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Cromwell was born.
Oliver Cromwell was born into a family in the ranks of the middle gentry. As he grew older he was considered a yeoman farmer and as a young man sold eggs and wool to support himself. -
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Lifespan of Cromwell
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Cromwell the inventor
Oliver Cromwell created an early version of the cotton gin that greatly improved cotton production and sales in England.
The picture on the left is not actually the one invented by Cromwell but the invention created years later by Eli Whitney. -
Cromwell joins parliament
Oliver Cromwell joined the parliament representing Huntingdonshire. If he was not involved with the parliament at this point, he would never have been in charge of it along with England many years later. -
Civil War Breaks Out
Oliver joined the anti-king Parliamentarians against the pro-king Royalists, otherwise known as the Cavaliers. He rampaged through England while leading the New Model Army -
Cromwell orders the death of Charles I
Oliver Cromwell organized the execution of the king. He was cconsidered "a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy while he believed he was a martyr. The parliament made it clear from then on that an English ruler could not claim absolute power or ignore the rule of law. After the execution, England was declared as a republic, known as the Commonwealth, under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell. -
Cromwell invades Ireland
Crowell first arrived in Ireland with 12,000 soldiers. The war lasted for another 10 years. A third of the population was dead from the bloodshed or starvation. Most Roman Catholics had land taken away from them and were sent away. Even Catholic boys and girls were shipped to Barbados and sold to the planters as slaves. -
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Parliament ran under Oliver Cromwell and he became a leaderi of England
During this time, Cromwell banned many things to better the people. Sundays were known as "the Lord's Day" and you could be fined for doing anything that did not relate to the church. Citizens over 14 years old were expected to obey.
He also shut down inns and theaters because he thought they expressed too much entertainment and were not serious enough, Rather than celebrating saints, the people were required to fast once a month. Even Christmas was celebrated more solemnly and respectfully. -
Cromwell divided England
When Cromwell ruled England, he also imposed military rule. He divided England into eleven districts, each run by a Major General. This person was in charge of maintaining order, collecting taxes, granting poor relief and imposing Puritan morality. -
Parliament exiled Catholics
Oliver Cromwell took harsh measures against the Irish Catholics. He passed a law exiling most Catholics to the barren lands of Ireland. If anyone disobeyed, they could face immediate death. -
receives new title
In this year, Oliver Cromwell earned the title of Lord Protector. Cromwell and his generals suppressed many radical groups, including the Levelers. The Levelers thought that poor men should have as much say in the government as the gentry, lawyers, and other leading citizens. As the challenges grew harder, Cromwell recieved his new title. From this point on, he had control of the army. -
believes in religious freedom
Oliver Cromwell could not accept open worship by Roman Catholics but believed in religious freedom for other Protestant gorups. Jews were also welcomed back to England after three and a half centuries full of exile and discrimination. In this year, Rabbi Manasseh Ben Israel approached Cromwell for the readmittance of Jews in England. Cromwell agreed and had a fromal council to make this possible. -
Cromwell dies.
It is believed that Oliver Cromwell died of malaria and "stone," which is a term used for urniary or kidney infections.
He made it clear before his death that his son, Richard Cromwell would take his place as Lord Protector once he had passed.
