Oliver Cromwell

1599 – 1658 · died at about 59^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Oliver Cromwell

• Oliver Cromwell's head was cut off in a posthumous execution in 1661 and displayed on Westminster Hall. After being sold and exhibited, it was buried at his old Cambridge college in 1960.^[1]
• Cromwell's great-great-grandfather married the sister of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's chief minister, and the family grew rich from Thomas's work. Oliver's father was Robert Williams, alias Cromwell.^[1][3][4]
• Parliament offered Cromwell the crown in 1657 and he refused it, but he was reinstalled as Lord Protector seated on King Edward's Chair in a purple robe with a sceptre.^[1]
• Cromwell encouraged Jews to return to England in 1657, more than 360 years after Edward I had banished them.^[1]
• In 1653 Cromwell dissolved Parliament by force with about 40 musketeers. By at least two accounts he snatched up the ceremonial mace and demanded that the "bauble" be taken away.^[1]
• Long before he ruled England, Cromwell lived like a yeoman farmer, keeping chickens and sheep and selling eggs and wool to support himself.^[1]
• Oliver Cromwell was alive at the same time as Miguel de Cervantes — their lives overlapped for 17 years (1599–1616).^[1][2][5][6]
• Oliver Cromwell shares a birthday with Guglielmo Marconi: both were born on April 25.^[1][2][7][8]

Oliver Cromwell was an English statesman, farmer and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially as a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and later as a politician. A leading advocate of the execution of Charles I in January 1649, which led to the establishment of the Commonwealth of England, Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death.^[1]

Contemporaries

Diego Velázquez

59 yr overlap

Rembrandt

52 yr overlap

René Descartes

51 yr overlap

Galileo Galilei

43 yr overlap

Peter Paul Rubens

41 yr overlap

Molière

36 yr overlap

Blaise Pascal

35 yr overlap

Johannes Kepler

31 yr overlap

Francis Bacon

27 yr overlap

John Locke

26 yr overlap

Johannes Vermeer

26 yr overlap

Christopher Wren

26 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Oliver Cromwell

When was Oliver Cromwell born?

Oliver Cromwell was born on April 25, 1599, and died on September 3, 1658.

How old was Oliver Cromwell at death?

Oliver Cromwell was born on April 25, 1599, and died on September 3, 1658, at age 59.

What was Oliver Cromwell known for?

Oliver Cromwell was known for: Lord Protector of England. Oliver Cromwell was an English statesman, farmer and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially as a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and later as a politician. A leading advocate of the execution of Charles I in January 1649, which led to the establishment of the Commonwealth of England, Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death.

Who was alive at the same time as Oliver Cromwell?

Oliver Cromwell's closest contemporary was Diego Velázquez. Their lives overlapped for 59 years.