Cromwell, Our Chief Of Men

A detailed biography of Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), one of England’s most polarizing figures. Fraser, a renowned historian and author, traces Cromwell’s life from his modest origins in Huntingdon as a minor gentleman farmer to his rise as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth following the English Civil War (1642–1651). The book explores Cromwell’s evolution from a Puritan MP to a military leader under Charles I, his role in the king’s trial and execution in 1649, and his subsequent rule over England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Fraser emphasizes Cromwell’s deep religious conviction, portraying his actions—such as the brutal campaigns in Ireland (e.g., the massacres at Drogheda and Wexford in 1649–1650)—as driven by a belief in divine providence rather than mere ambition. She details his military successes with the New Model Army, his political struggles in the Rump Parliament, and his dissolution of the Barebones Parliament in 1653, leading to his Protectorate, a quasi-monarchical regime. The book also covers his foreign policy, notably the Anglo-Dutch War, and his domestic reforms, like promoting religious toleration for Protestants (though not Catholics) and his failed attempts to stabilize governance.

Drawing on Cromwell’s letters, speeches, and contemporary accounts, Fraser presents him as a complex figure: a man of principle who agonized over decisions, yet capable of ruthlessness, as seen in Ireland, where his actions are still debated as either strategic or genocidal. She challenges the caricature of Cromwell as a dour Puritan, highlighting his love of music, hunting, and family life with his wife Elizabeth and eight children. The biography also addresses his death in 1658 from malaria and kidney disease, the brief rule of his son Richard, and the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, which saw Cromwell’s body exhumed and posthumously “executed.”