The career of Oliver Cromwell is full of paradoxes. The man of action who often missed the biggest crises; the promoter of ‘plain, russet-coated captains’ who nevertheless destroyed the Levellers in army and society; the ‘fanatical’ butcher of Drogheda who pioneered a new concept of religious freedom in England; the great parliamentarian who nevertheless subjected parliament to the power of the sword.
These areas will be discussed further, but the question now is, were these paradoxes inherent in Puritanism? Was Cromwell a typical example of the puritan ‘conundrum’ when it moved from opposition and covert action to real power and decision-making?
These areas will be discussed further, but the question now is, were these paradoxes inherent in Puritanism? Was Cromwell a typical example of the puritan ‘conundrum’ when it moved from opposition and covert action to real power and decision-making?
