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Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was the Lord Protector of England since 1653, beforehand serving as a political and military leader.

Family
Born to Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward, the family tree was famous for their distant relationship with King Henry VIII's advisor, Thomas Cromwell. His 9 siblings didn't survive infancy. The family lived a humble, quiet life in Huntingdon, in a family estate originating during the lifespan of his Welsh great-grandfather, Morgan ap William, who was in turn son of the Duke of Wales. The Cromwell family gained most of its wealth during the days of the Reformation. The professional soldiers that both Morgan ap William and his father were allowed the family to acquire land from an old Catholic monastery. When Morgan retired, he married the half-English and half-Welsh Katherine. Their son, whose name was Richard Cromwell, was very passionate about exploring and discoveries. He and his English wife, Frances, left their children behind and moved to Canada in their middle 40's. Their children were called Henry and Roger- not much is known about the two of these, and yet we can definitely tell that Henry had two wives, Susan Weeks and Joan Warren, but remained childless. Roger, on the other hand, married Dorothy Baynham and soon had Oliver's father.

Pre-political Life
As for someone with ties to Welsh royalty as well as Tudor parliament, Oliver Cromwell grew up in a very normal fashion. He was baptized at St John's Church, and attended the local grammar school. After studying at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge (which had a very strong Puritan Protestant policy), he is said to have worked in a major London pub. 22 August 1620- Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier married at the St Giles-without-Cripplegate Church in London. The couple went on to have 9 children:Robert, Oliver, Bridget, Richard, Henry, Elizabeth, James, Mary and Frances.

Member of Parliament
Cromwell became a Member of Parliament for Huntingdon. He put little efort into the Parliament, with only one speech (against the Bishop Richard Neile). This speech almost cost him his career. Charles I ruled without a Parliament for 11 years. However, soon shortage of funds forced him to call a Parliament again in 1640. Cromwell was returned as member for Cambridge. Cromwell is believed to have owed his position to the friendships his family had with others, which might explain why he was in charge of a petition instead of other, more important topics. For the first two years of this Parliament, Cromwell was linked to a group of royals including the Earls of Essex, Warwick and Bedford, Oliver St John and Viscount Saye and Sele. They believed in a reformation of the government and did not approve of the King's Catholic ideals.

The English Civil War
Oliver Cromwell instantly recruited a cavalry troop in Cambridgeshire to block a valuable shipment of silver plate from colleges that was meant for the royalty. Cromwell and his troops then attempted to help with the indecisive Battle of Edgehill on 23 October 1642, but didn't arrive in time. After a couple more successful maneuvers, he was appointed governor of Ely and a colonel in the Eastern Association. In early 1645, all of the parliament were given a choice on whether to return to politics or stay on th military side. Cromwell as the only one to chose the latter.

Battles he was involved in:
Gainsborough

Marston Moor

Newbury II

Naseby

Langport

Preston

Dunbar

Worcester

After the war
After the execution of King Charles, a republic was instituted to replace the monarchy. This became known as the "Commonwealth of England". Cromwell stayed as a member of the parliament and was elected into the Council. Early after the execution, the Royalists had regrouped in western Ireland, forming an alliance with the Irish known as "Confederate Catholics". In March, Cromwell was chosen by the parliament to command an expedition against them. After leaving Ireland in May 1650 he invaded Scotland several months later, due to the Scots proclaiming the son of Charles I, Charles II, as King. Cromwell wasn't nearly as hostile to Scottish citizens than he was to the Irish Catholics. A new constitution was put forward under the name 'the Instrument of Government'. Cromwell was made Lord Protector for life. As the Lord Protector he was paid £100,000 a year and was seen as a king- he soon was called 'Your Highness' by others.

Note
This artcle was made by me (Maksym Kucharski, 7.2) and is NOT copied from Wikipedia. I simply thought this would be an interesting layout for the hwk. Thank you.