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Essay on Oliver Cromwell
| Date: |
01-27-01 10:57am |
| Subject: |
History |
| Word Count: |
502 |
| Page Count: |
2.01 |
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was born on April 25, 1599 at Huntingdon. He was born into a political family who gave contributions to parliament. After forty-years of being an outspoken politician, he was chosen by his peers to represent Cambridge in the Long Parliament. During this time England was in turmoil with Civil War. In Ireland, just one year after joining Parliament, the rebellion of 1641 broke out against Protestant and English settlers. With England fighting amongst themselves they had no time to remedy the problems in Ireland. Cromwell raised a Calvary regiment, called the Iron Sides. After being a critical factor in many battles during the civil war he was appointed Lieutenant. General . In 1645 he took part in the battle of Naseby, the decisive battle in the Civil War. In 1648 he came to the conclusion that Charles I should be held responsible for renewing the civil war. The king was tried and executed. In 1649, with the conflict in England settled, they could concentrate on the issue of Ireland.
Cromwell and 12,000 troops landed in Dublin on August 15, 1649. Cromwell was so determined to rectify the atrocities against his fellow Protestants that his efficiency in wiping out the Irish Catholics made him the most feared man in Ireland. The purpose of his ruthlessness was to eradicate the revolt and to clear the land and make it safe for English settlement. On September 11th his army invaded the town of Drogheda, killing all 3,500 soldiers and civilians. Cromwell ordered his men to put all to the sword. In October, he seized Wexford killing over 2,000 soldiers, leaving no survivors. These two victories were all the English forces needed. In May 1650 he and his men returned home.
These defeats broke the backs of the Irish. It took decades to rebuild, and independence seemed very distant. It would take almost a century before the Irish could recover from Cromwell's invasion. His Parliament transplanted the native Irish past the Shannon giving the Protestants the valuable land, the ownership of this property led to the Protestant Ascendancy. An Irish poet named Andrew Marvel described him as a messenger from hell, but to the English he was a hero. After his brutal victories in Ireland and Scotland he was named Lord Protector. He rose to power in the midst of civil turmoil to make England a force to be reckoned with. The political schisms and financial problems of the Stuarts were overshadowed by his larger than life persona. Some scholars say it was due to his religious motive. After every battle he would praise God as it was by His fortune that he was victorious. Cromwell was exactly what the English needed, a hero to reestablish nationalism. They did not care about their neighboring cousins, they wanted some one to protect them and lead them to glory. Oliver Cromwell succeeded in doing just that. Later, Parliament offered him the title of King, which he refused. He died on September 3, 1658.
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