Chapter 16 Flashcards
What was the Instrument of Government?
Britain’s first written constitution.
What did the Instrument of Government provide for?
- Protector: the Head of State.
- Parliament to be elected every three years, sitting for at least 5 months.
- Militia were to be controlled by Protector, Council of State, and Parliament.
What was the Council of State?
The body that would select Cromwell’s successor and guide the Protector on policy. They were not answerable to Parliament, they recruited their own members, and appointments were for life.
What were Cromwell’s two key aims as Lord Protector?
- ‘healing and settling’ the nation which meant establishing stable government.
- Religious and social reform which would take the form of godly rule and a society based on Puritan ideas.
What was Cromwell and the Council of State allowed to do between Parliaments?
Legislate by way of ordinances.
How many ordinances did Cromwell and the Council of State pass up until the First Protectorate Parliament in September 1654?
83
Why did Republicans attack Cromwell in the first Parliament?
They saw him as a replacement monarch but thought Parliament should be the sole authority.
What were Republicans three concerns with the Instrument of Government?
- Cromwell’s authority to enact ordinances when Parliament was not in session.
- Control of the army being given to the Protector.
- Reduction of the armed forces.
What were Cromwell’s 4 ‘fundamentals’?
- Government by a single person and Parliament.
- No perpetual parliaments.
- Religious tolerance.
- Joint control of the militia by Protector, Parliament, and Council of State.
What did the opposition of staunch republicans to Cromwell prompt him to do?
Introduce the Recognition.
What was the Recognition?
It required MPs to take an oath recognising the first of Cromwell’s fundamentals.
How many MPs refused to take the oath recognising the first ‘fundamental’?
100 - they had to withdraw from parliament.
Why did Cromwell have to rely on the army?
His desire for godly reformation alienated him from the conservative Political Nation.
When was the Biddle Case?
1654
What was Biddle’s case?
A parliamentary committee and the Commons interrogated John Biddle and found him guilty of Blasphemy. They ordered him to be imprisoned and his written work burned.
What was Parliament trying to do through the Biddle’s case?
They were trying to enforce what they saw as their right to control religion over the Protector and his Council.
When was the First Protectorate Parliament?
2 September 1654 - 22 January 1655
What religious reason was there for resorting to the rule of the Major-Generals?
The Major-Generals would be used to enforce godly reformation.
What was the decimation tax?
A tax of 10% on annual incomes imposed on wealthy Royalists to fund local militias.
When was the decimation tax imposed?
From 1655.
What indicated the continued Royalist threat?
Penruddock’s rising in March 1655 showed that there were some Royalists that refused to accept defeat.
How did Lambert establish the rule of the Major-Generals?
He split England into 11 areas and assigned a Major-General to each. These 11 Major-Generals were then made leading officers in the New Model Army.
When was the ‘first instruction’ to the Major-Generals?
August 1655
What did the ‘first instruction’ say?
That the Major-Generals were to ‘endeavour the suppressing of all insurrections, rebellions or other lawful assemblies’.
After the first instruction, what did the later ones of October 1655 and June 1656 aim to do?
Promote reformation by suppressing gaming houses, taverns, and brothels.
What did the actions of the Major-Generals depend on?
Their own individual attitudes.
What did Major-General John Berry focus on?
Further reformation, claiming he was ‘sent of God’.
What did Major-General Edward Whalley focus on in his work?
Improving the lot of those at the bottom of society.
What were three negative issues associated with the Major-Generals’ rule?
- Higher taxes
- Religious radicalism
- Military rule
What did the Major-Generals mean for the Political Nation?
They posed a threat to the Political Nation’s control of the localities. The Political Nation was concerned about the role of the military in the state overall.
What was the financial concern of the Political Nation?
Taxes has risen drastically in order to support the army and a new one introduced (decimation tax); the Political Nation feared this rise would be permanent.
What was the aim of the decimation tax?
It was hoped enough money would be raised to allow a reduction of the army and a transfer of military security to a militia.
What was the impact of the decimation tax and was it successful in its aim?
It was not successful as it did not raise enough money to allow a reduction of the army, and it only undermined efforts to encourage the Political Nation to accept the new Protectorate.
Why was the New Model Army’s religious radicalism - and their prevention of persecution of other religious radicals - a problem for the Political Nation?
They feared a broader breakdown of social order.
When was the Second Protectorate Parliament called?
1656
Why did Cromwell call the Second Protectorate Parliament?
There had been much opposition to the rule of the Major-Generals and Cromwell still favoured a parliamentary settlement.
How was the decimation tax originally meant to be enforced?
Through a Militia Bill that would make the tax permanent and strengthen the position of the Major-Generals.
When was the Militia Bill defeated in parliament?
January 1657, during the Second Protectorate Parliament.
What did the defeat of the Militia Bill in January 1657 lead Cromwell to do?
It showed that MPs did not like the rule of the Major-Generals or the decimation tax, leading him to abandon both.
What were the three advantages of kingship?
- A recognised form of government.
- Establish a line of succession.
- Achieve settlement with Parliament.
What were the three disadvantages of Cromwell taking the crown?
- Cromwell would be seen as a usurper.
- Opposition from Royalists because they supported the Stuarts.
- Opposition from Republicans who did not want a monarchy.
Where did the most significant opposition to kingship come from?
The New Model Army
When was the Humble Petition and Advice?
1657
What was the Humble Petition and Advice?
The offer of the crown to Cromwell from the ‘civilian Cromwellians’.
Why did Cromwell decide not to take the crown?
- The New Model Army seriously opposed him doing so and they had the power to remove him.
- Since Cromwell saw the army as doing God’s work, the fact that the army opposed him taking the crown meant God also opposed it too.
What was removed from the Humble Petition and Advice for Cromwell to accept it?
The offer of kingship.
When did Cromwell accept the Humble Petition and Advice?
25 May 1657
What did some consider Cromwell to be after he had accepted the revised Humble Petition?
‘King in all but name’
When did Cromwell die?
3 September 1658
Who did Cromwell nominate as the next Protector?
His son, Richard Cromwell.
What was the general feeling towards Richard succeeding his father as Protector?
It was generally accepted by the gentry and the army’s response was favourable at first.
Who was Cromwell’s son?
Richard Cromwell
Who did Richard’s policies favour?
Civilians, as opposed to the gentry and army.
What did Republicans do when Richard became Protector?
They refused to recognise him as Protector; they were against the Protectorate altogether.
When did Richard’s Protectorate end?
May 1659, when the army forced him to dissolve Parliament.
What did the army want after Cromwell’s death?
A continuation of the Protectorate with Parliament as the ultimate authority.
What did the Quakers want after Cromwell died?
Charles Stuart to become king.
After Richard’s Protectorate ended, where was power held?
The body that led the army, the Council of Officers.
What did Lambert present to Parliament on 13 May 1659?
The Humble Petition and Address
What did the Humble Petition and Address include?
15 articles outlining the ‘Fundamentals of our Good Old Cause’, including a senate.
When was George Booth’s rising?
August 1659
Why did George Booth’s rising occur?
It was a reaction by supporters of Parliament and some Royalists against the radicalism of the army.
What was the Quaker’s numbers in the early 1650s?
50,000
When was the Humble Petition and Address presented to Parliament by Lambert?
13 May 1659
When did Lambert remove the Rump?
13 October 1659
What were Republicans also known as?
Commonwealthmen
What did Cromwell’s removal of the Rump mean to Republicans?
The removal of the legitimate authority of Parliament, which should be the nation’s ultimate authority.
How did Republicans view the Protectorate?
As a drift to kingship.
What did the ‘civilian Cromwellians’ want for a settlement?
They wanted a more conservative form of settlement, embodied in the Humble Petition that originally offered Cromwell the Crown as it was a recognised form of rule.
What was the Sealed Knot?
An association of Royalists in England that plotted for the restoration of the Monarchy.
When was the Sealed Knot formed?
1653
What undermined the efforts of those involved in the Sealed Knot?
They were concerned about losing their estates if they opposed the new Republic.
When was Penruddock’s Uprising?
March 1655
What was Penruddock’s Uprising?
An attempt by Royalists, led by the landowner John Penruddock, to restore the monarchy by force.
What was the Western Design?
A military expedition against the Spanish West Indies in the Americas.
What was the purpose of the Western Design?
To secure a permanent base in the Caribbean, allowing English ships to threaten trade routes between Spanish America and mainland Europe.
When was the Western Design?
1655
When was the rule of the Major-Generals?
1655-1657
How was the rule of the Major-Generals implemented by Lambert?
He split the country up into 11 areas and assigned a Major-General to each; these men were then made leading officers in the New Model Army.
During the debate on the Militia Bill, what were the two groups called that were split?
‘military Cromwellians’ and ‘civilian Cromwellians’
What did the Quakers refer to themselves as?
The Society of Friends
What were the features of Quakerism?
- Rejected ceremony.
- Rejected predestination.
- Inner light - everyone had one and was more reliable than any minister or the Bible.
- Worship was an informal meeting where people just spoke.
- Women were equal.
What is ‘the toleration controversy’?
The period in which people engaged with different ideas on the extent of toleration.
Who were the Anti-tolerationists group?
Those who wanted uniformity and discipline, predominantly the position of Presbyterians and the Scots.
Who were the Conservative tolerationists?
Those who wanted limited toleration for orthodox Protestants, mainly the position of Independents.
Who were the Radical tolerationists?
Those who advocated complete toleration and constituted only a small minority.
When was the Toleration Act passed by the Rump?
1650
What did the Toleration Act do?
Removed the requirement for attendance at church.
What did Clauses 35 to 37 of the Instrument do?
Protect religious toleration as long as the public peace was not disturbed.
When did Cromwell introduce the Recognition, requiring MPs to agree to the first fundamental?
1654 - during the First Protectorate Parliament.
When was the Instrument of Government published?
1653
When was Penruddock’s rising?
March 1655
When did Cromwell introduce his ‘fundamentals’?
During the first protectorate parliament.
After introducing the ‘fundamentals’, what did Cromwell and the Council do?
Force MPs to take the oath of Recognition.
Who was the decimation tax imposed on?
Wealthy Royalists.
Who was Cromwell’s first option to rule the kingdom?
Parliament - first and foremost he wanted a settlement with parliament and for them to rule the kingdom.
When was the Instrument of Government passed?
December 1653
Who drafted the Instrument of Government?
Major-General John Lambert
