1653-1658: Oliver Cromwell

When Oliver Cromwell was born in 1599, there was nothing to show that he would become one of the most influential men in the history of England. He was a peasant. A commoner. He had no royal bloodline. He should have amounted to nothing.

But the winds of change were brewing in England, and Oliver Cromwell would soon find himself amidst the biggest upheaval in the history of the English Monarchy.

Oliver Cromwell's extraordinary rule have divided historians.

To some, Oliver was a defender of principles and liberties, the champion of fairness and religious tolerance.

To others, he was nothing more than a tyrant, a Kingkiller, a dictator that rivals Hitler.

The effect Oliver Cromwell had on the British political system can still be seen today. In winning the Civil War, Parliament proved that no King or Queen could rule England without their help and permission. The power of the English throne began to shift, from the hands of a single monarch, to the hands of the people. And that is because of a man named Oliver Cromwell.

"History remembers Oliver Cromwell; a peasant, a soldier, a man bent on doing good for his country. He was Protector of the Realme"

East of England

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