Oliver Cromwell

[Deadeye012011]

this is why i laugh at pathetic attempts by Irish and Scottish people who say the English cant fight pick up a history book and stop watching xenophobic historically inaccurate movies like Braveheart because not only can the English fight they clearly fight harder than you and i say this as an Englishman with a little Scottish in me but i'm just sick of the constant digs we receive from these people .

[moffetcat]

I'm learning as much as I can about Cromwell as he was my blood relatives, and I can understand all of the controversy. As an American with many other family lines arriving in America in 1635 from England, what was Charles I doing to his people to make so many leave for America during his reign? Could Charles' religious persecution (or lack of stopping it) be the reason for his execution and Cromwell's ascendency?

[OW41N]

parliarment almost lost naseby it was a very tight run thing so naseby cannot be used as an example

[germaniajim]

He was a self righteous prick who beat his women, drank more than he could handle, and twas said he was a huge dis appointment in the sac, according to alady or two, he had an opium problem, a sadist, masochist, a student of Marquis de Sade, and a homosexual, He died with a dildo up his anus made of english salamii but packed with chilean hot peppers , hence an extremely hot and painful prolonging before the coup de grace was administered by his mother/lover dressed as the King of Poland.

[djsmurfie]

Ahhh, Americans narrating history. Can't even pronounce his name correctly: it's cromWELL, not cromWALL.

[passiveMenis]

@djsmurfie

Does it fucking matter?

[123RUTH123]

Did he just say dro-hee-ga for drogheda, wow you'd think someone who was teaching history would know what they were talking about :O

[A0GP5YCH0]

I'm getting sick of the Irish condemming the English for the past.

As you have just heard, it was the Irish that started it.

Before you go opening your mouths and shouting about all the people that died, maybe you should just have a little think as to why Cromwell's Army was there in the first place!

[roopr]

I wouldn't consider Oliver Cromwell a military genius, he simply adopted what the continental Europeans had been doing since the 1620's. Although considering what existed before Cromwell reformed the army it is no wonder why folks would think he's a military genius.

[billybob7ful]

@roopr id say thomas fairfax was the best general of the civil war, but cromwell never had any military experience yet he was a masterful commander of cavalry and masterful at commanding a siege

[celtic162k8]

cronwell lost half of his men at the town of clonmel

[EnglandOwnsSpain]

Why are all you Irish blaming the English all the time??

Scotland and Wales invaded too, the Norman 'invasion' of Ireland in 1169 was carried out by Welsh-Norman barons from Wales.

Edward and Robert Bruce invaded Ireland twice during the early 14th century, devastating the people and country. And they were Scottish.

You Irish have been invaded by every tom dick and harry ( :

[123RUTH123]

@EnglandOwnsSpain Still British aren't they, you know well people just say england for Britain cause its the 'best' country

[blastforth]

In Ireland Cromwell "debased the standard of human conduct, and sensibly darkened the journey of mankind." Churchill, "A History of the English Speaking People."

[WorshipInTruth]

@blastforth Churchill was a murderous infidel drunk, a member of various neo-pagan secret societies, and cohort alongside that butcher Stalin. Churchill was a sad depressed man who said he only got joy out of war and violence, he purposefully bombed civilian centers. It is funny that Churchill should find himself in a position to judge the Great Oliver Cromwell.

[cushy1900]

Really good lecture, I never thought of it like that, maybe the Irish shouldn't have yanked the tigers tail. Logically they totally fucked up, Cromwell might not have come.

Cromwell is a very unique person, he was the only commoner to be head of state in England and had his body dessicated after his death by a Scottish king of England.

The Scots switched sides and got hammered, fair does. No sympathy.

I sick of the us English apologising, Cromwell beat you, we need a new one.

[liamnercedes]

@Oliver1649

oliver

get your ass to county wexford and see the graves of the 2500 women,children he let his troops kill...

buy a history book, not an english one! you wont find it in there as its not thought in your schools!! english like to forget their murky past!!

[bollockchops55]

your not an english person your nothing

[kingkarlone]

As an english person I beleive Cromwell to be one of England's biggest disgraces, terrorising his own homeland and invading Ireland and giving a bad name to us english. If we didn't invade Ireland we would be have been good friends with the Irish I hope.

[FrankClanton]

I'm glad Cromwell carried out genocide in Ireland.

[liamnercedes]

@FrankClanton

how the hell can anyone who does not know their history say in the modern world they are glad anyone carried out genocide ever! just show you as an english thicko... like the rest!!

[fhetherton]

@FrankClanton

what is wrong with you ? you need to think carefully about what you sat.

[bollockchops55]

thats english new model army .........potty old fucker

[NottinghamForest22]

military genius

[pkeville1]

Murderer you mean

[ireland10001]

Cromwell was a vicious bastard who murdered innocent people.

[VageniuswithaQ]

Scum of the earth. from the 800 years of rape, murder and slavery by the english in my country, that piece of shit did the worst. why in god's name aren't the british tried for war crimes?? they shite on about terrorists and how evil they are when in FACT the british army over the years killed more irish than hitler killed jews. they have no right to call anyone else terrorists. If it ever gets worldwide realisation that this shit happened i'm sure they wouldn't get away with it.

[krayzeeryan]

well because all this happened centuries ago, its not as if anyone who did it is alive now.

gee, grow up.

[batmobile13]

I am an American.....I learned of Cromwell and the Irish slavery through flogging mollys tobacco island only three months ago...i 've since researched the subject extensively ....this is not a topic taught in the states (at least not where I went to school). This man is indeed scum along the lines of Adolf Hitler. He may be a hero to his country somehow , but still a mass murdering scumbag detrimental to the progression of humanity. This made evident by the amount of praise his memory receives.

[scottct22]

You obviously havent been learning the right history then.

Some of the things he did in Ireland wasnt any different from what other leaders and generals were doing all over Europe at the time, and by the way in Drogheda most of all the deaths were royalist soldiers, only a small number were civilians and in Wexford Cromwell himself was trying to negotiate surrender terms, when some of his soldiers broke into the town killing 2,000 Irish troops and around 1,500 civilians, he did not order it.

[bollockchops55]

wonderfull man wonderfull

[Freshhhhh1982]

Seriously. If your ever in Ireland dont tell anyone that. Hes our version of Hitler.

[mayoboy8]

Irish...i may add did invade england...we got your sorry a sses outta pagan anglo saxon crap...true brits are in wales.Anyhow he was a great man of god and in fact like all great ppls in these parts they loved there country a shame history isn't so clear cut,but never knock a great man who brought the sense of republican to a new high:) great on the battle field, great in office and a man who saw hope in this awful world.ppl moan about the english,shame they know no history:) slan

[Scoob505]

Know no history? The army that wiped out 1/4 of irelands population in the mid 1600s? The army that killed and starved hundreds of thousands of innocent irish native citizens, drove them from their home and butchered them?

[Emmanuelleazevedo]

Mamucium55 will note that the large buildings in which we find books are called l-i-b-r-a-r-I-E-S. If he wishes to give us a lesson he could at least learn how to spell.

[neilhosey]

cromwell murdered thousands and thousands of innocent men, women and children. He is the biggest piece of scum in history.. A hero of england? makes sense so, the english were a shower of murdering scum bags throughout history.

[yourmumsucksmycock]

And if the Irish had of invaded Englang are you trying to say they would not have? Jealousy pal.

[billyysands]

cromwell was a murderous maniac

the irish never invade england you english invaded everyone else

you murdering scum maybe my country should invade and wipe half your population out we could easily but we not the stinking dogs you are

[Scoob505]

Jealousy of what? Of slaughtering hundreds of thousands of women men and children?

[Freshhhhh1982]

No, we were too busy fighting amongst ourselves.

[Robyn2186]

i think cromwell was a relative

[Robyn2186]

cromwell was fine man a christian man god bless his soul

[rangerstruth]

God Bless Oliver Cromwell ,As ever some only want one side !!! Murderous events such as Portadown where over 3000 where Burned and Drowned & more than that where chased out to Scotland created the Military purpose of cromwell , Cromwell was a great Commander and was doing his job , the 28 towns / cities he took where offered freedom if they surrendered Wexford and Drogeda refused , worse happened in later years and Oliver tried to stop it Cromwell to many is a Hero of these lands .

[rangerstruth]

Cromwell was Military Personel ie doing his job!!,He took 28 Irish towns/cities but only at Drogeda & Wexford was it so Brutal,3000 masacred at Drogeda & 2000 at Wexford,in all 28 he asked (by military code) for the surrender and offered the safe being of all citizens,but in these 2 areas they resisted therefor creating the battles that then ocurred, in 1641 near Portadown near 3000 Protestants where burned and drowned and over 3ooo where chased to scotland,Britain acted on events like this.

[neothomist1275]

"To Milton, Catholic worship cannot be tolerated. He leaves it to the civil magistrate to consider whether Catholics in England can be tolerated at all, even without public worship. If Catholics should complain that their conscience is violated he replies that 'we have not warrant to regard Conscience which is not founded on Scripture.' .Radical scripturalism has become the instrument through which the conscience of man can be kept within the limits of national jurisdiction." -- Eric Voegelin

[WhoDaresWinzz]

One of the reason he went so mad at Drogheda was because most of the soldiers against him were english catholics not irish , and saw them as traitors.

[MannaMachine69]

That's not entirely true. Plague had a lot to do with it. The General that succeeded him has as much or even more to answer for.

[Senoac]

i am related to oliver cromwell.. its my last name and if you saw me you could deff see relation

[Oliver1649]

As for Cromwell being racist or sectarian, well here is the oath sworn by the good people of Wexford in 1642 (some 7 years before Cromwell landed):

"....they took an oath before Sir Nicholas French - a Priest, and Sir William Devereux - Vicar General, that they shall suffer noe English or Protestant to live in this Kingdom, or beare any office here, noe not so much as a Petty Constable's place...."

[Oliver1649]

Cromwell summoned the town of Drogheda to surrender - they refused.

In the accepted rules of combat in the 17th century he had every right to put all found in arms in the town to the sword.

This he did.

Cromwell won, the Irish Confederates lost.

[emochuu]

Cromwell's massacares (and they were) at Drogheda and Wexford were the worst stains on his (otherwise quite sensible) reign. 600,000 people out of a total population of 1.6 million died. Saying he asked them to surrender is no excuse, Hitler gave the Jews time to escape Germany but that doesn't make the holocaust ok. Ireland was screwed round by England for hundreds of years.

[Scoob505]

Cromwell wiped out 1/4 to 1/5 the population of ireland. His forces paraded through the country slaughtering women children and men village to village to draw out torie guerilla rebels. Anyone who is proud of him should reconsider their moralistic priorities over patriotic disposition.I am an irish Catholic and I resent what he did to my people desite it happening so long ago the pain remains somehow, the hatred, which does not blind us, many educated irish are well aware of what happened.

[jediweirdo]

religion,parliment,money the 3 thing that the world is all about even today

[937irish]

some things are inexcusable. The start and total massacre and demise of the Irish people was with cromwell and the rulers of england. Did you know that in 1900 the queen of england,that cunt of a place,and the Kaiser willhelm and the czar Nicholas were all first cousins. Just shows how much faith they had in the intelligence of the people the ruled

[stewartkee]

What Cromwell did was tottaly inexcusable. But that's no reason to take it out on the Royals. Even the Irish supported James II. and yes it does show how much faith George V had in the intelligence of the people he REIGNED over since they could see the daily bombing of Buckingham and Windsor by George's own relatives. They could figure out who's side he was on.

[stewartkee]

They had less faith in the I.R.A. who where making deals with Hitler, and bombing British dockyards. Like you said, some things are inexcusable.

[johnnyork]

Oliver Cromwell was a great man.

[portumnadaz]

i suppose your a fan of hitler too

[taphz2]

u need a brain

[sboyle11]

If you had been one of the slaughtered innocent children in Drogheda, you would not have thought so! Either you do not know your history, or you hate the Irish or maybe both.

[Oliver1649]

sboyle11,

Name one eye witness source that claims he ordered the death of non-combatants.

Cromwell was simply better than the Irish and defeated them in battle.

What's really funny is that people like you still can't get over it.

I suggest you move on my friend.

Chuckle....

[emochuu]

Oliver1649:

It's easy to be "better" than someone when you've stolen their land and made them second class citizens in their own country, repressing them from self governance and religious freedom.

[Alba12349]

He's rotting in hell for what he did against the Irish and Scottish people!

[qcbucki]

I'm from across the pond. Several years ago we had our genealogy done. I saw on paper the generation after generation only to behold, yes, I am a descendant of Cromwells'. After the "disfavor" of his legacy, the family came here,changed the name BY ONE LETTER for anonymity. We did study him in grade school a bit. Strange to me that since early adulthood I've felt compelled to live in England, really compelled.Any conections?haha Haven't made it yet but know all about his birthplace and life. D

[oresteus]

I think the best way to put it is the way Simon Shama put it in his "A History of Britain":

"in the end, a simpler, better life for everyone, is all he ever wanted"

[mickser101]

Cromwell is burning in hell as we speak

[CrazyGirlyGirl94]

i found out that he is a very distant relative, my grandad traced it back, i duno if hat is good or bad :s

[eireste]

hey man, im in the same boat, shit on!!

[2QBUFF]

Its a very good thing .He Kept the Royals in their place and it was a stepping ladder for democracy..Sadly today we could do with another Ollie as our Queen as well as our corrupt officials are about to sell us out to Brussels in 2009...As for the paddys and the Jocks crying about this as far as i,m concerned they can all move out and set up shop in the Vatican with the pope ..Then they will know what despotism is .. 8 )

[taphz2]

after all his killings and ethnic purging we are still here an rud is measa a thug sasanna dhuinn !!

[twinytwo]

its bad... he committed mass murder

[zzxzqwq]

Cormwell allowed jews back into england and ensured the king could not be tyrant. Now wonder anti semitic monarchists hate him.

[333amigops]

The Irish only rebelled because of the plantations in the north of Ireland which made the Catholics slaves of their own country. Scotland invaded England because Charles I's son Charles junior had himself crowned King Charles II of Scotland than wanted to be king of England. Scotland had already been under English occupation since 1603 when James VI of Scotland was crowned James I of England as well and became the first Stuart monarch of England. (Just pointing out a few errors).

[bazzatheblue]

Rest in Peace great Cromwell,if the Irish don`t like you you must have been doing something right.They are only jealous because their republic wasn`t the first in the British Isles.

[Cally200233]

Burn in hell Cromwell

[nationalist19]

I think the most profound thing about Cromwell was his death. As he lay dying a huge tempest raged through the land, ripping up trees, sending church towers and bells to the ground. people say "It was the devil comming for his soul."

[ruddigore28]

Cromwell was extremely brutal man at times, but nothing particularly shocking when considering the era in which he lived.

Drogheda, for example. The massacre was terrible, but Cromwell was merely abiding by the rules of war back then. It was generally accepted that any town which, when offered a chance to surrender, resisted and was later taken by force was not entitled to quarter.

Horrific by our standards, yes, but from a 17th century viewpoint just standard practice in wartime.

[ferrrtojin73]

When the Irish army successfully captured Limerick after a long siege they allowed the Protestant defenders safe passage to Dublin.

[nationalist19]

After the king's murder the royalist's held on to Dublin in the name of Charles II and they were as much Protestant as Catholic. But when Cromwell defeated them at droughada well... There were no real preists, women and children kill like we here. but it was geniside. He took the 3,000 soliders, who already surrendered, to the grounds of a catholic church and executed them all.

[Dogstar333]

Oliver cromwell was a genius in warfare, And please stop looking for sympathy if your irish, At that time you would have ivaded us if you could, If you would listen to this man he's telling it as it happened, When the warriors of england could be bothered they slaughtered the scots and especially the irish it had to be done.

[nisseltaria]

It had to be done? Why exactly did it have to be done?

I would not accuse someone of looking for sympathy for being disgusted with the glorification of someone who attempted to destroy their people and culture. Regardless of how long ago that attempt occurred.

[jumpingjacker1]

oliver fought demons, they were there before he was born, they were there when he died, the same thing he tried to destroy, they rebuilt, now they rule our world, people in high places, the same people, they give you illusions, everything you see is an illusion, and untill you see it, youll always be sleeping

[TSM9356]

lol, i dont understand why irish people born in this modern age have anything against a man who was born 400 years ago, who they have neither met or understand. time hatred has got to stop.

[padraiglocke20]

He never talks about the genicide cromwell afflects on us Irish,what does this guy know about irish history, not much!

[SyberSid]

Didn't he mention Drogeda? What else was there?

[maureenOWW]

There was no genocide, it's a victorian myth.

[irishoforiel]

I spit on the name of Oliver Cromwell.

[maureenOWW]

And the rest of the world blesses him for ridding the world of tyrant Kings.

[3Elvis]

I've been dreaming of a time when

The English are sick to death of Labour, And Tories

And spit upon the name Oliver Cromwell

And denounce this royal line that still salutes him,

And will salute him forever.

-Morrissey

[mancunian1234]

He said he wasn`t a Puritan,but he was.He hated the Catholic adornments in Churches and hated cardinal Wolsey who tried to bring in Catholism to the church.