[Alex Murphy]

....Cromwell was not merely exceptionally religious. He belonged to a particular religious group — the Puritans — who believed that the frivolous Charles I, with his stubborn faith in the Divine Right of Kings and his fondness for elaborate Catholic-style church ceremonies, was betraying the Protestant Reformation.

[calex59]

He was a frickin’ murdering a**hat.

[Windflier]

Alex, yours is the very first FR thread of 2011. Congratulations and Happy New Year!

[isom35]

I kinda prefer Patrick MacNee (Steed of The Avengers)

[o-n-money]

Didn’t he kill more of his own people while trying to kill the Irish off?

[mmercier]

I think Arthur is the most famous Britisher, specifically because his existence is in question.

Oliver Cromwell... No one today knows or cares about him.

[Persevero]

There was a war, started by King Charles I, against Scotland, in which he tried to force Catholicism upon the Scottish Puritans. Presumably, since it was a war, many innocent Scottish people were killed for the crime of not being Roman Catholic.

To blame Cromwell for leading the Puritans in fighting back is hardly fair. This does not mean I don’t feel sorry for any innocent Roman Catholics who may have died.

‘In 1630-42, when he governed without calling a parliament, King Charles I multiplied his enemies by imposing irritating financial exactions upon various classes of the community, using prerogative powers exercised by the king in centuries past. He demanded “ship money” from the towns, fined country gentlemen (including Cromwell) for refusing to accept knighthood, raised “forced loans,” and increased customs duties. He did all this because he had no right to levy fresh taxes without the consent of Parliament; indeed, his broad aim was to secure the financial independence of the monarchy, and to fasten uniformity upon the Church. Thus the king antagonized the Puritan reformers as well as many of the country gentry and townspeople. In 1638 he became involved in a war against his Scottish subjects (he was hereditary king of Scotland as well as of England) when he tried to force upon them a prayer book similar to that in use in the English Church. They rebelled, and he was compelled to call a parliament at Westminster to ask for money to pursue the war. The accumulation of grievances against the king over eleven years made the leaders of the House of Commons aggressive and uncooperative. Cromwell at once showed himself to be a staunch Puritan, and as such gave steady support to the critics of church and government.’

It would seem Charles I started it. Whether Cromwell’s response was perfect in every respect is hardly likely. But who’s response to hostilities is always perfect in every respect. War is awful for all involved.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Benny hill

[abigail2]

ping

[stylin19a]

Was Oliver Cromwell - founder of the British empire - the greatest ever Englishman?

Let's ask the Irish

[FlyingEagle]

Cromwell was a bloodthirsty jackass. He destroyed the Church of England.

[Darren McCarty]

Cromwell was Hitler before there was Hitler. He belongs in the same category of individuals as Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, and Saddam Hussein.

Too bad Ireland wasn't united in his invasion, or he could have been take out much earlier than he was.

[catfish1957]

I don’t know if you would consider him the greatest, but William’s little excursion in 1066 is most profound event in Anglo history.

[GeronL]

Didn’t Cromwell try to ban Christmas??

figures.

[Antoninus]

Sure. If greatness is measured by how many people you killed.

[familyop]

Cromwell was one of the predecessors of our American founding fathers for religious freedom. And (seeing some of the commentary) during the mid-1800s in the USA, maybe American Protestants were right about the immigration problem at that time after all.

[skeptoid]

I don't know much about Cromwell, but if the following quote is in fact his, I wish he was alive today so that he could deal with our "Congress".

Oliver Cromwell's Speech on the Dissolution of the Long Parliament
Given to the English House of Commons

20 April 1653

It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, 
 which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue,
 and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew,
 and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches,
 and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage,
 and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
 Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you?
 Is there one vice you do not possess?
 Ye have no more religion than my horse;
 gold is your God;
 which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes?
 Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
 Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place,
 and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves,
 by your immoral principles and wicked practices?
 Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation;
 you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd,
 are yourselves gone!
 So!
 Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
 In the name of God, go! 

[savagesusie]

What about William Wilberforce.

[Billthedrill]

Cromwell was the man who couldn't climb down. A good man, a strong man who became the very monster against which he originally rebelled. A fascinating, tragic study of the Great Man in history. What he did in Ireland puts him, I think, well outside the bounds of common human decency, and after him the British found themselves grateful for the return of the crown he had banished. I'm not sure one could conjure a more ambiguous judgment.

For me, Churchill.

[Berlin_Freeper]

They took the gold off the walls and put it into their bank accounts while the poor remained poor.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Cromwell murdered Charles I. When Charles II finally resumed the throne of England, he had Cromwell executed and Cromwell’s body was left hanging in public for a very long time.