Historians have it easy when it comes to one important figure in British History: Oliver Cromwell has exceptional timing! The soldier and statesman who is remembered as leading the parliamentary forces in the English Civil Wars has four significant dates in his life fall on the same day (albeit in different years). Two significant battles, the first meeting of his parliament, and finally his death all fall on the 3rd of September.
As the most memorable general on the parliamentary side in the English Civil War against King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell was instrumental in the overthrow of the Stuart monarchy. He served as Lord Protector during the republican Commonwealth from 1653– until his death in 1658.
3 September 1650 – Battle of Dunbar
After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, the Army was left ruling England with Cromwell as its leader. The deceased king’s son, crossed the border into Scotland where he was recognised by the Scottish Parliament as King Charles II. This triggered conflict once again between England as Scotland. The Battle of Dunbar was fought between the English New Model Army, under Oliver Cromwell, and a Scottish army on 3 September 1650. Despite being weakened by sickness and lack of food, the battle was decisively won by the English. The English army continued to Edinburgh where it captured Edinburgh Castle later that year.
3 September 1651 – Battle of Worcester
The following year, Charles II and his Scottish allies attempted to piece together the broken Scottish forces. Despite being poorly coordinated, they continued south on 31 July in a desperate bid to raise Royalist support in England. With Scotland left exposed to the English forces, the Scottish government surrendered to Cromwell only two days after Charles had departed. Cromwell overtook them, catching them at Worcester on 3 September 1651. The English forces destroyed the last major Scottish Royalist army at the Battle of Worcester. Charles II eluded capture by hiding in the Royal Oak at Boscobel House. Eventually he fled to exile in France and the Netherlands, where he remained until 1660.
3 September 1654 – First meeting of the Protectorate parliament
In 1653, Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. This effectively placed the British Isles under military rule. Cromwell had the power to call and dissolve parliaments but was obligated to seek the majority vote of the Council of State. The first parliament met on 3 September 1654 and began to work on a series of moderate constitutional reforms. Unsatisfied, Cromwell dissolved the parliament in January 1655 and continued to rule England as a military state run by Army Major Generals.
3 September 1658 – Death of Oliver Cromwell
In 1658, Cromwell fell ill with a sudden onset of malarial fever, followed by another illness, possibly of the kidneys. In June 1658, Cromwell’s grandson Oliver died, closely followed by his mother Elizabeth Claypole (Cromwell’s daughter) who died in August. The deaths of his family were thought to have hastened his condition and Oliver Cromwell died at the age of 59 at Whitehall on Friday 3 September 1658. He was buried with great ceremony, at Westminster Abbey alongside his daughter Elizabeth.
On 30 January 1661, the anniversary of the execution of Charles I, Cromwell’s body was exhumed from Westminster Abbey. After a posthumous execution he was beheaded, his body hanged at Tyburn and his head remained on a spike outside Westminster Hall until some time in 1685. The whereabouts of his remains have been disputed. His head, however, is thought to be buried in Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge which is marked by a plaque reading:
Near to this place was buried on 25 March 1960 the head of OLIVER CROMWELL Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland & Ireland, Fellow Commoner of this College 1616-7
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