Cromwell (1970) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

On the night before his planned departure to the New World with his family, Cromwell was persuaded to stay and re-enter political life. The escalating religious and political turmoil, specifically Charles I's policies that agitated Puritans, including land enclosures and Catholic rituals, pulled him back into England's crisis. His devout Puritan beliefs made it impossible for him to ignore the mounting conflict between crown and Parliament.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish Cromwell as a magistrate and former MP deeply invested in his country's governance.

• cromwell
• new world
• puritan
• departure
• politics

Charles I reluctantly agreed to execute his close adviser Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, to appease the House of Commons, which demanded accountability for the king's policies. Strafford had been a controversial figure whose hardline policies had angered Parliament. Though the king resisted giving up his adviser, the political pressure forced his hand as Charles needed Parliament's cooperation to secure funds for wars against Scotland and Ireland.

Foreshadowing: The Strafford affair highlights the growing tension between royal prerogative and parliamentary authority.

• strafford
• execution
• parliament
• charles i
• wentworth

Charles I entered the parliamentary chamber with an armed guard to arrest five members of Parliament in an attempt to silence his political opposition and suppress resistance to his policies. This desperate move backfired spectacularly, the arrest sparked outrage and united Parliament in open defiance, directly triggering the outbreak of the English Civil War. Both sides immediately claimed God fought for their cause.

Foreshadowing: The king's earlier refusal to concede reforms that would curb royal authority set the stage for this confrontation.

• charles i
• arrest
• mps
• civil war
• parliament

The New Model Army was a disciplined military force created by Oliver Cromwell and General Thomas Fairfax to replace Parliament's fragmented and unreliable troops. Unlike the existing Parliamentary armies, the New Model Army was professionally trained, well-organized, and united under strong leadership. Their cohesion and training proved decisive, delivering the decisive victory at the Battle of Naseby in 1645, which turned the war in Parliament's favor.

Foreshadowing: Earlier at Edgehill, Cromwell's cavalry had faltered, exposing Parliament's military weaknesses.

• new model army
• fairfax
• military
• parliament
• battle of naseby

One of Cromwell's sons was killed during the fighting at the Battle of Naseby in 1645. The battle was a decisive confrontation where the New Model Army routed the Royalist forces, and the casualty toll included Cromwell's own family member. This tragic loss occurred as Cromwell's cavalry proved pivotal in achieving the victory that turned the war in Parliament's favor.

Foreshadowing: The timeline establishes Cromwell as a family man with sons who serve in his cavalry.

• cromwell son
• naseby
• death
• battle
• cavalry

As his military position weakened in 1646-1647, Charles I secretly planned to raise a wholly Catholic army with help from Catholic nations. To facilitate this, he sent Queen Henrietta Maria and his eldest son abroad to secure support from Catholic powers. This exposed the monarchy's desperation and vulnerability, while also deepening the religious divisions at the heart of the conflict. The queen, a Catholic, had previously been unable to allow the Prince of Wales to be raised in her faith.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish the queen's private Catholic practice and the tension it created.

• catholic
• charles i
• queen henrietta maria
• army
• foreign aid

Cromwell and fellow Parliamentarians demanded accountability for what they viewed as Charles I's tyranny, particularly after learning of his covert plan to mobilize a Catholic army. The king was brought to trial for treason, with Parliament asserting that even a monarch could be held accountable for crimes against the realm. Charles I refused to acknowledge any authority higher than his own, believing in the divine right of kings. He was found guilty and executed, a profound political rupture that fundamentally changed England's future.

Foreshadowing: Sir Edward Hyde's revelation about the Catholic army plot gave Cromwell critical evidence.

• charles i
• execution
• trial
• treason
• cromwell

After Charles I's execution, radicals urged Cromwell to seize the crown and become king, but he refused. Cromwell retreated moodily to his estate, wrestling with the weight of what had been done. He resisted the title, though Parliament proved self-serving and faction-ridden in its attempts to govern. Ultimately, the era slid toward military-driven rule rather than a balanced constitutional settlement, leading to the establishment of the Protectorate.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Cromwell as a deeply religious man driven by conscience, not ambition.

• cromwell
• crown
• king
• refusal
• protectorate

The Protectorate was the constitutional order Cromwell established after purging the House of Commons in 1653, removing dissenting MPs and consolidating control. Facing a fractured Parliament and chaotic governance after the king's execution, Cromwell asserted the Protectorate as necessary to stabilize the realm. He served as Lord Protector for approximately five years, steering a government that mixed military discipline with centralized authority while pursuing religious and social reforms.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Parliament becoming increasingly self-serving and ineffective after the king's death.

• protectorate
• cromwell
• lord protector
• government
• parliament

After Cromwell's death in 1658, the Protectorate faltered and could not maintain stability. In 1660, Charles II, the son of Charles I, was restored to the throne, marking the Restoration. The film notes that England would never be the same again, as new political and religious tensions lingered. The balance of power had fundamentally shifted, and the monarchy returned with modified authority, shaped by the constitutional debates and conflicts of the preceding two decades.

Foreshadowing: The film's closing voice-over directly addresses this transformation.

• charles ii
• restoration
• protectorate
• monarchy
• england