The Strange Journey of Oliver Cromwell’s Head
Exhumed upon the orders of King Charles II in 1681, Cromwell’s corpse was ritually hanged, and his embalmed head was put on public display. But the story of Cromwell’s head didn’t end there…
Oliver Cromwell, one of England’s most polarizing figures, left a legacy as divisive in death as it was in life. Rising to power as a leader of the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War, he wielded influence over the fate of a monarchy, redefining the nation’s identity through turbulent times.
As Lord Protector (dictator), Cromwell enforced strict Puritan values, earning admiration from some and lifelong enmity from others. Yet his journey did not end with his death in 1658. Decades after being laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, Cromwell’s body was exhumed, subjected to a posthumous execution, and displayed as a grim symbol of royal vengeance.
The Life Of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was born in 1599 to a modest but well-connected family in Huntingdon, England. He was educated at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge and spent his early years in relative obscurity until the 1640s when England was on the brink of a civil war.
