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.
