Wednesday 25 March 2026
Oliver Cromwell: Hero or Villain
Oliver Cromwell remains one of the most controversial and complex figures in British history. He ruled over what was so far the only republic in British history, and he deeply divided his contemporaries over whether he was a hero or a villain. Historians’ assessments of Cromwell are similarly polarised. Was he driven by consistent principles or by ambition and self-interest? How did he attain such extraordinary power? What was his impact on his times and what legacy did he leave behind? This lecture will explore these and other questions relating to Cromwell’s life and career through a selection of his letters and speeches, and will consider why opinion is still so divided over whether he was a hero or a villain.
Speaker: Dr David Smith has been a Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge, since 1988, and a College Associate Professor since 2024. He became a Director of Studies in History in 1992, and a Postgraduate Tutor in 2004. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1992, and he has been an Affiliated Lecturer in the Cambridge History Faculty since 1995. In 2024 he was elected a Vice-President of the Cromwell Association.
