Oliver Cromwell's Kin, 1643-1726: The Private and Public Worlds of the English Revolution and Restoration

This study examines the roles of three leading military statesmen who were also kin of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil Wars and the Protectorate. It explores how their kinship relationships shaped their public roles and how kinship was part of the functioning of the Cromwellian state. The study also considers how their private worlds impacted their public lives and how they were seen and presented by others. The research sheds light on the continuities between those who resisted the Stuarts in the 1640s and 1650s and did so again in the 1680s.

Format: Hardback
Length: 356 pages
Publication date: 07 July 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive study delves into the lives and careers of three influential military statesmen who served under Oliver Cromwell, but who were also his kin and shared the experiences of the civil wars. John Disbrowe (1608-80), Henry Ireton (1611-51), and Charles Fleetwood (1618-92) are the focus of this exploration, which seeks to shed light on their positions within the context of their familial ties to Cromwell and how their private worlds shaped their public roles. The study explores how kinship played a significant part in the functioning of the Cromwellian state, how these individuals were perceived and presented to the public, and the impact this had on their own lives and their kin before and after the Restoration.

To further examine Cromwell's career, this study considers figures within his kinship network to demonstrate how the public and private realms overlapped and influenced each other through their interactions before and after 1660. By examining the trajectory of elements within Cromwell's network and how their functioning and interactions shaped the politics of the years 1643 to 1660, the study also explores how the survival of some networks after 1660 continued as communities of individuals who were willing to own their memories of the civil wars, regicide, and Cromwell.

Furthermore, a study of aspects of Cromwell's kin provides examples of the continuities between those who resisted the Stuarts in the 1640s and 1650s and did so again in the 1680s. This study is suitable for specialists in the area as well as students taking courses on early modern British, European, and American history, as well as those with a more general interest in the period.

Weight: 840g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032403441