The Private Life of Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell is remembered by posterity as a soldier and statesman who murdered a king, forcefully dissolved Parliament, and then rose to rule Britain. His controversial career generated numerous myths about him. To many, he is a dry, puritanical figure who detested jovial festivities and imposed his will upon England. However, he is a much more complex character who defies the popular imagination. Our perception is still moulded by fanciful caricatures and stereotypes from the Restoration, or Republican propaganda, which critiqued his family’s newfound prominence. At heart, Cromwell was a family man who sincerely believed he possessed a personal communion with God, but also a man who enjoyed music as much as his pipe and pint. He defused tense situations with boisterous humour and engaged in playful deeds of dare-doing. Without a doubt, some of our perceptions of him are true. Nonetheless, by exploring the private life of Oliver Cromwell, the man behind the myth is illuminated to posterity.