The second son of a Huntingdon landlord, Oliver Cromwell was educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and is believed to have studied for some time at Lincoln's Inn. He was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon in 1628. In 1640 he was elected to the Long Parliament as MP for Cambridge. During the English Civil Wars, Cromwell rose to prominence in the Eastern Association army and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in 1644. He was made Lieutenant General Of Horse in the New Model Army under Lord Fairfax in 1645. Cromwell distinguished himself in the battles of Marston Moor, Naseby and Langport. He was of the 135 commissioners in the High Court of Justice, which passed a death sentence to King Charles I. On 15/25 Mar 1649 he was appointed Lord-Lieutenant and commander-in-chief in Ireland, and was involved in military campaigns against the Royalists in Ireland and Scotland (1649-1650). When Lord Fairfax, reluctant to command the invasion of Scotland, resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief, the Parliament of England passed an act constituting Cromwell "Captain General and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces raised, and to be raised, by Authority of Parliament, within the Commonwealth of England" (26 Jun/6 Jul 1650; commission dated 28 Jun/8 Jul 1650). He defeated the Scots supporting King Charles II at the battles of Dunbar (3/13 Sep 1650) and Worcester (3/13 Sep 1651). Unsatisfied with the Rump Parliament, Cromwell conducted coup d'etat on 20/30 Apr 1653, and dissolved the Parliament and the Council of State. As Lord General, Cromwell along with the Council of Officers exercised the supreme authority in the Commonwealth until he set up a nominated parliamentary assembly, known as the Nominated or "Barebones" Parliament (4/14 Jul 1653 - 16/26 Dec 1653). In December 1653, the moderates voted to dissolve the Nominated Parliament and handed the supreme authority back to Cromwell. The first English constitution, the Instrument of Government, provided for an elected Lord Protector advised by a Council of State. Cromwell was declared Lord Protector for life and formally installed at Westminster Hall on 16/26 Dec 1653. In 1654, Cromwell summoned the first Protectorate Parliament, but he was unable to find effective approach to republicans, who wished to destroy the Protectorate and the first Protectorate Parliament was dissolved in January 1655. After a royalist uprising, a direct military dictatorship was introduced in 1655 (the Rule of the Major-Generals). On 8/18 May 1657 Cromwell declined an offer to make him king and on 26 Jun/6 Jul 1657 gave his formal assent to the new Commonwealth constitution, the Humble Petition and Advice, which allowed Lord Protector to name his successor and provided for installation of the Upper House in the Parliament. The same day Cromwell was reinstalled as Lord Protector in a ceremony reminiscent of a royal coronation in Westminster Hall. In 1658, Cromwell convened the Upper House, but republicans refused to recognize the new House of Lords. The Lord Protector dissolved the second Protectorate Parliament on 4/14 Feb 1658. On his deathbed Cromwell may have designated his son, Richard, as his successor; Oliver died on 3/13 Sep 1658, and Richard was immediately proclaimed Lord Protector.
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