The Path to Restoration 1588-1660
- Created by: Clodagh
- Created on: 27-05-14 10:46
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- The Path to Restoration, 1658-1660
- Problems on Cromwell's death
- Finance: a debt of £2.5million
- Probable lack of permanency to Humble Petition as a constitution
- Hereditary nature of position of Protector
- Army still a dominant force, but hadn't been paid their arrears
- Loss of central figure - divisions with Protectorate
- Divisions within the Protectorate
- Under the terms of the Humble Petition and Advice, Richard succeeded his father as Lord Protector and Commander-in-chief
- The five main political groupings
- Army: Fleetwood and Desborough wanted Richard's Protectorate to continue
- Republicans (Common-wealthsmen): Haselrig opposed the Protectorate. They wanted the weakening of army influence
- Presbyterians (Civilian Cromwellians): They wished to see a more traditional parliamentary settlement and a reduction in army influence
- Royalists: Supporters of the monarchy
- Radical secretaries: They were unhappy with a Protector who seemed to have distinct Presbyterian sympathies. They called for a return to the Commonwealth
- Royalists had hope after the death of Cromwell
- The Army
- There was a lack of unity between army leaders
- Fleetwood saw it as being to their advantage to maintain the Protectorate as Richard Cromwell was inexperienced
- The tendance among lower ranks was to side with the secretaries
- Fleetwood saw it as being to their advantage to maintain the Protectorate as Richard Cromwell was inexperienced
- Richard's main weakness was that he was not a soldier
- He had an uneasy relationship with the army and so relied more on civilian advisers
- The military urged him to give up his position as Commander-in-chief
- There was still unrest with the army because of the failure to pay arrears. The collective sum owed was £900,000
- The Protectorate was in £2.5million debt in 1659
- There was still unrest with the army because of the failure to pay arrears. The collective sum owed was £900,000
- The military urged him to give up his position as Commander-in-chief
- He had an uneasy relationship with the army and so relied more on civilian advisers
- There was a lack of unity between army leaders
- Third Protectorate Parliament, Jan.-April 1659
- The Republicans launched a series of attacks on the legitimacy of the Protectorate
- Conservative Presbyterian MPs attempted to undermine the army's power by introducing a resolution that meant the Council of Offices should sit only with permission of parliament
- They also voted to take the command of the local militia out of the hands of the army and bring it under direct parliamentary control
- Officers and ranks united and demanded that the Protector dissolve parliament, however Richard resisted
- Eventually Richard gave way when England was on the verge of an army insurrection
- Officers and ranks united and demanded that the Protector dissolve parliament, however Richard resisted
- They also voted to take the command of the local militia out of the hands of the army and bring it under direct parliamentary control
- With the dissolution of the parliament, power was effectively back in the hands of the Council of the Army
- In order to make their power appear less stark, they recommended recalling the Rump
- The Rump, May-Oct. 1659
- Richard Cromwell resigned
- Inability to fashion a civil government free of control of the army
- The strength of the republican campaign against the Protectorate
- Financial bankruptcy
- The Rump declined to acknowledge its dependence on the army
- It denounced the army's interference in political matters and claimed legitimacy as the only authority representing constitutional continuity
- In a number of counties the Rump curbed army influence by putting local militia into the hands of extreme sectaries e.g Fifth Monarchists, Quakers and Baptists
- There was fear of takeover by religious extremists
- In the Humble Petition and Address of the Officers, the army demanded that the Rump's authority be reduced
- There were Presbyterian-royalist uprisings in the summer. They were as a result of talk about church and state being under threat from radical forces
- Booth called for a 'free parliament'
- He believed that a freely-elected parliament would be the prelude to a royal restoration
- Booth called for a 'free parliament'
- Richard Cromwell resigned
- The Committee of Safety, October - December 1659
- In order to give itself legitimacy, the army appointed a Committee of Safety, an interim government, until a more permanent body could be established
- The dispersal of the Rump had not won unanimous support from the army
- Portsmouth, an important garrison town, and the navy declared against the government
- The three most common themes in petitions against the Committee were economic circumstances, tyranny of army rule and the need for restoration of ancient liberties
- Army officers allowed the Rump to reassemble in December 1659
- The Recalled Rump, Dec. 1659 - Feb. 1660
- There was deep unpopularity of the army's rule and the Committee of Safety had been forced to dissolve itself and reassemble the Rump by Monck
- Desborough, Lambert and Fleetwood were all immediately dismissed
- Monck was invited to become Commander-in-chief
- Initially the Rump appeared strong, but they made a series of mistakes
- Instead of attending the nations problems and grievances, it tended to settle old scores - it purged the army
- There was broad distaste for their proceedings. Traders and merchants refused to pay parliamentary taxes
- Rather than honouring Monck, the Rump aimed to restrict his political influence
- Monck used his troops to bring order to the City
- Rather than honouring Monck, the Rump aimed to restrict his political influence
- There was broad distaste for their proceedings. Traders and merchants refused to pay parliamentary taxes
- Instead of attending the nations problems and grievances, it tended to settle old scores - it purged the army
- The Restored Long Parliament, April - May 1660
- The return of so many members of the 1648 Long Parliament altered the political balance
- Monck presented himself as a moderate
- He persuaded parliament to keep their promise to make him Commander-in-chief, to appoint a new Council of State and then to vote for its own dissolution
- Monck was careful not to declare that he was working for an eventual royal restoration
- He persuaded parliament to keep their promise to make him Commander-in-chief, to appoint a new Council of State and then to vote for its own dissolution
- Edward Montague, a former Cromwellian general now favoured Charles' return
- The Convention Parliament, April - May 1660
- With the elections for new parliament being held, Lambert made one last bid to save the republican cause
- Monck undermined the republicans both militarily and politically
- Over 60 members with strong royalist views took seats even though the election specified that no known royalists could stand
- Republicans and supporters of the Commonwealth were in the minority
- Half the convention was made up of Parliamentarians, many Presbyterian
- Republicans and supporters of the Commonwealth were in the minority
- With the elections for new parliament being held, Lambert made one last bid to save the republican cause
- The Restoration of Monarchy, May 1660
- In the Declaration of Breda Charles promised a general pardo, religious toleration, and accepted the right of parliament to decide the disputed questions of property entitlements and the arrears of pay
- "liberty to tender consciences"
- On 8 May Engand was formally declared to be no longer a repblic
- Charles made a ceremonial entry into London in May 1660
- In the Declaration of Breda Charles promised a general pardo, religious toleration, and accepted the right of parliament to decide the disputed questions of property entitlements and the arrears of pay
- Problems on Cromwell's death
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