The Rump Parliament Flashcards
Problem in establishing a government after the execution of Charles
• Ireland and Scotland
Ireland was a Royalist stronghold and Charles II was immediately declared King in Scotland in February 1949
Removing Royalism in England (after C’s death)
• Legislative authority
The Rump declared that it had sole legislative authority
Removing Royalism in England (after C’s death)
• The Council of State
The Rump elected a Council of State, which acted as a government council similar to the Privy Council
Removing Royalism in England (after C’s death)
• House of Lords
In March 1649, the monarchy and House of Lords were abolished
Removing Royalism in England (after C’s death)
• Commonwealth
In May 1649, England was declared to be a ‘Commonwealth and free state’, governed by a single-chamber parliament
The nature of the Rump
• Who was in it
The majority in the Rump Parliament were members of the gentry and thus natually conservative.
What did the Diggers create?
The Diggers created communities on common land where they intended to share resources and give people back their ‘ancient rights’, this acted as a model for the ‘godly society
The Toleration Act 1650
• What was it
Removed the requirement for people to attend church as long as they took part in a religious service each week.
The Toleration Act 1650
• Punishment
Those dissenting groups that did not take part in regular religious services were penalised
The failure of the radical groups
• Tithes
Nothing was done to remove tithes (church taxes)
The collection of tithes
In April 1652 the Rump declared that the collection of tithes should continue. Members of radical groups were expected to pay towards the upkeep of a parish church they would never attend
The Blasphemy Act 1650
It was aimed at restricting radical religious sects, who could be subject to severe penalties
The failure of the radical groups
• Moral offences
With the Church court abolished, moral offences that they would have previously death with were not punished in the regular court system
The Adultery Act May 1650
This imposed the death penalty for adultery albeit rarely used
The failure of the radical groups
• Censorship
Censorship of printed material was introduced in order to limit radical pamphlets
What was the government newspaper?
Mercurius Politicus was launched to defend the actions of the Rump
What was the fundamental issue facing the new regime?
The ‘revolution of 1649 was the work of a minority, who needed wider support in order to establish an effective government
Success of the Rump Parliament
• Religious freedom
The law that required compulsory attendance at Church was repealed in the Toleration Act, giving a measure of religious freedom
The army in relation to the Rump
The regime’s existence was depended on the army
Success of the Rump Parliament
•The Navigation Act 1651
The Navigation Act, passed in 1651, stated that goods imported to England and its territories had to be carried on English ships.
What was the Navigation Act 1651 designed for?
It was designed to remove the Dutch monopoly on freight trade across northern Europe and North America
Success of the Rump Parliament
•Royalism in Scotland and Ireland
The army was successful in defeating Royalists in Ireland and Scotland
Success of the Rump Parliament
• The Hale Commission 1651
The Hale Commission was created in December 1651. Chaired by the senior lawyer, and was tasked with investigating legal reform
Success of the Rump Parliament
• Threats from the Levellers
The army was successful in suppressing threats form the Levellers, in particular a mutiny of Leveller soldiers at Burford in May 1649 that resulted in several of their leaders being shot
Failures of the Rump Parliament
• Gentry refuse to cooperate
Many of the greater gentry and nobility refused to cooperate with the regime, leaving a small number of lesser gentry in charge
Failures of the Rump Parliament
• The need to maintain a large standing army
Due to the need to maintain a large standing army, there was a shortfall in tax revenue.
Failures of the Rump Parliament
• Lack of reliable support
Without reliable support from the political nation, the regime could not reduce or dispense with the army, but as long as an army existed, that reliable support would not be forthcoming
Failures of the Rump Parliament
• The shortfall
Despite the Rump resorting to the sale of Crown lands to raise money, the shortfall totalled £700,000 in 1653
Failures of the Rump Parliament
• Warship
In order to pay for the construction of warships, the monthly assessment was raised to £90,000. The assessment alone now raised as money as Charles’s entire annual revenue
Failures of the Rump Parliament
• The Hale Commission
Despite meeting three time per week for a year, the Rump rejected the Hale Commission’s recommendation regarding criminal law, including reducing use of the death penalty, and allowing access to lawyers for prisoners in late 1652
Failures of the Rump Parliament
• The rate of reforms
The rate of reform slowed down with time. In 1649, 125 Acts of Parliament were passed, reducing to just 51 in 1652
How did the army contribute to the failure of the Rump
Proposed reforms to the law could not be agreed upon and the necessity to maintain a large standing army meant that the Rump was destined to fail
Why was the army dissatisfied?
The army became dissatisfied with the slow pace of reform and eventually Cromwell, in his role as commander of the army, closed the Rump down by force in April 1653
Failures of the Rump Parliament
• Attendance
Attendance at the Rump was always low, with only about 70 active MPs out of 210 and average attendance of 50 to 60
Success of the Rump Parliament
• Stability
The Rump managed to maintain stability and order in the face of economic distress, religious radicalism, threat of invasion from Ireland and actual invasion from Scotland.
Advantage of the Rump
• Army’s threat
There was no good alternative and the Rump held off the threat of the army’s political ambition
Success of the Rump Parliament
• Money
The Rump managed to raise enough money to finance the army, mainly through the sale of Church, Crown and Royalist lands.
