The later protectorate 1656-58

Question 1

What happened when the second protectorate Parliament met in September 1656?

Answer 1

100 members were declared ineligible and prevented from taking their seats, despite this, tensions soon rose.

Question 2

What created friction between Cromwell and his Parliament?

Answer 2

The house’s persecution of James Nayler, Cromwell through parliament had overstepped its constitutional rights.

Question 3

Explain what parliament did in January 1657?

Answer 3

They voted down john desborough’s militia bill which contained the provision for the decimation tax which funded the major generals. This essentially ended the system.

Question 4

Who were the new Cromwellians?

Answer 4

Civilian politicians and army leaders who were traditionalists and believed in the virtue of the old constitution, they believed the protectorate could be reshaped to incorporate their social and political values.

Question 5

What was presented to Cromwell in march 1657?

Answer 5

The humble petition and advice, it proposed that Cromwell become king, be granted adequate finance and rule with a privy council and two chamber parliament.

Question 6

What did Cromwell like about the new constitution?

Answer 6

It came from parliament, so had validity and legality that the instrument of government lacked.

Question 7

Why did Cromwell reject the kingship in May?

Answer 7

Pressure from the army/army leaders and the fact that he thought that god had ruled against the idea of kingship, it would seem like he was betraying the cause he had fought for.

Question 8

What did Cromwell accept in May?

Answer 8

An amended form of the humble petition, he kept the title of lord protector, had hereditary succession and was allowed to appoint the members of the upper house.

Question 9

What was different about the parliament that met in January 1658?

Answer 9

Members who had been excluded were allowed back because of the acceptance of the new constitution, this was an important victory for the republicans who thought that the government’s actions had been illegitimate since the dissolution of the rump.

Question 10

How had Cromwell made the situation worse?

Answer 10

He had transferred many of his supporters to the upper house, meaning the lower house was now filled with opposition.

Question 11

Why did Cromwell suspend the new parliament in February?

Answer 11

They were considering a petition which called for the abandonment of the protectorate and restoration of the rump, he feared this idea was gaining popularity amongst the army.

Question 12

Give three features of Cromwell as protector

Answer 12

1. He always sought to work within the constitution as he understood it. 2. He favored traditional political forms and his basic political approach was one of caution. 3. He depended on military power, but was unwilling to impose himself upon the country as dictator.

Question 13

What was Cromwell’s biggest problem as protector?

Answer 13

Finance- the annual income of £1,300,000 fell around £500,000 short of what he needed.

Question 14

Explain the ambiguity of his position

Answer 14

He got the worst of both worlds, lacking the authority and acceptance of the monarchy, whilst never pushing his authority to the position where he had absolute power.

Question 15

What was Cromwell?

Answer 15

An opportunist, he justified his actions after the event with reference to the lord’s will. He was so involved in the day-to-day running of the government that he had little time to develop an overall policy.

Question 16

What did Cromwell want?

Answer 16

A godly commonwealth, the reformation of manners and the liberty of conscience. He was a social conservative who wanted to traditional strata of society to remain.

Question 17

What questions did Cromwell face when he became protector?

Answer 17

How to achieve a stable government? What were the roles of parliament and the army? How to finance the government? How to settle religious differences?

Question 18

Can Cromwell be seen as a tyrant?

Answer 18

This view is erroneous, most of his time as protector was spent trying to control the excessive demands of other, he was very sparing in his use of military power and his dissolutions of parliament are easy to justify.

Question 19

Descibe what the situation was like at his death

Answer 19

The main issues were not really resolved, the problem was that Cromwell’s whole reign had been marked with insuperable problems and times of great uncertainty.

Question 20

How do some negatively view Cromwell?

Answer 20

He never intended to resolve the aforementioned problems and his only aim was to wield power. The only reason he had power was because he was at the head of the army. However, this view is largely unfounded.