Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) was an English military and political leader who rose from leading a single cavalry troop to commanding the entire army during the English Civil War. He helped establish England as a republican Commonwealth and later served as Lord Protector, governing England, Scotland, and Ireland. After his death, Cromwell was initially buried in Westminster Abbey, but the Royalists later exhumed, hanged, and beheaded his corpse after regaining power. His legacy and role in history have been interpreted both as a heroic champion of liberty and as a regicidal dictator.