16 - Cromwell, the Protectorates, Major-Generals, and relations with the Political Nation

Who removed the Nominated Assembly?

Lambert

Who wrote the Instrument of Government?

Lambert

What was the document that established the Protectorate?

Instrument of Government

What was the Instrument of Government? (2)

Britain's first written constitution, established the Protectorate

What were the key features of the Instrument of Government?

Protector as head of state, Parliament elected every three years to sit for at least five months, council of state played a central role, militia controlled by protector and parliament

According to the Instrument of Government, who was the head of state?

the Protector

According to the Instrument of Government, how often was parliament to be elected and for how long?

every three years for at least five months

According to the Instrument of Government, what did the council of state play a central role in? (3)

finance, appointments and control of armed forces

According to the Instrument of Government, who controlled the militia? (2)

protector and parliament

What were Cromwell's key aims as Lord Protector? (3)

healing and settling, political stability and godly reformation

What was meant by 'healing and settling'?

reconciling former enemies and reconstructing the pre-war institutions of everyday life

What was meant by 'godly reformation'?

establishing a society dominated by Puritan ideas

Who ran the state in the months up to the first Protectorate Parliament? (3)

Cromwell, Lambert, a small group of councillors

How many ordinances were brought in between 24 December 1653 and 2 September 1654?

83

What did most of the ordinances between 24 December 1653 and 2 September 1654 deal with?

finance

Why did Republicans attack Cromwell as Protector during the first Protectorate Parliament?

they saw Protector as an alternative monarch

What were the main concerns of Republicans with the Protectorate? (3)

Cromwell's power to enact ordinances when Parliament was not in session, Protector having control of the army, the need to reduce the armed forces

How did Cromwell respond to the grievances of the Republicans with the Protectorate?

state what he regarded as the 'fundamentals' of government

What did Cromwell see as the 'fundamentals' of government? (4)

government by a single person and parliament, regular elections, liberty of conscience, militia jointly controlled by Protector, Council of state and Parliament

What was the Recognition oath?

required MPs to take an oath recognising government by a single person and parliament

Why did Cromwell and the Council introduce the Recognition?

as a measure against the criticism of the republicans against the Protectorate

How many MPs refused the Recognition oath ?

100

Who was John Biddle?

a teacher who studied the Bible

When was Biddle's case?

1654

What beliefs of John Biddle were outrageous to parliament? (2)

he denied the trinity and denied the divinity of Christ

What did the Commons declare should happen to John Biddle? (2)

he should be imprisoned and his work burned

What was parliament attempting to enforce through the Biddle case?

what it saw as its right to control religion over the Protector and his council

What forced Cromwell to dissolve the first protectorate parliament? (3)

Biddle case, MPs' attacks on the Instrument, Parliament's failure to fund the army

When did Cromwell dissolve the first Protectorate Parliament?

22 January 1655

When was the rule of the Major-Generals?

1655-57

What led Cromwell to introduce the rule of the Major-Generals? (5)

overreaction to the failure of first protectorate parliament, failure of the western design, renewed royalist threat, desire for godly reformation, regime was increasingly financially exposed

How did desire for godly reformation lead to the rule of the Major-Generals?

Major-Generals would be able to enforce godly reformation

How did the failure of the Western design lead to the rule of the Major Generals?

suggested to Cromwell that reformation was needed and he would use the Major Generals to enforce this

How did financial problems lead to the rule of the Major Generals?

decimation tax introduced with Major Generals was an attempt to reduce the army to a cheaper militia

What was the decimation tax?

tax of 10% of annual income imposed just on wealthy Royalists to fund local militias

When was Penruddock's rising?

March 1655

What did Penruddock's rising of March 1655 indicate?

continuing threat of royalism and of Royalists who refused to accept defeat

How many sections was England split into under the Major Generals?

11

Who was key to the introduction of both the original and additional instructions to the Major-Generals?

Lambert

When was the original instruction to the Major Generals?

August and October 1655

When was the additional instruction to the Major Generals?

June 1656

What did the first instruction to the Major Generals include?

they should suppress all insurrections and rebellions

What did later instructions to the Major Generals include?

indicated the role of Major Generals in reformation by suppressing gaming houses, taverns and brothels

Why did Lambert support the scheme of the Major Generals?

effective self-preservation against the Royalists

What was the main focus of the Major Generals?

security of the regime

What were the Major Generals not consistent in upholding?

godly reformation

What were the main factors that the PN were worried about with the rule of the Major Generals?

government, finance, religion

What were the PN worried about in terms of government with the Major Generals? (3)

Major Generals rule posed a threat to the PN's control of localities, gentry felt threatened by the greater role played by the lesser gentry, soldiers and merchants, Major Generals removed conservative men from local government so their rule could be more effective

What were the PN worried about in terms of finance with the Major Generals? (3)

concerned that high levels of taxation raised to support the army would be permanent, decimation tax hindered acceptance of regime by defeated royalists, decimation tax failed in its task to raise enough money to be able to reduce the army and transfer military security to a militia

How many Royalists were subjected to the decimation tax?

2000

What were the PN worried about in terms of religion with the Major Generals? (4)

NMA was linked with religious radicalism, army prevented persecution of radicals, radicals threatened social, economic and political hierarchy, PN was worried about a broader breakdown of order

What did Cromwell's position shift to that led to the end of the rule of the Major Generals?

healing and settling rather than godly reformation

When did Cromwell call the second protectorate parliament?

1656

At the start of the second protectorate parliament what was used to attempt to enforce the decimation tax legally?

militia bill

Why was the militia bill introduced?

to attempt to enforce the decimation tax legally

How would the militia bill enforce the decimation tax?

would make the tax permanent

What would the legal enforcing of the decimation tax mean for the Major Generals?

the strengthening of their position

How did most MPs react to the militia bill?

negatively

Who was the power struggle at the heart of the protectorate between?

the 'military' and the 'civilians'

What did MPs' unease over the militia bill lead Cromwell to do?

abandoned the Major-Generals

Why did MPs' unease over the militai bill lead Cromwell to abandon the Major-Generals?

Cromwell foresaw that the decimation tax would not lead to long-term stability

What were the effects of the defeat of the militia bill? (2)

end of both the decimation tax and major-generals

Why is it not surprising that the MGS failed to transform society? (2)

because of the broadness of the tasks they were assigned and the limits of central and local government

What was the Humble Petition and Advice? (2)

a new constitution designed to heal and settle, would establish a more traditional government with Cromwell at the head as a monarch

Who proposed the Humble Petition and Advice?

civilian Cromwellians

What was the main point of the Humble Petition and Advice?

offering of the crown to Cromwell

What would the advantages of kingship be for Cromwell? (3)

more recognised form of government for the gentry, could establish a line of succession, could achieve settlement with Parliament

What would the disadvantages of kingship be for Cromwell? (4)

Cromwell seen as a usurper and would provoke opposition from Royalists who supported Stuarts, opposition from Republicans, opposition from some of NMA, opposition from leading military Cromwellians

Who did the most significant opposition to Cromwell's proposed kingship (come from?

NMA

Why were the NMA so against Cromwell's proposed kingship?

chief political power would lie solely with monarch, religious reasons

Who did Cromwell alienate by deliberating over whether to accept kingship?

Lambert

Why did Cromwell's deliberation over whether to accept kingship alienate Lambert?

through this Cromwell was contemplating a new system of government

What did Lambert do as a result of Cromwell's deliberation over whether to accept kingship?

resign

Why did Cromwell reject the crown? (2)

army seriously opposed the idea of kingship and had the potential to remove him, army opposition signified to Cromwell that God had judged against kingship

When did Cromwell accept the Humble Petition and Advice?

25 May 1657

What was revised in the version of the Humble Petition and Advice that Cromwell accepted? (2)

removed kingship and stated that Cromwell would choose the next Protector

What did Republicans feel about the acceptance of the Humble Petition and Advice?

felt it meant Cromwell was 'king in all but name'.

When did Oliver Cromwell die?

3 September 1658

Who did Oliver Cromwell nominate as the next Protector?

his son, Richard Cromwell

What was the gentry's attitude towards Richard Cromwell? (2)

generally accepted him, felt he was more in tune with the traditional gentry

Why was the army's attitude towards Richard Cromwell initially favourable? (2)

many hoped he would support the army, many believed he would be easier to manipulate than his father

Who did Richard Cromwell face opposition from? (3)

republicans, Lambert, army

Why did Republicans oppose Richard Cromwell?

were against a Protectorate because they saw it as monarchical

Why did Lambert oppose Richard Cromwell?

felt that the system of nominating a successor was monarchical

Why did the army oppose Richard Cromwell?

measures to restrict religious toleration provoked them

Why did the army force Richard Cromwell to dissolve the third protectorate parliament?

they discussed settling the army as a militia

Who forced Richard Cromwell to dissolve the third protectorate parliament?

the army

What did the dissolving of the third protectorate parliament lead to for Richard Cromwell?

the end of his Protectorate

When did Cromwell accept the Humble Petition and Advice?

25 May 1657

When was the end of Richard Cromwell's Protectorate?

May 1659

What replaced the third protectorate parliament?

the Rump parliament

Who reinstated the Rump after the third PP was dissolved?

the army

What were the aims of the civilian Cromwellians after Oliver Cromwell's death? (2)

sought a more traditional parliamentary settlement and a reduction of army influence

What were the aims of the army leaders after Oliver Cromwell's death?

wanted continuation of the Protectorate

Who were the army leaders after Oliver Cromwell's death? (2)

Fleetwood and Desborough

What were the aims of the Quakers after Oliver Cromwell's death?

wanted to secure religious freedom

What were the aims of the republicans after Oliver Cromwell's death?

weaken army influence

What were the aims of the junior officers after Oliver Cromwell's death?

establish a regime based on the authority of parliament

What were the aims of Charles Stuart after Oliver Cromwell's death?

wanted to be king

What roused junior officers' concerns over pay which persuaded them to force leaders to recall the Rump?

republican propaganda