Oliver Cromwell, Amazing Facts. April Fool

Everything below is true except the Circumcision and converting to Judaism. Shame no one took the rise LOL

In a way you could think 17th Century England meets Da Vinci Code. Cromwell still to this day elicits strong reactions from many people. But what is not really known about him is that he was far less radical than popular opinion would have it and a lot of his great works have been either ignored or made to be the work of others. For instance whilst Cromwell did not forge the New Model Army he was the one who made it a Continental success. The New Model was required to keep order in The Three Kingdoms (Wales was not seen as a Nation) but still saw action in several European Countries. Also not known by many was that our overseas colonies were not a Napoleonic idea but troops were sent out to Jamaica during the Protective. The Royal Navy? Well say thank you Oliver as he made it a priority to out build both the Spanish and the Dutch and through commanders such as Blake was to win important battles that made England master of the waves and something we never let go . With Charles II gaining the thrown he simply took over the navy, renamed the flagship to something more Regal and away he went.

But all this cost money and after the Civil Wars had stripped the land of men and trade the country was struggling. It is firmly believed that Cromwell invited Jews back into England on a purely financial basis. This has a strong argument but does not fully stack up. First of all he was a sucker for Liberty of Conscience and whilst he eventually violently put down the army revolts he only did so once the discussions went from religious to political. Under Cromwell Catholics had more freedom of Religion than under Charles I, so long as they kept their meetings to the household. Cromwell for all this was seen as a zealot, great Victories such as Dunbar he put down to the Glory of God, but it seems he protested to much!

Paxton Hood in his book Oliver Cromwell mentions in his 1st Edition that Cromwell was very close to Judaism and visited their elders more than necessary. Now what is interesting about this was it was removed in the 2nd edition and then on. Several seditious pamphlets were released during the civil wars and after defaming Cromwell and not a few equated him to the devil. But late in his reign a couple linked him to Judaism either directly such as "Cromwell, the Devil and his unholy Jewish Alliance Uncovered". But you just can't trust 17th Century pamphlets as stand alone evidence. It is also clear that Cromwell was in fact a very devout Christian right up to the day he fell from his horse. This brought on another bought of Malaria (picked up in Ireland). By this point Cromwell was a broken man, subject to fits of depression and knowing the Protective was doomed to failure he even picked his successor to be his weak son Richard Cromwell knowing this would speed up the decline and bring about the Restoration. But he did something else as well. He converted his faith and became a Jew. This was very secret (obviously) and all involved had a vested interest in keeping this secret. When Cromwell was exhumed to be hung drawn and quartered he was found to be circumcised and was not in the usual shroud but dressed as that of a Jew. Whilst this was fantastic propaganda for the fledgling King he was forced to suppress the revelation as he was more cash strapped that the Protective and the Jews keen not to be linked any closer to Cromwell were prepared to pay handsomely to keep the secret. And so it has been more or less ever since. The truth has come to light at times but each time it gets light it is driven back in the dark. Even now it seems that Cromwell's conversion is not for open discussion.