The Protector's Role In England's First Constitution

The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was the English form of government lasting from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659. It was governed by a Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, who was sworn in on 16 December 1653. Cromwell was offered the crown by Parliament in 1657 but rejected it and was re-installed as Lord Protector. He encouraged Jews to return to England and focused on spiritual and moral reform. He died in September 1658 and was succeeded by his son, Richard Cromwell, who resigned in May 1659, bringing an end to the Protectorate.

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Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector in 1653

Oliver Cromwell was a soldier, statesman, and politician who rose to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He was a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and played a vital role in several of their victories, including the Battles of Marston Moor and Naseby. Cromwell was a leading advocate for the execution of King Charles I, which took place in 1649, and led to the establishment of the Commonwealth of England.

In 1653, Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of a united Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. This period in history is known as the Protectorate. The Protectorate was a British regime that united England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland under a single system of government and a single elected British parliament. It was the first government in the country to operate under a detailed written constitution, which set out the composition and powers of the government.

Cromwell had two key objectives as Lord Protector: "healing and settling" the nation after the civil wars and the regicide, and spiritual and moral reform. He was a very religious man (Independent Puritan) and aimed to restore liberty of conscience and promote outward and inward godliness throughout England. This translated into rigid religious laws, such as compulsory church attendance. Cromwell also encouraged Jews to return to England, 350 years after they had been banished by Edward I.

Cromwell's foreign policy was aggressive, and he aimed to re-establish Britain as a major power. He reformed and expanded the navy and ended the First Anglo-Dutch War with a peace settlement. He formed an alliance with France against Spain in 1657, gaining Dunkirk. He also pursued victories in the West Indies with his ''Western Design' campaign in 1654, which ultimately failed and shook his confidence.

Cromwell was re-installed as Lord Protector in 1657, with greater powers, including the ability to nominate his own successor. However, the office of Lord Protector was still not to become hereditary. Cromwell's new rights and powers were laid out in the Humble Petition and Advice, a legislative instrument that replaced the Instrument of Government.

Cromwell's powers were outlined in the Humble Petition and Advice

In 1653, Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of a united Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland under the terms of the Instrument of Government. This inaugurated the period now known as the Protectorate. Cromwell's new rights and powers were outlined in the Humble Petition and Advice, a legislative instrument that replaced the Instrument of Government.

The Humble Petition and Advice was presented to Cromwell on 23 February 1657 by Sir Christopher Packe, a Member of Parliament and former Lord Mayor of London. Packe was chosen by those supporting kingship as he was less controversial than the leaders of the Kingship party. The remonstrance came about as a result of the rise of the New Cromwellians, many of whom were moderate Presbyterians. They expressed strong latent support for monarchy and traditional constitutional limits on its power. They also desired to lose the military overtones of the earlier Protectorate.

The intention of the Humble Petition and Advice was to offer a hereditary monarchy to Cromwell, to assert Parliament's control over new taxation, to provide an independent council to advise the king, to assure the holding of 'Triennial' meetings of Parliament, and to reduce the size of the standing army to save money, among other things. These had the effect of limiting, not increasing, Cromwell's power. However, the real issue for many radicals were Clauses 10 through 12, which placed severe restrictions on sects like Fifth Monarchists and Baptists, while seeking to re-establish a national church structured along Presbyterian lines.

Cromwell refused the Crown on 8 May 1657, and it is much-speculated among historians as to why he did so. One popular theory is that he feared disaffection in the army, especially considering the proposed reduction in its size. Despite refusing the Crown, Cromwell was still able to nominate his own successor as Lord Protector.

The Protectorate united England, Scotland, and Ireland

The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was the form of government that united England, Scotland, and Ireland under a single system of government. It lasted from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659. During this period, the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, along with their associated territories, were joined together and governed by a Lord Protector.

The Protectorate was established after the end of the Second English Civil War and the trial and execution of King Charles I in 1649. Power was initially vested in the Rump Parliament and a Council of State. However, the Parliament failed to produce a working constitution, leading to Oliver Cromwell forcibly dissolving it with the support of the Army Council in 1653. This marked the beginning of the Protectorate, with Cromwell being appointed Lord Protector under the Instrument of Government.

The Instrument of Government served as the first written constitution in England, drafted by Major-General John Lambert. It established a Lord Protector, a Council of State, and a reformed Parliament that was to be elected at least once every three years. Cromwell chose a civilian-dominated Council to aid him in governing. The Protectorate addressed various issues, including law reform, social legislation, and religious matters.

Under Cromwell, the Protectorate aimed to "heal and settle" the nation after the civil wars and the regicide. He encouraged the return of Jews to England, hoping to benefit from their economic contributions, as seen in Holland and the Netherlands, England's leading commercial rivals. Cromwell's foreign policy included the First Anglo-Dutch War and the invasion of Jamaica, which became an English colony.

The Protectorate's scope extended to Scotland and Ireland, providing for representatives from these nations to sit in Parliament in London. While Scotland joined through diplomatic means, Ireland posed a greater challenge due to its anti-English sentiment. Cromwell's son, Henry, adopted a more conciliatory approach to governing Ireland in 1655. The Protectorate's policy towards these nations included securing their conquest with armies of occupation, punishing opponents, and reshaping them in England's image.

The Protectorate ended with the death of Oliver Cromwell in September 1658. He was succeeded by his son, Richard Cromwell, who resigned in May 1659 due to his inability to control the Army or Parliament. The English Committee of Safety then dissolved the Third Protectorate Parliament, marking the end of the Protectorate and the restoration of the Rump Parliament as the legislature.

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The Protectorate was the first British regime to operate under a detailed written constitution

The Protectorate, which began in 1653, was the first British regime to operate under a detailed written constitution. Drafted by Major-General John Lambert, it was the first sovereign codified and written constitution in England. The constitution was established under the terms of the Instrument of Government, which set out the composition and powers of the government.

The Protectorate was a British regime that united England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland under a single system of government. It was the first government to give all these nations seats in a single, new, elected British parliament. The constitution established an assured succession of elected, single-chamber parliaments, exercising extensive but not unlimited legislative powers. It also set up a permanent, largely independent council, which exercised extensive but not unlimited executive powers.

The Protectorate was inaugurated by Oliver Cromwell, who was declared Lord Protector of the united Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Cromwell had two key objectives as Lord Protector: "healing and settling" the nation after the civil wars and the regicide, and spiritual and moral reform. He encouraged Jews to return to England, 350 years after their banishment by Edward I, to help speed up the country's recovery. Cromwell's over-reliance on the military deepened antipathies to the regime and reopened the wounds of the 1640s.

The constitution also provided for a large and potent army and navy and guaranteed extensive religious liberty for most Protestant faiths. It raised several issues that are still relevant today, such as whether there should be a single head of state and whether there should be a written constitution to lay out the mechanisms of government.

The Protectorate lasted from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659

The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was the form of government in place in England from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659. It was the first written constitution in England, drafted by Major-General John Lambert in 1653. The constitution united England, Scotland, and Ireland under a single system of government, giving all nations seats in a single, new, elected British parliament.

The Protectorate was inaugurated when Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. Cromwell had two key objectives as Lord Protector: "healing and settling" the nation after the civil wars and the regicide, and spiritual and moral reform. Cromwell's domestic policies focused on protecting public morality through religion, and he encouraged Jews to return to England 350 years after their banishment by Edward I. Cromwell's foreign policy was aggressive, and his over-reliance on the military deepened antipathies to the regime.

The first Protectorate Parliament met in September 1654 and began to work on a moderate program of constitutional reform. Cromwell dissolved this parliament in January 1655. After a royalist uprising, Cromwell divided England into military districts ruled by Army Major-Generals who answered only to him. The Protectorate continued until Cromwell's death in September 1658. He was succeeded by his son, Richard Cromwell, who resigned in May 1659 due to his inability to control the Army or Parliament, bringing the Protectorate to an end.

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