Oliver Cromwell: Commander in Chief

The second volume in an acclaimed biography of Oliver Cromwell, from the capture of Charles I to the expulsion of the Long Parliament
 
In 1647, the Parliamentarians were divided. They had won the first civil war and the king was in custody, but disagreements over the way forward had led to a stalemate. As the leader of one party, Oliver Cromwell found himself again at the centre of events.
 
In the second volume of his pioneering biography, Ronald Hutton traces Cromwell’s career from 1647 through to his seizure of supreme power. These decisive years saw the execution of Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England, as well as notorious and savage campaigns in Ireland and Scotland. Cromwell’s political and military leadership were well honed after years of practice, but this was also the period of his greatest ruthlessness and brutality.
 
This groundbreaking account reveals a different kind of Cromwell, showing how he navigated the many forces ranged against him—and rose to the pinnacle of his power.

About the author

Ronald Hutton is professor of history at Bristol University and a leading authority on the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, on ancient and medieval paganism and magic, and on the global context of witchcraft beliefs. He is the author of nineteen books.

Product details

• Authors: Ronald Hutton
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 14.10.2025
• EAN: 9780300284256
• ISBN: 978-0-300-28425-6
• No. of pages: 480
• Illustrations: 20 bw illus. + 9 maps
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; European History, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, Biography: historical, political & military, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Presidents & Heads of State, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Stuart Era (1603-1714), Political leaders & leadership, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Biography: historical, political and military, C 1600 To C 1700, Political leaders and leadership, 1660 to 1714 (Restoration and the Later Stuart period), 1603–1649 (Jacobean and Early Stuart period)