Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
Following the execution of Charles I, the monarchy was replaced by the Commonwealth (1649-53) and then the Republic or Protectorate (1653-9). "[Cromwell] served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland . . . He became an Independent Puritan after undergoing a religious conversion in the 1630s, taking a generally tolerant view towards the many Protestant sects of his period. He was an intensely religious man, a self-styled Puritan Moses, and he fervently believed that God was guiding his victories. He was elected Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in 1628 and for Cambridge in the Short (1640) and Long (1640–1649) Parliaments. . . . He demonstrated his ability as a commander and was quickly promoted from leading a single cavalry troop to being one of the principal commanders of the New Model Army, playing an important role under General Sir Thomas Fairfax in the defeat of the Royalist ("Cavalier") forces." In the history of the British Isles, Cromwell is a controversial figure considered a military dictator by Winston Churchill, and a hero of liberty by John Milton and Thomas Carlyle. [Wikipedia]