ABSTRACT
Oliver Cromwell rose to prominence and power through his dynamism and success as a soldier and his political standing probably always ultimately rested on the army and army backing. Like many public figures, Cromwell can be seen to possess contradictory attributes. Cromwell also came to see the unexpected fragmentation of the Protestant faith in the 1640s as a gift from the Lord. Cromwell rose to prominence and power through his dynamism and success as a soldier and his political standing probably always ultimately rested on the army and army backing. While Cromwell and his fellow officers were away fighting, the Rump ruled England. When the Rump sent envoys to the United Provinces to propose a union between the two republics, they were deliberately insulted, and the reaction in the Rump enabled the commercial interests represented there to win support for a trade war.
