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The Making of Oliver Cromwell

Online ISBN:
9780300262759
Print ISBN:
9780300257458
Publisher:
Yale University Press
Book

The Making of Oliver Cromwell

Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton
Bristol University
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Published online:
20 January 2022
Published in print:
7 September 2021
Online ISBN:
9780300262759
Print ISBN:
9780300257458
Publisher:
Yale University Press

Abstract

Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) — the only English commoner to become the overall head of state — is one of the great figures of history, but his character was very complex. He was at once courageous and devout, devious and self-serving; as a parliamentarian, he was devoted to his cause; as a soldier, he was ruthless. Cromwell's speeches and writings surpass in quantity those of any other ruler of England before Victoria and, for those seeking to understand him, he has usually been taken at his word. This book untangles the facts from the fiction. Cromwell, pursuing his devotion to God and cementing his Puritan support base, quickly transformed from obscure provincial to military victor. At the end of the first English Civil War, he was poised to take power. The book reveals a man who was both genuine in his faith and deliberate in his dishonesty — and uncovers the inner workings of the man who has puzzled biographers for centuries.

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