Oliver Cromwell: Encyclopedia II - Oliver Cromwell - Member of Parliament

Oliver Cromwell - Member of Parliament

Having decided against following an uncle to Virginia, Cromwell instead became the Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in the Parliament of 1628–1629. His maiden speech was the defence of a radical democrat, who had argued in an unauthorised pamphlet in favour of "giving the vote to all men". Oliver was also prominent in defending the people of The Fens from wealthy landowners, who wanted to drive them off their land.

Charles I ruled without a Parliament for the next eleven years (having dissolved Parliament), and alienated many people with his policies of raising extra-parliamentary taxes, and imposing his Catholicized vision of Protestantism on the Church of England. When King Charles was forced by shortage of funds to call a Parliament again in 1640, Oliver Cromwell was one of many MPs who bitterly opposed voting for any new taxes until the King agreed to govern with the consent of Parliament, on both civil and religious issues. The failure to solve this crisis led directly to civil war breaking out between English "Parliamentarians" (supporters of the power of Parliament) and British "Royalists" (supporters of the King).

Cromwell was a passionate supporter of the Parliament, primarily on religious grounds. Although not an accomplished speaker, Cromwell was prominent in the Parliamentary cause from the outset. He was related to a significant number of members of Parliament by blood or marriage, and his views were influential. When spies identified him as an insider to the revolt against King Charles, and soldiers were sent to arrest him, Cromwell was one of five members absent. However, he did not become a leader of the Parliamentary cause until well into the civil war, when his military ability brought him to prominence.

Although he was later involved in the King's overthrow and execution, Cromwell did not start the civil war as a radical republican; rather he did so with the intention of forcing Charles to reign with the consent of Parliament, and with a more consensual, Protestant, religious policy.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Member of Parliament", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki