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Oliver Cromwell Facts & Worksheets

Oliver Cromwell lived to become an English general and statesman who notably led the army of Parliament of England in opposition to King Charles I in the English Civil War.

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Oliver Cromwell was the ruler of the British Isles under the title of Lord Protector and ruled from 1653 until his death. On the government of the new republican commonwealth, Cromwell acted simultaneously as the head of government and head of state.

See the fact file below for more information on Oliver Cromwell or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Oliver Cromwell worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Family, Early Life, and Education

  • Oliver Cromwell was born on April 25, 1599 in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England.
  • He was the child of Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward, the daughter of William Steward.
  • Morgan ap William was Oliver’s great-great grandfather, and was the man from whom their family estate was derived.
  • Morgan ap William was a brewer from Glamorgan who later settled in Putney.
  • Morgan ap William married Katherine Cromwell.
  • Katherine Cromwell was a sister of Thomas Cromwell, a prominent chief minister to Henry VIII.
  • The Cromwell family was a wealthy family as they benefited from the dissolution of the monasteries.
  • Oliver Cromwell’s parents Robert and Elizabeth had ten children.
  • Unfortunately, 9 of them did not survive infancy. 
  • Oliver was the fifth and only child who survived. 
  • Sir Henry Williams, Oliver’s grandfather, was one of the wealthiest landowners in Huntingdonshire.
  • Robert, though a son of a gentry, inherited only a small part of land due to having many siblings. 
  • On April 29, 1599, Oliver Cromwell was baptised at St. John’s Church.
  • In the same year, Cromwell attended Huntingdon Grammar School.
  • He attended Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge after Huntingdon. 
  • After his father died, he left college in 1617 and did not complete his degree. 

Married Life

  • On August 22, 1620, Oliver Cromwell married Elizabeth Bourchier at the church of St. Giles-without-Cripplegate, Fore Street, London.
  • Elizabeth Bourchier was the son of a leather merchant in London, Sir James Bourchier, who owned many lands in Essex from their relations with Puritan gentry families residing in the area.
  • Elizabeth and Oliver’s marriage enabled him to grow connections to the London merchant community and the Earls of Warwick, which would be important in his military and political career.
  • Elizabeth and Oliver had nine children: Robert, Oliver, Bridget, Richard, Henry, Elizabeth, James, Mary, and Frances.

Military and Political Career

  • Oliver Cromwell’s political career began in 1628 when he was elected as a parliamentary representative of Huntingdon, yet what followed was a series of financial and health struggles.
  • Cromwell’s stay in parliament was short, as King Charles I decided to suspend the legislative body in 1629.
  • In 1631, when a dispute with local officials broke out, Oliver Cromwell was forced to sell the majority of his land.
  • In the same year, Cromwell was diagnosed and treated for melancholy, which is now known as depression.
  • Cromwell resumed his parliamentary position in 1640, as King Charles I was forced to regain the Parliament due to a rebellion in Scotland.
  • When he went back to Parliament, Cromwell had turned into a devout Puritan.

First English Civil War

  • The English Civil War began in 1642 as Charles I’s Commonwealth remained fragile, which resulted in an armed tension between troops and Parliament loyalists, or the New Model Army.
  • Cromwell and other Parliament representatives turned against Charles I in terms of religious views.
  • Cromwell started recruiting troops and led them in the war. 
  • Although he had no formal military training, Cromwell was victorious at the Battle of Edgehill and in East Anglia – two battles that were deemed integral to his victory.
  • Cromwell’s rank went up to Lieutenant General in 1644, then he led the Battle of Naseby and the Battle of Langport in 1645.
  • In an attack on the Catholic fortress Basing House in October, 1645, Cromwell was later accused of killing 100 men after they surrendered.
  • Charles I surrendered to Scotland in 1646. This was the end of the first English Civil War.

Second English Civil War

  • In 1648, the second English Civil War broke out when peace talks between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists failed, though Cromwell was among the lead negotiators of the talks.
  • Cromwell then went to Scotland to lead the troops once more.
  • By the end of 1648, Royalists inside Parliament were arrested under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride. This was called Pride’s Purge and gave a decisive victory to the Parliamentarians. 
  • King Charles I was beheaded in January 1649.
  • Cromwell was one of the voters who seconded the beheading. 
  • What followed was a series of victorious conquests led by Cromwell in Ireland. 
  • He returned to England in 1650, followed by the on and off status of Parliament.
  • In 1657, the Second Protectorate Parliament offered to make him a king, but he refused and was appointed Lord Protector instead.

Death

  • Oliver Cromwell died of a urinary tract infection on September 3, 1658 at the age of 59.

Oliver Cromwell Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Oliver Cromwell across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Oliver Cromwell worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Oliver Cromwell who lived to become an English general and statesman who notably led the army of Parliament of England in opposition to King Charles I in the English Civil War.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Oliver Cromwell Facts
  • True or False?
  • Family Fast Facts
  • Related Vocabulary
  • Quote Wall
  • Military Timeline
  • Also Known As
  • Civil War Overview
  • Agree or Disagree?
  • Who’s Who?
  • Cromwell-Inspired Poster

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Link will appear as Oliver Cromwell Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 3, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.