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Is oliver cromwell a hero or a villain essay
Is oliver cromwell a hero or a villain essay
Is oliver cromwell a hero or a villain essay
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Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was a driven man. Cromwell was driven by his Puritan faith and the desire to see that faith sweep through all of the Commonwealth. Elected to Parliament for the first time in 1628 and then again in 1640 to both the Short and Long Parliaments. A Parliamentarian during the English Civil Wars, he was rapidly promoted to command in the New Model Army. Righteous and at times self-righteous, Cromwell’s letters and speeches show a firm confidence in his belief that Providence’s guiding hand was in his every action and decision; subsequently, any measure taken in the pursuit of Divine Providence’s will, as he viewed it, was fully warranted. His writing also shows a man who has a desire to promote himself and his own cause both politically and religiously, which at the time were one and the same.
One of Cromwell’s earliest known letters was written on 13 October, 1638 to his cousin Elizabeth. This letter shows a man full of zeal for his faith and perhaps a newfound zeal at that. “I was chief, the chief of sinners. This is true: I hated Godliness, yet God had mercy on me. O the riches of his mercy!” The letter continues in the vein of a man who has a recent conversion or revival of faith. It also depicts a man who is unabashed in his conviction when speaking on the subject of that faith despite his financial and personal hardships. John Morrill writes, “His credit-in every meaning of the word- in ruins, he sold up and took on the tenancy of a farm a few miles away. And at or around that time he experienced a profound sense of God’s promise to him of election.” Faith and reformation would be a central theme in many of the letters and speeches of Oliver...
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...igious language. These early letters show a man driven by a cause who believes in the right of the cause as set down by God. He is never cruel and rarely brutal unless warranted on the battlefield. The first act of calculated brutality off of the battlefield is the execution of Private Arnold. He was a straightforward, honest man in his early military and political career. That would all change once he became a regicide.
Works Cited
Thomas Carlyle, H.D. Traill ed., Oliver Cromwell’s Letters and Speeches, (London: Chapman and Hall Limited, 1850) pp. 101.
John Morrill, “Rewriting Cromwell: A Case of Deafening Silences”, Canadian Journal of History, Vol. 38 issue 3, Dec. 2003.
John Morrill, Oliver Cromwell, (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007) pp. 27
Alan Thomas, “The Ware Mutiny 1647: Order Restored or Revolution Defeated”, (Ware U.K.: Rockingham Press, 1996).
...ican. Henry made great effort to constantly put God first in not only his life, but in the messages that he shared with people. Amongst this, he loved his nation, especially the people of Virginia. The opinions he had regarding the Revolutionary war, were vividly explained in this speech. Mr. Henry was passionate about peace, and the love that God had for the world. He had a very strong faith, and never hesitated to express what he had learned in his Bible studies. Specifically in this message, Henry used several different Biblical themes as a way to draw in his audience. In using his knowledge of the Bible he was able to precisely get the point a crossed that he was trying to make clear. Henry believed in the freedom of the people just as God had intended it to be. If this would mean to fight for that right, then he was ready to put forth everything that he had.
Oliver Cromwell was a well known military dictator. He helped the Parliamentarians win the First Civil War and was named Lord Protector. He died in 1658 but many people still remember him as one of the best leaders in history although others believe he was a harsh tyrant and always wanted too much power for himself. Throughout the years, numerous historians have changed their views on whether he was a good leader or not. This work will look at three interpretations from different people on who Cromwell was and what he was like and compare them.
“Give me liberty or give me death!” This statement from Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” delivered to the House of Burgesses, has been quoted by many, becoming almost cliché. However, the declaration is truly understood by a select few. The unjust Stamp Act passed by the British crown in 1765, brought fame and notoriety to Henry as he spoke out against the unjust taxation without representation. Ten years later on the eve of revolution, Henry calls upon the Colonial government of which he is part, to act for the betterment of the people. Patrick Henry attempts to persuade the House of Burgesses to revolt and declare war against Britain by logically convincing them that it is their natural right to be free and calling on their patriotism and pride as leaders of colonial America.
Leach, Douglas E. flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in King Philip's War. NewYork: Norton, 1959
Stokesbury, James L. A Short History of the American Revolution. William Morrow and Company, Inc. New York, 1991.
London and the English Civil War: A Lecture by Professor Barry Coward of Birkbeck College given to the Friends of Senate House Library, 7 March 2005
...h the freedom to choose religion), and the Presbyterians (who wanted a strict Calvinist system controlled by a strong central power). The Independents dominated the war with their New Model Army, and became an unstoppable force in England. They were led by the influential and militant Oliver Cromwell (whose nickname became "Lord Protector")of the House of Commons, and captured Charles, removed the House of Lords and the Presbyterians from Parliament, and executed the "holy anointed."
Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491 at Greenwich Palace. His Parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, were very loving and proud parents, even though they didn’t see much of their children. Henry was their second son. He was styled as the “Duke of York”. He had his own servants, Court Jesters, and to top it off he had is own whipping boy that would receive whippings whenever Henry did something bad.
Vickers, K. H. A History of England: (Volume III) England in the Later Middle Ages (London, 1937).
Locke, John (edited by Peardon, Thomas, P.) The Second Treatise of Government, New York, Bobbs-Merrill, 1952 [1690], Ch. 5.
Hollister, C. Warren. The Making of England. 7th ed. A History of England. Ed. Lacey Baldwin Smith. Vol. 1. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1996.
Winston, Jessica "A Mirror for Magistrates and Public Political Discourse in Elizabethan England." Studies in Philology 101 (2004): 381-400. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.
More knew that Cromwell had set he up, yet had no way of proving it and knew that no-one would believe him. Cromwell was hunting More for his beliefs not actions. People’s greed justified that they could go after More in order to get what they wanted.
Stanhope, Philip Dormer. The Best Letters of Lord Chesterfield: Letters to His Son, and Letters to His Godson (Classic Reprint). Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2012. Print.
Pettegree, Andrew. "The English Reformation." BBC History. BBC, 17 Feb 2011. Web. 1 Oct 2013.