things as law and common morality when it was for the good of England and in many ways Cromwell was very justified for following such Machiavellian principles. The new Commonwealth did indeed have very powerful enemies, especially in Ireland and Scotland, where Charles II, son of Charles I, was proclaimed king and it was Cromwell’s belief that the only way to protect this new commonwealth was through force. In 1649 Cromwell crushed a leveler mutiny in the army, the levelers were a radical political group demanding franchise reform, religious toleration and did not want to fight in Ireland as they believed their interests were being sold out. Cromwell felt that such things were unpractical if England was to be united against its enemies and thus ended quickly, put an end to it. With his forces reorganized, Cromwell led a campaign into Ireland, where Catholics still held power. He conducted a brutal war against Irish soldiers and civilians alike to shatter this Catholic power. The following year Cromwell was elevated to supreme military commander, and the army stormed into Scotland to prevent the Royalists from invading England. Cromwell won one of his greatest victories against overwhelming odds at Dunbar on September 3, 1650; exactly a year later he defeated the combined forces of the Scots and Charles II at Worcester. Many Englanders regarded Cromwell as the savior of the Commonwealth as through his military campaigns Cromwell had most definitely strengthened England’s importance on a global scale. After his campaigns with Scotland and Ireland were finished, Cromwell returned to London, where he quickly became entangled in a major political controversy. The army was again seeking reforms, including an extension of the franchise and new Parliamentary elections. The Rump Parliament had good intentions, but its members were divided over specific programs and unable to achieve the reforms the army was seeking. Th...
