(23) Oliver Cromwell and the Protectorate Flashcards
What role was handed to Cromwell?
Lord Protector
What were Cromwell’s aims?
‘Healing and Settling’
What was Cromwell like?
- internally, humble and harsh
- externally, confident
- religious zealot - belief in Providence
- commanded loyalty on a great scale
- ‘warts and all’
What was The Instrument of Government?
Britian’s first written constitution
Who wrote the Instrument of Government?
General Lambert
How was the Instrument of Government made up?
- A Lord Protectorate
- Council of State (21 members)
- A single body Parliament, 400 E&W and 30 each S&I
What areas did the settlement of the Instrument of Government tackle?
- liberty of worship for all (not Roman Catholics or extreme sectarians)
- electoral reform
- funding for navy and army
- annual budget £200,000
What did the electoral reforms entail?
It maintained a property qualification, but extended suffrage to middle classes
What was the funding for the navy and army set to?
10,000 cavalry horses and dragoons
20,000 foot and convenient number of ships
When was the First Protectorate Parliament?
Sept 1654 - Jan 1655
What was the failure of the First Protectorate?
- the parliament wanted executive power
- ‘Commonwealthsmen’ strongly opposed Cromwell’s dissolution of the Rump
- ‘Godly Reformation’ was not pursued
- electoral reform redistributed power away from towns
- no legislation enacted
Who were the Commonwealthsmen led by?
Sir Arthur Haslerig
What were the Four Fundamentals in September 1654?
- Government by a single person and parliament
- non-perpetuation of parliament against the will of the Protector
- Liberty of Conscience
- Control of militia by Protector, council and parliament
What was the aim of the Four Fundamentals?
To make the work of ‘healing and settling’ possible
What was the ruling body after the dissolution of the First Protectorate?
The rule by Major Generals
What were the two primary causes of the Military government?
- Penruddok’s uprising
- The Western Design
When was Penruddock’s Uprising?
March 1655
What occurred in Penruddock’s Uprising?
An attempted uprising in Wiltshire - held Salisbury for a few hours
What happened to Penruddock?
Executed in May 1655
What was the Western Design?
An alliance between France and England against Spain. In Dec 1654, a British Naval force sent to seize Hispaniola bt failed - Cromwell’s first defeat
What did Western Design demonstrate?
Reverse-providence
How was the Major General ruled?
11 districts in England, each MG supported by 500 soldiers
Why was the rule of Major Generals viewed as unnatural?
It went against the established social order
What was the Decimation tax?
A tax levied onto Royalist estates worth more than £100 pa, removing 10% of annual revenue
What was the decimation tax directly contrary to?
‘healing and settling’
What was under the rigorous campaign of the Major Generals?
- combatting drunkness
- applying blasphemy laws
- punishing indecent behaviour
What did the Major Generals ban?
- theatre
- brothels
- rules against gambling
- bear-batinging
- cockfighting
- horse racing
When was Cromwell forced to call a second Protectorate Parliament?
September 1656
Who was excluded from the second Protectorate Parliament?
100 MPs who tended to oppose Cromwell
What is Liberty of Conscience?
The right of an individual to their own belief
What were the 3 positions of ‘toleration’?
- anti-toleration
- consertavtive toleration
- radical toleration
What did ideas about liberty of conscience lead to a re-evaluation of…?
- Catholicism
-Jews
What is an example where Catholicism was tolerated?
Jesuit John Southworth - in 1654 he was tried under anti-priest legislation and was hung, drawn and quartered. Cromwell protested against his execution and ordered his corpse be sewn together and sent to Europe for decent burial.
Who petitioned for the Jew’s re-admission into England?
Manasseh ben Isreal
What was the outcome of the Jewish petition?
It waws rejected in Dec 1655
Who were two key people who challenged toleration?
- John Biddle
- James Nayler
Who was John Biddle
A Socinian
What did James Nayler do?
- catalyst behind the breakdown of the 2nd PP in 1657
- Quaker
- in 1656 he rode into Bristol on a donkey
How was James Nayler punished?
Under the Blasphemy Act and punished with a hole bored into his tongue, flogged and branded and life imprisonment
When was the Humble Petition and Advice?
February 1657
When did Major General Desborough through a militia bill choose to turn the decimation act into a permanent tax?
Christmas Day 1656
When did Cromwell attack the Major-generals?
Christmas Day 1656
What were the terms in the Humble Petition and Advice?
- new definition of religious liberty and tolerance
- national church established
- reduction of the Council of State
- Lord Protector to nominate a successor
What did the Humble petition and advice offer?
The crown
Who opposed the Humble Petition?
- Haselrig
- many in the army
Who accepted the Humble Petition?
- Desbrough and Fleetwood
When was the Humble Petition revised?
March 1657, but it was again rejected in April
When did Cromwell agree to the Humble Petition with the removal of monarchy?
June 1657
Who did Cromwell nominate to succeed him?
Richard
When did Cromwell die?
3 September 1658
When was the Third Protectorate Parliament called?
November 1656
