25th April 1599, Oliver Cromwell was born

25th April 1599, Oliver Cromwell was born

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Oliver Cromwell was born in Huntingdon, a small town near Cambridge, on 25 April 1599.

Although not a direct descendent of Henry VIII's chief minister Thomas Cromwell, Oliver's great-great-grandfather, Morgan Williams, married Thomas’ sister Katherine in 1497.

The summer of 1642 saw the outbreak of the first English Civil War, between the Royalists (Cavaliers) who were the supporters of King Charles I, and the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) who favoured a constitutional monarchy - and later the abolition of the monarchy and the House of Lords completely.

From the very beginning Cromwell was a committed member of the parliamentary army.

He was swiftly promoted to second in command as lieutenant-general, followed by a further promotion to second in command of the newly formed main parliamentary army, the New Model Army in 1645.

When Civil War once again flared up in 1648 Cromwell’s military successes meant that his political influence had greatly increased.

December 1648 saw a split between those MPs who wished to continue to support the King and those such as Cromwell, who felt that the only way to bring a halt to the civil wars, was through Charles’ trial and execution.

Cromwell was the third of 59 MPs to sign Charles I death warrant.

Following the King’s execution in 1649, The Commonwealth of England was introduced and lead by a Council of State, to replace the monarchy.

Cromwell led the English military campaigns to establish control of Ireland in 1649 and later Scotland in 1650.

This resulted in the end of the Civil War, and the introduction of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Cromwell was appointed to Lord General, effectively commander in chief, of the parliamentary armed forces in 1650.

In December 1653, Cromwell became Lord Protector, a role in which he remained until his death five years later.

It is thought that Cromwell suffered from kidney stones or similar urinary/kidney complaints, and in 1658 in the aftermath of malarial fever, Cromwell was once again struck down with a urinary infection.

This saw his health decline and his eventual death at the age of 59, on Friday 3rd September.

It is thought that Cromwell’s death was caused by septicemia brought on by the infection, although his grief following the death of his supposed favourite daughter Elizabeth the previous month from what is thought to be cancer certainly contributed to his rapid decline.

Both Cromwell and his daughter received an elaborate funeral ceremony and buried in a newly-created vault in Henry VII’s chapel at Westminster Abbey.

On 30th January 1661, Oliver Cromwell’s body was removed from Westminster Abbey, to be posthumously tried for high treason and ‘executed’.

This symbolic date was chosen to coincide with the execution of Charles I twelve years previously.

His body was hung from the Tyburn gallows in chains, before being bEheaded at sunset.

The body was then thrown in a common grave and the head displayed on a twenty foot spike at Westminster Hall.

The head remained there until 1685, when a storm caused the spike to break, tossing the head to the ground below.

Cromwell’s head was found by a soldier, who hid it in his chimney.

On his deathbed, he bequeathed the relic to his daughter.

In 1710 the head appeared in a ‘Freak Show’, described as ‘The Monster’s Head’.

For many years the head passed through numerous hands, the value increasing with each transaction, until a Dr. Wilkinson bought it.

The head was offered by the Wilkinson family to Sydney Sussex College in 1960.

It was given a dignified burial in a secret place in the college grounds.

Despite his death over 350 years ago - Cromwell continues to provoke a strong reaction following his significant role in a dramatic and troubled period of British history.....

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https://www.historic-uk.com/.../Historyo.../Oliver-Cromwell/

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders