crown 1657.