Was Oliver Cromwell a Hero or Villain?

Do you agree with the view that Thomas Cromwell was the driving force in the break with Rome in the years to 1534?!

This to an extent is true as the Treason Act and Henry’s Royal Supremacy were all seen as clear examples of Cromwell’s policies. Moreover, Henry VIII had said ‘’like traitors and rebels have attempted, and not like true subjects, as ye name yourselves’’ which illustrates that Henry VIII felt they were a threat as they were questioning his judgement as king. As well as this, the Yorkshire rebellion had political connotations as there was resentment in Yorkshire of a Lancastrian monarch when a Yorkist has been overthrown. Moreover, the revolt involving Perkin Warbeck, had the support of James IV and Charles VIII as well as the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilan, threatening Henry VII’s position as ruler as there was a possible danger than he may have been overthrown. However, the support from these influential figures wasn’t strong and Warbeck had little support south of the border. In addition, the Wyatt’s rebellion was also a political threat, questioning the security of the Tudor State. This was due to the proposed marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to Philip of Spain. Nevertheless, this revolt didn’t have the support

By contrast, by the 1930’s and 1940’s many historians thought Cromwell was a cruel military dictator. This was because in the 1930s and 1940s most scholars saw him as a treacherous dictator, along the lines of Mussolini, Stalin and Hitler. In recent decades nearly all the scholars have been favourable. During his lifetime, some areas painted him as a fraud encouraged by power — for example, The Machiavellian Cromwell and The Juglers Discovered, both part of an attack on Cromwell by the Levellers after 1647; present him as a Machiavellian figure. After his death and public humiliation there were many accusations and a few encouraging descriptions, such as John Spittlehouse 's A Warning Piece Discharged which compared him to Moses, rescuing the English by taking them securely through the Red Sea of the civil wars.[8] The great royalist historian Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, in his History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England (1667) acknowledged that Cromwell "will be looked ahead by posterity as a brave bad man". Clarendon argued that Cromwell 's rise to power had been helped not only by his Great Spirit and energy, but also by his brutality. The nobility was particularly argumentative to Cromwell, in large part because of his well-built request to the ordinary yeoman.

He is looked upon in a heroic way for fighting the justice system and showing courage, strength and ability to resist laws through making his own lifestyle, with separate beliefs, attitudes and values. He was a friend of the poor, kind to women and children, and an enemy of the rich. He was forced into crime by the harsh harassments of the authorities. He said to have died bravely against the more powerful forces of the law. He has grown to be an admired infamous figure for the way he stood up to authority and his larrikin ways.

He was very loyal and trusted by many of people. He lead his men to victory and made history. He was alway a good war strategist and fought with pride but he died from a disease called malaria and left his mark as a great war general on Greece. King Henry the VII was very ruthless and had no mercy for his people. He had 6 wives and killed 5 of

One of the prominent figures was Robert Aske, who petitioned to the King’s Council in hope of reversing the king’s actions (Doc 2). In his petition, he requested that the king condemn the work of protestants, recognize the pope, restore the monasteries, fight heresy, remove Cromwell, and generally reverse actions he has made (Doc 2). One request that stood out the most was the request to end executions for speech alone. However, not all Aske says in complete fact, Since he was strongly Catholic, he was quick to denounce the king for straying away from the pope, regardless of the implications. Furthermore, it is possible that Aske exaggerated his claims out of religious zeal. Aske, although biased in his denomination of Christianity, raises several key points that repeat themselves of the course of history, which overcomes his bias and reigns true. These points are that the government oppresses its people and takes as much power and money from them as possible. England itself would repeat this leading up to World War II, where the government took on a controlling role in education to secure more power for the state via influencing the upcoming generations of men. Perhaps what definitively proved the truth of Robert Aske was his testimony before execution (Doc 6). Since Aske was aware he was going to be executed, he wouldn’t have said anything he didn’t hold true, meaning that this document only contains inherent biases. He spoke these words a few months after his original petition. Aske complains that without the monasteries infrastructure is falling apart and travelers no longer have safety (Doc 6). These claims are congruent with his earlier struggles against King Henry VIII. The issues he warned of seem to have come true, and most telling is the fact that is being executed for his words alone. Actions speak louder than words, and when a government

He was a villain because he killed many people and caused many deaths. John Brown was a villain because he killed many people. “He killed 3 people from an innocent family" (John Brown Document E), “He also killed the master against liberation” (John Brown Document A), and “He said that he did commit murder and treason” (John Brown Document G). According to primary source document E “he went into an innocent family house and killed 3 people” (john brown document

a good man in the Puritan society though- he was hated by many in his community,

Much like Tiberius, Peter the Great had an overall auspicious impact on Russia with St. Petersburg. During the late seventeenth century, he was a Russian czar both narcissistic and thirsty for power. Mostly because of his reforms, Peter is known to have a positive effect on Russia, though it is debatable. Throughout his reign and life, Peter continued struggling just to maintain power in Europe. His reign marks a dramatic shift in the development and goal of Russia.

Oliver Cromwell is – and has always been – one of the most controversial characters in British and Irish history. There are few people in Great Britain and Ireland today who have not yet heard of Oliver Cromwell and either loathe him or see him as a hero. Yet, the world is not black and white and so is the truth about Cromwell. In order to understand his role in both countries as a whole, one has to look at the perspective of both nations, Cromwell’s beliefs and his motives.

Although Aaron Burr might not be classified as a villain to everyone, I think he is one to me. Even though he has a tragic past, and reasons for his actions to a point, I think he was wise enough to know how to control himself and not be driven by anger or political pursuits. Burr is a backstabber, a murderer, and driven only by his need for success.

is not enough, I mean I think that we would have to see whether he

There have been a lot of heroic figures throughout the history of world. They contributed their lives to their own nations, and sacrificed themselves as victims in order to achieve better goodness. Oliver Cromwell is one of those heroic figures who contributed his entire life to take back the tradition of England, which was deteriorated by King Charles I. Cromwell however isn't a typical hero- in actual facts many people wouldn't even consider him to be a hero at all. Cromwell is a controversial figure who still has people wondering. Even now in the new millennium, people are still contemplating his place in history- hero or villain? Cromwell proudly took his place in a documentary on the top ten best Britons, and ironically, also in the

This statement is very true for the time of Anglo-Saxon culture and literature. A hero was like a god and was put on a pedestal far above the others. A hero brought peace to situations that were deemed impossible and brought joy to many people.

Another idea of a hero was when Gandhi had stood up for his country; India. “Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights, and build religious and ethnic amity” plus he had “spent a number of years in jail in both South Africa and India”. In other words Gandhi never gave up showing everyone how India should be independent. Gandhi had stood out his way by leading marches to declare independence. Gandhi had been admired for his bravery (when he was thrown in jail a few times), his confidence (he never showed any sign of weakness) and perseverance (he had never gave up).