The Protectorate

The Protectorate in English history refers specifically to the English government of 1653 to 1659 under the direct control of Oliver Cromwell, who assumed the title of Lord Protector of the newly declared Commonwealth of England (later the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland) after the English Civil War. It was established by the passage of "An Act declaring England to be a Commonwealth (http://sources.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Act_declaring_England_to_be_a_Commonwealth)" by Parliament, and operated within the lines of a constitutional document entitled the Instrument of Government, which had been drawn up by a group of Cromwell's army officers.

The Protectorate came into being four years after the execution of Charles I and the successive failures of the Rump Parliament and the Barebones Parliament. Although the Protectorate was supposed to divide power between the Lord Protector and an appointed council of state and Parliament, under Cromwell it became a de facto dictatorship. This was accomplished when he used a royalist uprising for a pretext to sweep away the traditional shire governments in 1655, replacing them with military districts administered by army officers.

The Protectorate is associated with the most rigidly enforced puritan legislation. Religious toleration was extended to Jews and most Protestant sects, but not to Anglicans or Roman Catholics. After Cromwell's death in 1658, the Protectorate devolved upon his son, Richard Cromwell, who was unable to control the army and resigned in May, 1659. After a chaotic interregnum, the Restoration of the monarchy was effected in May 1660, largely through the initiative of General George Monck.

External link

• United Kingdom: Flags of the Interregnum, 1649-1660 (http://flagspot.net/flags/gb-inter.html)