Oliver Cromwell

Full title:

Lieutenant-General Oliver Cromwell

Dates:

1599-1658

Claim to fame:

Parliamentary general, later Lord Protector. A natural cavalry commander vital to the success of the Battles of Marston Moor and Naseby.

Nickname:

"Old Warty" - and the originator of the widely used phrase 'warts and all'

Cromwell (1599-1658) came from an impoverished East Anglian gentry family, and was over 40 years old when he began his military career. At the outbreak of the Civil War he served as captain of a troop of horse which he raised for Parliament. Within a year he rose to the rank of colonel, in command of a regiment. Cromwell realized instinctively that good quality, disciplined troops, motivated by religious zeal, were the key to victory, and he recruited his men accordingly.

In 1643, by his own energy and decisive action, he largely eliminated Royalist resistance in East Anglia and secured it for Parliament, gradually expanding his base by successful forays into Lincolnshire.

In February 1644 Cromwell was appointed cavalry commander of the Army of the Eastern Association, a Parliamentarian force recruited mostly in East Anglia. In July that year, this army formed part of the Parliamentarian forces at the battle of Marston Moor, in which Cromwell commanded the cavalry of the left wing. Here the discipline of his troopers enabled them to deliver a decisive charge at the end of the battle. The following year, Cromwell played a similar role at the battle of Naseby, where his men were able to drive off the opposing cavalry and then turn upon the flank of the Royalist infantry, ensuring a Parliamentarian victory.

It was not until the Second Civil War (1648-49) that Cromwell fought his first major battle in full command. At Preston, in August 1648, he inflicted a crushing defeat on the Scots, despite facing greatly superior numbers. This victory destroyed Royalist hopes and effectively ended the war.

Cromwell is perhaps best remembered for his campaign in Ireland (1649-50), undertaken by Parliament to eliminate support for the exiled Charles II. The campaign opened with massacres at Drogheda and Wexford, where there was widespread slaughter of soldiers and civilians alike. Cromwell justified this on the grounds that it was consistent with the laws of war and that it would encourage more rapid surrenders elsewhere, thus saving lives. Many other Royalist garrisons did indeed surrender when Cromwell offered them generous terms, but Ireland remains a blot on his reputation.

In 1650 Cromwell led a pre-emptive invasion of Scotland, to strike at Scottish support for King Charles II. At first out-manoeuvred by the Scots, he achieved a brilliant victory at the battle of Dunbar (September 1650) although outnumbered almost two to one. A year later he won a crushing victory over the Scots at the battle of Worcester, which was to be his last major field action. Cromwell always attributed his victories to Divine Providence, but his energy, personal example and ruthlessness are all qualities of a great battlefield commander.

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, c1650. Oil on canvas, artist unknown, after Robert Walker (c1599 - c1658).

NAM 1988-11-1

"That slovenly fellow which you see before us, who hath no ornament in his speech; I say that sloven, if we should ever come to have a breech with the King, in such case will be one of the greatest men of England."

John Hampden to Lord Digby in the House of Commons.