
The Making of Oliver Cromwell
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Narrated by:
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Michael Page
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By:
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Ronald Hutton
The first volume in a pioneering account of Oliver Cromwell - providing a major new interpretation of one of the greatest figures in history.
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) - the only English commoner to become the overall head of state - is one of the great figures of history, but his character was very complex. He was at once courageous and devout, devious and self-serving; as a parliamentarian, he was devoted to his cause; as a soldier, he was ruthless. Cromwell's speeches and writings surpass in quantity those of any other ruler of England before Victoria, and, for those seeking to understand him, he has usually been taken at his word.
In this remarkable new work, Ronald Hutton untangles the facts from the fiction. Cromwell, pursuing his devotion to God and cementing his Puritan support base, quickly transformed from obscure provincial to military victor. At the end of the first English Civil War, he was poised to take power. Hutton reveals a man who was both genuine in his faith and deliberate in his dishonesty - and uncovers the inner workings of the man who has puzzled biographers for centuries.
©2021 Ronald Hutton (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















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Left out a bit
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Fascinating Review of Oliver Cromwell
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Regarding some of the negative reviews here:
The claim that it's "way too detailed" makes no sense, unless that reviewer was complaining about Hutton's description of setting. Hutton often goes into great detail explaining landscape features, flora and fauna, and other atmospheric details you normally only get in a novel or pop history book. It's a bit excessive, but it makes the narrative more immersive.
Another person wrote that the book is "hero worshiping of a genocidal megalomaniac". This is nonsense. Hutton is about as objective as any biographer can be, and overall his depiction of Cromwell is far from flattering. He continuously notes Cromwell's disturbing love of killing, backwards belief that all his enemies are "evil", and his frequent attempts to take credit for battlefield successes he probably didn't deserve.
good overview for students or serious history fans
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Hutton asks the big questions: Who was Cromwell: pious Puritan or ruthless politician? And how did he become the Cromwell we know today from such humble, inauspicious beginnings?
Grounded in genuine scholarship, Hutton respects the limits of what we CAN know about Cromwell while also providing compelling insight into the composite descriptions of his life's events.
The result of this is a portrait far more complex and interesting than myth or ideology. I highly recommend this biography.
Real History
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honest and balanced
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Very specialized
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Fascinating Explanation of Cromwell‘s Contradictions
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Not boring
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I gave up on this one--just found it boring
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Very Boring
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