Oliver Cromwell

Cromwell was more responsible for the overthrow of the Stuarts than any other man, and as the commander of a large, well-trained army, he had the power to establish a dictatorship. However, he was no ordinary military conqueror who sought civil power, and the real tragedy of his career was that he was forced to assume a political role in order to protect the ideals for which he and his men had fought. Although he …

…the reason for his refusal, his struggle to find an alternative to royal government was about to end. On September 3, 1658, he died, leaving as his successor a son too weak to control the quarreling generals and a jealous Parliament. Early in 1660, one of his commanders seized London and brought an end to the confusion by summoning a special parliament to invite Charles II (1660-1685), the son of the murdered king, to return to the throne.