The End of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth was a very different period for England. It was a new form of government, which had never been tried before. Prior to this period England had only been ruled by monarchs, who were thought to be given power through divine right. The leader of the Commonwealth, Oliver Cromwell, didn't get his power through divine right, but more through military power. The Commonwealth lasted from 1649-1660, ending because of Oliver's death and the lack of his son Richard's ability to follow in the footsteps of his father. In order to understand why the Commonwealth ended after Cromwell's death, one must first understand its leader and how the Commonwealth started. Oliver Cromwell was born into a common family of English country Puritans. He had no particular advantages that would prepare him for leading a country. Yet he had a God given ability to earn the loyalty and respect of the people around him. Cromwell's early years were ordinary, but at the age of twenty-seven he had this sense of his divine destiny that God had in store for him. He was a quiet, simple, serious-minded man, who spoke very little. But when he did speak, people listened and did not question. As a justice of the peace, hi
When Cromwell discovered the weakness of the Roundhead army, he made himself captain of the cavalry. Cromwell had never been trained in war, but even from the very beginning he showed his abilities as a skilled and knowledgeable general. Cromwell knew that revolutions were more successful when fought by farmers, so he gathered a thousand handpicked Puritan farmers who knew and could fight in open fields. His regiment was nicknamed "Ironsides" and was never beaten, even when they were outnumbered, sometimes three to one (DAV 148). The Commonwealth was a new era for England, an era ruled by Oliver Cromwell, a great man with an even greater ability to lead. He was not a perfect ruler though, and because of this the Commonwealth didn't last past his death, even though he passed on his position to his son. His son just did not have the abilities that his father possessed. He could not lead. Along with Cromwell's death went the death of the English Commonwealth. s exploits lead him to be noticed by Puritan locals who in turn sent him to Parliament as their representative. There he attracted attention with his blunt, forcible speech as a member of the Independent Party which was made up of Puritans (DAV 145). On the same day his father died, Richard Cromwell was proclaimed Lord Protector of the nation. His position angered the military officers of the council. In order to raise money and settle such some differences, Richard was forced to bring back the Parliament in January 1659. Anarchy followed along with arguments between the nobles and the military. This in turn resulted in an army council breaking away which took Richard into their power and forced him to get rid of the Rump Parliament. This army council then agreed with the Long Parliament that Richard should be dismissed. Richard then submi
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Approximate Word count = 1227
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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