Have you ever scratched your head, trying to figure out how the various Cromwells who pop up in English history were related?
Thomas Cromwell, Oliver Cromwell, and Richard Cromwell were familially connected through a fascinating link, though Thomas Cromwell (circa 1485-1540) and Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) were not directly related by blood in quite the way one might assume.
The connection began when Thomas Cromwell's sister, Katherine, married Morgan Williams. Their son, an ambitious man born Henry Williams, adopted his uncle's famous surname to advance his career at court. This Henry Williams (alias Cromwell) became the grandfather of Oliver Cromwell, making Thomas Cromwell Oliver's great-great uncle.
Oliver and Richard Cromwell, however, share a direct patrilineal bloodline: Richard was Oliver's eldest surviving son. Richard briefly inherited his father's title as Lord Protector after Oliver's death in 1658, though he lacked his father's political skill and was forced to abdicate within a year.
Thus, Thomas Cromwell was Oliver Cromwell's great-great uncle and carried his surname by family adoption, while Richard Cromwell was Oliver's son and direct heir.
Click here to enlarge.
|
