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Oliver #Cromwell is popularly believed to have been the leader of the Parliamentary cause, the 'Roundheads', during the #EnglishCivilWar. But was this really the case - has his importance for much of this period been exaggerated? Follow this thread to find out! #17thCentury 1/8 
At the start of the Civil War #Cromwell was in modern terms a 'backbench MP', a very minor figure in the House of Commons. The leaders there for the Parliamentary cause were the likes of John Pym and John Hampden; the Earls of Essex & Manchester led in the House of Lords. 2/8
Likewise militarily #Cromwell was a very minor figure at the start of the Civil War in 1642, a junior cavalry officer with no military experience. Others such as the Earls of Essex, the Earl of Manchester and Sir William Waller commanded Parliament's armies at this time. 3/8
Cromwell rose through the ranks of Parliament's forces during the #EnglishCivilWar due to his military skills, becoming more significant in Parliament as a result. Here he and many others called for military reform, leading to the creation of the New Modelled Army in 1645. 4/8
The New Modelled Army was trained & led by Sir Thomas Fairfax, not Cromwell, who was his second in command. Parliament's victory in the first civil war was chiefly down to Fairfax, plus forces from the Scots Covenanters who gave vital military support to the 'Roundheads'. 5/8
#Cromwell started to take a more central role both politically and militarily after Parliament won the first Civil War, being involved in the Putney Debates and Trial of Charles I. He was still only second in command of the army though, and Parliament was running the country. 6/8
#Cromwell became commander of the army in 1650, then Lord Protector in 1653 after he dismissed the 'Rump Parliament' and a new constitution was drawn up. At this point he became the central and dominating figure of the popular imagination, until his death in 1658. 7/8
As the Royalists had a single central figure in Charles I, it's easy in the popular imagination to ascribe the same to the Parliamentary cause, and Cromwell is the obvious person. This isn't true though and means he often gets unwarranted credit or blame for everything. End. 8/8
