ABSTRACT
The Irish rebellion transformed politics. Cromwell and his colleagues were now faced with a more aggressive king and responded in kind. Against the background of war in Ireland, England and Wales were swept into civil war and Cromwell, for the fi rst time in his life, embarked on a military career. Cromwell had been in the Long Parliament serving on many committees for a year and it could be expected that he had become something of an experienced parliamentarian. There were two clear strands to his political interests by the beginning of the second sitting of parliament in November 1641. Cromwell had demonstrated commitment to religious reform even if the dramatic one-stroke changes proposed in the Root and Branch Bill had been quietly dropped. In October he proposed delaying the appointment of fi ve new bishops and was appointed to a committee to consider the idea. Clearly Oliver Cromwell was now an anti-formalist seeking the end of a single state church such as the Church of England. This concern would resurface within weeks of parliament’s sitting. Oliver was also becoming interested in military affairs. Having originally opposed the king’s trip to Scotland on grounds of national security, he had subsequently supported the Earl of Essex’s appointment as commander of all forces south of the River Trent in the king’s absence. In November he proposed that the earl be continued in that offi ce even after the king had returned from Scotland.
