The Importance Of Oliver Cromwell In The Civil War

In 1642, Britain was a divided kingdom, on the brink of Civil war. The arrogance and selfishness of Charles I led to resentment from Parliament. A further important factor in the outbreak of war was religion. When he began to impose catholic customs on the predominantly Protestant country, he ignited the hatred of men such as Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell rose from an unadorned, puritan background through the ranks of the military to become Major-General of the army and eventually Lord Protector. Many believe his exploits during the Civil Wars were a primary factor in Parliamentarian victory although the true extent of his role is the subject of debate amongst historians, as I have explored.

In interpretation A, Ashley heavily emphasises the role of Cromwell during the battle of Marston Moor, arguing that he was solely responsible for the victory through his strength of command and array of military talents. Some of Ashley’s arguments do strengthen his interpretation. He creates a fairly forceful argument in favour of this view when saying the Parliamentarian army ‘lacked a co-ordinated command’ and indeed this is verified by the fact that there were poor relations between Cromwell and other commanders such as Lawrence Crawford who accused Cromwell of cowardice after this battle. Additionally, the allied generals Leven, Manchester and Fairfax did not expect Rupert to fight as the evening drew on and so began to withdraw; their infantry already gone when Rupert gave battle. He is also correct when saying ‘elsewhere the battle had gone well’ for the Royalist side.’ The Cavaliers indeed had some successes in the battle, prominently those under Goring’s command sweeping all those before him on the right wing of the Parliamentarian army ou...

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...ter, it does not support his playing an important role in the civil wars. Furthermore, it appears there were similarities in the characteristics demonstrated by Cromwell as a soldier and politician, and while clearly astute in both aspects, it is not true that Cromwell was able to achieve success entirely on his own. I believe that, while Cromwell displayed good leadership and apt skills both in battle and politically, he would not have been able to single-handedly achieve success and also had to rely on other commanders, as well as the contributions of those who are not widely acknowledged, such as David Leslie, to earn Parliamentarian victory in the Civil Wars and indeed this is reflected in his governing of the country; consistently relying on the army for control. Therefore, I believe that Cromwell’s role in the Civil Wars has been exaggerated to a great extent.