What were Oliver Cromwell’s motivations?

Based on your previous work, create a timeline of the life of Oliver Cromwell. You will need to include events from the Civil War, the Commonwealth and the Protectorate Born Huntingdon - 25th April 1616 Enters Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge 1628 MP for Huntingdon 1640 MP for Cambridge 1642 Raises troops for Parliament 1643 Colonel in the Eastern Association 1644 Lieutenant-General of the Eastern Association Army Battle of Marston Moor - 2nd July Battle of Newbury - 27th October 1645 Lieutenant-General of the New Model Army Battle of Naseby - 14th June 1647 Supports Parliamentary army in clashes with Parliament 1648 Crushes royalist rising in South Wales Battle of Preston - 18th August 1649 Supports trial and execution of the King - January Commands army sent to crush Ireland - August 1650 Commands army sent to crush Scotland - July 1650 Battle of Dunbar - 3rd September 1651 Battle of Worcester - 3rd September 1653 Dissolves Parliament - 20th April Becomes Lord Protector - 16th December 1654 Meets first Protectorate Parliament - September 1655 System of the Major- Generals established - October 1656 Meets second Protectorate Parliament - September 1657 Rejects Parliament's offer of the crown and remains Lord Protector, March - June 1658 Dies at Whitehall - 3rd September 1661 Exhumed and posthumously 'executed' - 30th January What do these events suggest about Cromwell’s motivations? Do you think he was driven by contemporary circumstances or his own personal beliefs?

Have a look at the letters and portraits. As you study each one, you need to do the following: a)Add it to your timeline of Cromwell’s life (in a different colour). b)What does it tell us about Cromwell’s motivations? Try to add a quote or a description to support your point.

Having looked at the portraits and letters of Cromwell, what do they tell us about his motivations? Colour-code your timeline to show the different motivations e.g. religion, reliance on the army, personal interest Consider the following questions ready for discussion: a)Do the motivations highlighted in the portraits and letters correspond with the events of Cromwell’s life? b)Do Cromwell’s motivations change over time? c)To what extent was Cromwell driven by contemporary events rather than his own personal beliefs? Write a paragraph to answer the last question

What other sources of evidence could we use to discover the motivations behind Cromwell’s actions? Make sure you explain why you would consult each particular source. Next steps: Your next step should be to visit the Cromwell Museum and Archives. Can you find any more evidence of Cromwell’s motivations?