How One Family Remade Britain: Thomas and Oliver Cromwell, with Miranda Malins
Summary
Historian Miranda Malins discusses her new book, The House of Cromwell, which connects Thomas and Oliver Cromwell as distant relatives within a single dynasty. The episode explores how their shared family networks, strategic marriages, and pragmatic reformist faiths shaped the rise and fall of the Cromwell name across two centuries. Malins argues that viewing them through a familial lens reveals their complex legacies, challenging the "great man" narrative and highlighting the interconnectedness of Tudor and Civil War history.
Topics discussed
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Introduction to the episode and guest
The connection between Thomas and Oliver Cromwell
Sir Henry Cromwell and the family tree
Choosing the epigraph and humanizing the figures
The structure of 'The House of Cromwell'
Religious roots of the Civil War
Reforming faith and pragmatism
Conservative vs. revolutionary: defining their politics
Defining the Cromwell dynasty
Oliver's rise and the Great Seal
Other notable Cromwells and family fame
Marriage as a tool for dynasty building
Contextualizing violence in civil war
Applying the family lens to other history
Primary sources and historical sites
The power of historical fiction and art
Sponsor: Vanta
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