A strong man, with skilled military skills, helped construct a plan to overthrow King Charles I during his reign of tyranny (Iggulden, Conn and Iggulden 79). Oliver Cromwell was known as one of the most controversial heroes of his time. Cromwell played an important role in the army as a soldier and general. He was also part of the English Parliament, which was somewhat corrupt during this time period. Oliver Cromwell was born on 25 April 1599 in Huntingdon, England; towards the end of the Elizabethan age (Kaplan 5). Cromwell was the son of the wealthy Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward. Oliver was loosely related to Thomas Cromwell; Minister of Henry VIII. His early years were ordinary; he went to Huntingdon Grammar School and completed his education at Sidney Sussex College ("Oliver Cromwell"). In the year 1616 Cromwell attended Sidney Sussex College, where he earned a reputation for his commitment to Puritanism. There he was noted for his enthusiasm for sports and games rather than his academic abilities. Cromwell's university career was cut short when his father died in June 1617 and he returned home to manage the family estate and to care for his widowed mother and seven unmarried sisters ("Oliver Cromwell"). So in those years he lived in London; where he began to drink and squirm. In those years his behavior was highly frowned upon in his society (“Cromwell: Profiles in Power”). On 22 August 1620, at the age of twenty-one he married Elizabeth Bourchier, daughter of Sir James Bourchier, a wealthy leather merchant. Oliver and his wife had a total of nine children, only eight of whom survived infancy. Robert was the eldest son, born in October 1621 and died at the age of 17... mid-paper... Cromwell's power. This is ironic because Cromwell and Parliament were fighting for equal power. Parliament easily relinquished its power without disagreement. He had more power than King Charles could ever hope to have. Cromwell used Parliament to his advantage; he influenced Parliament to fund almost anything he wanted to do. During that period Parliament helped finance English wars and stop royalist rebellions (“Oliver Cromwell”). Cromwell was an excellent military general but not a great leader. Oliver Cromwell died on 3 September 1658 of malaria (Iggulden, Conn and Iggulden 120). His successor was his fifth son Richard but his reign did not last long. In 1660 the monarchy returned to England and Charles II, son of Charles I, became king. Cromwell's body was embalmed and kept secretly in Westminster Abbey.