Oliver Cromwell
...Cambridge education and became a Member of Parliament. Cromwell set up the New Model Army and became the Lord Protector of England. He married Elizabeth Bourchier on August 22, 1620. Together they had nine children. Through his military and political career Cromwell remained affectionate with his wife by writing her love letters. For example, in one of his letters he wrote, "Thou art dearer to me than any creature; let that suffice." In England, Oliver Cromwell took a powerful, resilient, and passionate stand against King Charles I, which was heavily influenced and facilitated by his religious beliefs, his role in parliament, his military leadership and his political power.
Oliver Cromwell converted to a strong puritan faith, which caused him to collide with the High Church policies of Charles I. Religious differences added to the aggression between Charles I and Parliament. Charles tried to enforce rituals on the Church of England. To the Puritans this was a return to Catholic traditions. Charles tried to force the Puritans to accept his religious policies. Cromwell believed that salvation was a gracious gift from God by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Cromwell also believed that the government should be for the peoples' good and he strongly opposed the Roman Catholic Church. Cromwell felt an association between Catholicism and persecutions because of the Irish Rebellion of 1641, which were massacres by the Irish Catholics of English and Scottish Protestant settlers. Cromwell believed in providentrialism, which is the belief that God is actively directing the affairs of the world through the actions of chosen people. Cromwell interpreted victories as signs of God's approval of his actions, and defeats as signs that God was leading him in another direction. Cromwell was orthodox Calvinist in his belief that God's divine intervention showed his people the way forward....
View Full Essay
