Oliver Cromwell

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Oliver Cromwell
Hero? Worthy of a statue outside parliament?
or Villain? Sneaky guy, who killed a king just to
get the crown for himself?
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How can we make a decision?
Nonsense! He was a soldier! People die in war
you cant blame Cromwell for all the deaths.
He killed 3,000 Irish people for no reason hes
a murderer!
He was aiming at the throne all the time. He
killed the king, then chucked out parliament and
made himself Lord protector.
No! He never wanted to rule. He tried over and
over again to get Charles to compromise. And he
did keep calling parliaments, he tried to give
them power.
Confused?
3
Lets start with an easy one How would you find
out about this person?
Shes wonderful! Shes funny and kind and clever.
Shes a really good teacher. She makes you think.
Shes a terrible teacher. Shes bossy and shouts
all the time.
She is very ambitious and she doesnt care who
she hurts on her way up to the top. Shes just in
it for herself.
Well the best way is to ask people who know her
What do you need to know about these people in
order to work out how much you can trust them?
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A pupil who just got A in GCSE History
How much can you trust the witnesses?
Her boyfriend
Shes wonderful! Shes funny and kind and clever.
Shes a really good teacher. She makes you think.
Shes a terrible teacher. Shes bossy and shouts
all the time.
She is very ambitious and she doesnt care who
she hurts on her way up to the top. Shes just in
it for herself.
What do we do???
A pupil who just got a detention from her
The teacher who applied for the same job as her
but did not get it
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Provenance
This is a very important word in History. It
means the BACKGROUND of the source. It means who
made the source, when, and why? If you know about
the person who said the source, you can see if
they had a reason to like or dislike the person
they are talking about. If you know the
provenance of a source, you can work out how much
to trust it!
6
Bias / Biased
This is another important word in History. It
means one-sided. If you are biased, it means
you have a certain viewpoint. Biased sources have
more OPINIONS than facts Who would be a biased
and an unbiased witness about Ms Munro????
You CAN still trust a biased source BUT you have
to be careful It will only give PART of the
story You need to sort out what is FACT and what
is OPINION
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Soback to Oliver Cromwell
Exercise!
When we want to know about Cromwell, we need to
look at sources about him. The sources are
written and drawn by people who knew him. What do
we need to know about the sources before we can
work out how much to trust them?
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Yes provenance! We need to know who made the
sources.
Cromwell promised to spare the lives of the
soldiers who surrendered. But when they did
surrender, he gave out the word that there was to
be no mercy. He slaughtered all the men.
The Irish soldiers were given every opportunity
to surrender, but they refused. Some were
executed, others were taken prisoner. Anyway, the
Irish had massacred Protestants so it was just
revenge.
One of these sources is by the leader of the
Irish troops, who Cromwell defeated. One is by a
soldier who was with Cromwell. Which is which
and how can you tell?
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EXERCISE Fit the people to the sources. Then
answer the questions.
He took all power to himself. He pretended to
work with parliaments, but really all he wanted
was to get rid of them.
He would rather have been a shepherd than a
ruler, but he was the only man who could keep
order.
He was practical He stopped the Levellers because
their plans would cause chaos.
He was a man who betrayed the men who had fought
with him
Lucy Hutchinson Her husband was an MP who was
thrown out of his job by Cromwell.
Peter Gaunt Someone who did not meet Cromwell,
but who studied his life in detail
Thomas Burton A soldier who acted as Cromwells
secretary
John Hopkins Cromwells servant, who was with him
for most of his life.
Lord Clarendon A close friend of king Charles I
King Charles II
John Lilburne Leader of the Levellers, who
Cromwell defeated
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This picture shows Cromwell ordering his wild and
undisciplined troops to pull down the royal oak
of Britain a tree that symbolises all the
traditions of Britain.
Do you think it was drawn by an enemy or a
supporter of Cromwell? How can you tell???
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Cromwell tried to persuade the army officers to
agree to him becoming king. He offered bribes and
threats.
Edmund Ludlow A soldier who at first supported
Cromwell, but who turned against him when
Cromwell became Lord Protector.
How reliable do you think this source is? How far
can you trust it? WHY?
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How does this poster show Cromwell? Does he look
heroic or villainous? Who do you think made
it? How can you tell?