| Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), also known by his | | | | Much of the Army - including Cromwell - had now |
| nickname "Ironsides", was an English general during | | | | lost patience with Charles, who had plunged the |
| the English Civil War and later the Lord Protector | | | | two kingdoms (England and Scotland) into war |
| of England, Scotland and Ireland. After studying | | | | again. Cromwell joined the movement calling for |
| law, Cromwell was converted to a form of | | | | the King to be put on trial. Charles was tried and |
| Christianity known as religious Puritanism. In 1628 | | | | executed in January 1649. |
| he sat as the Member of Parliament for | | | | The Commonwealth |
| Huntingdon until the Parliament was dissolved by | | | | The monarchy and the House of Lords were now |
| King Charles I. | | | | abolished and the Commonwealth (a purged |
| Charles fundamentally believed in the divine right | | | | remnant of the Lower House, or House of |
| of kings and he was not responsible to any | | | | Commons, of the Parliament, which was also |
| Parliament. Underlying this was an ideological | | | | known as the "Rump") established, with Cromwell |
| conflict: between those who (like Charles) believed | | | | as the chairman of the Council of State. |
| in the absolute authority of the monarchy and | | | | Cromwell wiped out the remaining Royalist armed |
| those who believed in the authority of the | | | | forces in the massacres of the garrisons at |
| Parliament. | | | | Drogheda and Wexford, Ireland (1649). He also |
| Cromwell became a farmer and then in 1640, | | | | defeated the supporters of King Charles II |
| when Parliament had been recalled, sat in the | | | | (Charles I's successor as monarch) in the battles |
| Short and Long Parliaments as a zealous Puritan. | | | | of Dunbar (1649) and Worcester (1651) in |
| The English Civil Wars | | | | Scotland. |
| At the outbreak of the First Civil War in 1642 | | | | The Protectorate |
| between King Charles I's armed forces (the | | | | Frustrated by by the ongoing obstructions in |
| Royalists or the Cavaliers) and the armed forces | | | | Parliament, Cromwell dissolved the "Rump", and |
| of the Parliament (the Parliamentarians or the | | | | ruled briefly as head of the Puritan Convention |
| Roundheads), Cromwell formed an armed force in | | | | and then, after a new Constitution (called the |
| support of the Parliament's Army. This force was | | | | "Instrument of Government" and which aimed to |
| trained with great discipline and morality, and it | | | | restrain the personal authority of the ruler) had |
| became known as the New Model Army. | | | | been brought in, ruled as Lord Protector. |
| Cromwell's force fought the Royalist forces at | | | | In 1654 he made peace with Holland and signed |
| Edgehill and later, with Cromwell now a | | | | commercial treaties with France, Portugal, Sweden |
| Lieutenant-General, won victories over the | | | | and Denmark. Cromwell suppressed a Royalist |
| Royalists at Marston Moor (1644) and Naseby | | | | uprising in 1655 and then dissolved Parliament again |
| (1645). | | | | and set up a system of regional rule, with England |
| Charles I was then taken into custody by the | | | | divided into eleven military districts, each under |
| Parliament. | | | | the control of a Major General. |
| Cromwell tried to negotiate a peace and offered | | | | In 1655-58 he successfully fought Spain, both at |
| to restore King Charles I to his throne with | | | | sea and on land. Cromwell summoned another |
| certain constitutional limitations. Cromwell's offer, a | | | | Parliament in 1656. He was refused the offer to |
| more liberal offer that acceptable to many other | | | | be crowned as king, asking instead for the |
| Parliamentarians, was not accepted by Charles I. | | | | authority to name his successor. His relationship |
| The Second English Civil War broke out with | | | | with the Parliament worsened once again, forcing |
| Charles I escaping to the Isle of Wight, where he | | | | him to dissolve it again in 1658. He then ruled |
| rallied Scottish Royalist supporters to arms again. | | | | absolutely until his death on September 3, 1658. |