Oliver Cromwell was an interesting character.
Probably the one thing that made him the most interesting to me is this:
He was hanged and decapitated in 1661. He died in 1658.
Ok — I probably have your attention by now.
Oliver Cromwell was best known for being Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland after the defeat of King Charles I in the Civil War. He was one of the main signatories on Charles I’s death warrant. After the execution of King Charles I, Cromwell led the Commonwealth of England.
Oliver Cromwell died on September 3rd, 1658. His death was due to complications relating to a form of malaria, and kidney stone disease. Cromwell appointed his son, Richard, as his successor. But Richard was not as successful at leadership as his father and in May 1659, just 9 months after his father’s death, he renounced power.
King Charles II was restored as King of England — this was known as the restoration. Charles decreed that Cromwell be disinterred from where he was buried in Westminster Abbey, and that he be “executed” — despite already being dead — for regicide (killing a king.)
Cromwell’s body was removed from his grave and hanged in chains, before being beheaded. His head was placed on a spike above Westminster Hall.
During a storm in 1685, his head apparently fell from the spike and was thrown to the ground. According to various stories, since then the head has been reported to be in various hands, in various private and museum collections — it’s even supposedly been put on display numerous times. Eventually it was buried at Sydney Sussex College at Cambridge University.
As you can imagine, there are several versions of this story, but they all agree that Oliver Cromwell was removed from his grave to be executed…..
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