Oliver Cromwell: Commander in Chief
Published on 23. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-0-300-28425-6 (ISBN)
Description
The second volume in an acclaimed biography of Oliver Cromwell, from the capture of Charles I to the expulsion of the Long Parliament
In 1647, the Parliamentarians were divided. They had won the first civil war and the king was in custody, but disagreements over the way forward had led to a stalemate. As the leader of one party, Oliver Cromwell found himself again at the centre of events.
In the second volume of his pioneering biography, Ronald Hutton traces Cromwell's career from 1647 through to his seizure of supreme power. These decisive years saw the execution of Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England, as well as notorious and savage campaigns in Ireland and Scotland. Cromwell's political and military leadership were well honed after years of practice, but this was also the period of his greatest ruthlessness and brutality.
This groundbreaking account reveals a different kind of Cromwell, showing how he navigated the many forces ranged against him-and rose to the pinnacle of his power.
In 1647, the Parliamentarians were divided. They had won the first civil war and the king was in custody, but disagreements over the way forward had led to a stalemate. As the leader of one party, Oliver Cromwell found himself again at the centre of events.
In the second volume of his pioneering biography, Ronald Hutton traces Cromwell's career from 1647 through to his seizure of supreme power. These decisive years saw the execution of Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England, as well as notorious and savage campaigns in Ireland and Scotland. Cromwell's political and military leadership were well honed after years of practice, but this was also the period of his greatest ruthlessness and brutality.
This groundbreaking account reveals a different kind of Cromwell, showing how he navigated the many forces ranged against him-and rose to the pinnacle of his power.
Reviews / Votes
"Hutton concludes that the 'precocious democracy, liberalism and pluralism' the British take for granted owe their existence to Cromwell. . . . We owe this remarkable man much more than we realise."-Simon Heffer, The Telegraph"Hutton is a wise and thoughtful guide through the thickets of the civil war, equally comfortable in the corridors of power and the tumult of a cavalry charge."-Dominic Sandbrook, Times (UK), "Best History Books of 2024"
"Deeply researched and beautifully written, it is. . . immensely intellectually satisfying."-Andrew Roberts, Times Literary Supplement, Books of the Year 2024
"A monumental achievement-the first in the great battalion of Cromwellian biographies to escape the long shadow cast by the Carlylean figure standing outside Westminster Hall."-John Adamson, Literary Review
"Vivid, stirring and epic."-Andrew Lynch, Business Post
"A meticulous portrait. . . . Hutton traces how spiritual certainty and institutional ambiguity could coexist, and how one man's moral compass could, with equal sincerity, justify regicide and repression."-Brandon Taylor, Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Reforme
"We will no doubt see much more of this slippery, evasive Cromwell in a third volume focusing on the Protectorate, established in 1653, from when Cromwell ruled as a king in all but name. I cannot wait."-Paul Lay, The Oldie
"[Hutton's] version of [his] subject that [he] finally presents is compellingly distinctive and one for our times."-Marcus Nevitt, The Spectator
"Hutton provides a new understanding of how this extraordinary figure was able to navigate the forces ranged against him and rise to the pinnacle of power."-Military History Matters
"Excellent: beautifully written, deeply authoritative and as sharp as a sword-as powerful as a cavalry charge and as exciting for the reader."-Simon Sebag Montefiore, BBC History, ?Books of the Year
"Hail the second volume, long awaited, of Ronald Hutton's biography of Oliver Cromwell . . . We anxiously await the third volume."-Stewart Rayment, interLib
"Hutton writes with [a] . . . mastery of the material."-Louise Williams, Congregational History Society Magazine
"A magnificent achievement. This is the most accessible and authoritative account of its subject. Cromwell emerges as both devious and manipulative."-Mark Stoyle, author of Soldiers and Strangers
Praise for The Making of Oliver Cromwell:
"Sly, vindictive, glory-guzzling and ruthless. . . . Hutton has produced a superb, coruscating, immensely stimulating profile of the rising Cromwell."-Jessie Childs, Daily Telegraph
"An absorbing story of a man born into relative wealth and security, apparently lacking ambition yet with an impulsive, brooding temperament."-Jerry Brotton, Financial Times
"Remarkable. . . . The Making of Oliver Cromwell is radical, powerful and persuasive, and it will cause a stir."-Anna Keay, Literary Review
"The Making of Oliver Cromwell had me spellbound. . . . The product of a lifetime's study, the book has changed my view of the Lord Protector."-Andrew Roberts, BBC History Magazine, Books of the Year
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
20 bw illus. + 9 maps
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-28425-6 (9780300284256)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Ronald Hutton is professor of history at Bristol University and a leading authority on the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, on ancient and medieval paganism and magic, and on the global context of witchcraft beliefs. He is the author of nineteen books.