Aims
This course aims to:
• examine Cromwell’s life and beliefs in the context of his times
• explore the nature of his career as both a soldier and a politician
• understand his historical reputation, impact and legacy
Content
This course will examine in detail the personality and career of Oliver Cromwell, and place it in the context of the unique and dramatic events that gripped mid-17th-century England.
The classes will examine Cromwell’s life and career in a series of chronological sections, from his birth in 1599, through his rise to military prominence during the 1640s and his gaining of political power in the 1650s, up to his death in 1658. Throughout, the classes will focus especially on what Cromwell sought to achieve, the methods he employed, and the reasons why he proved unable to establish a stable regime during the period of the English Republic (1649-60). Particular attention will be paid to the light that Cromwell’s personality throws on the unfolding of events, the motives that guided him and the relationship between his ideas and his actions.
To this end, we will examine a selection of primary sources, especially Cromwell’s own letters and speeches.
Presentation of the course
The sessions will take the form of direct instruction, accompanied by extensive hand-outs in the form of extracts from primary sources. There will be some time for questions and discussion in each session.
Course sessions
1. Cromwell’s early life and career, 1599-1642
This first session will examine Cromwell’s early life from his birth in 1599 to the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642. It will look at his early political career, his reactions to the policies of Charles I, his emergence as a member of Parliament, and the reasons why he decided to take up arms against the King.
2. Cromwell and the English Civil Wars, August 1642 - August 1648
This session will look at Cromwell’s military career during the English Civil Wars. We will examine how and why he emerged as a highly effective military leader, at how he perceived his victories, and at the relationship between his military activities and his political career during these years.
3. From Regicide to Republic, August 1648 - April 1653
This session will examine how Cromwell became convinced that the trial and execution of Charles I were a ‘cruel necessity’. We will look at his conquests of Ireland and Scotland, and at his deteriorating relationship with the Rump Parliament, culminating in his expulsion of it in April 1653.
4. From Commonwealth to Protectorate, April 1653 - January 1655
This session will look at the failure of Barebone’s Parliament and then at the establishment of the Protectorate, with Cromwell as Lord Protector, in December 1653. We will examine his priorities and policies during the opening months of the Protectorate.
5. The Later Years of the Protectorate, January 1655 - September 1658
This final session will examine the Cromwellian Protectorate down to Cromwell’s death in September 1658. We will consider the nature of his achievements and legacy, and end with a concluding assessment of why Cromwell has remained such a controversial figure.
Learning outcomes
You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course.
The learning outcomes for this course are:
• an understanding of Cromwell's life and career within the context of his times
• identification and evaluation of some of the different ways in which Cromwell's life has
been interpreted
• an understanding of Cromwell's beliefs, significance, impact on his times, and legacy
Required reading
Morrill, John, *Oliver Cromwell (Oxford University Press, 2007) ISBN 9780199217533
Smith, David L, *A History of the Modern British Isles, 1603-1707: The Double Crown (Basil
Blackwell, Oxford,1998) ISBN 0631194029
