1.2 To what extent did republican rule provide a stable government, 1649-1660

Question 1

9 threats facing the commonwealth 1649

Answer 1

prince rupert - had small royalist fleet off coast of ireland
scottish decleration of charles 2 as king
naval war with dutch - aa threat, not yet a reality
levellers
relgious radicals
threat of intervention by france or spain
irish rebellion
royalist reaction
unpopularity of new regime - high taxes, centralised government, legitimacy

Question 2

interegnum when?

Answer 2

1649-1660

Question 3

commonwealth when?

Answer 3

jan 1649 - december 1653

Question 4

protectorate when?

Answer 4

decmeber 1653- april 1659

Question 5

creation of the commonwealth

Answer 5

jan 4th 1649 rump reassembled
feb 14th lords would not return to govern
rump declares itself sole legislative body and elects a council of state to govern in its name
march 1649 monarchy and hofl abolished and england declared a commonwealth ruled by a single house

Question 6

9 problems facing rump parliament (actual problems not threats)

Answer 6

rebellion in ireland
scots declaring chalres 2
economy (poor harvest 1649 as civil war)
CONSERVATIVE / ROYALIST opposition
army/leveller pressure for greater reform
radical religious and political groups forming
naval war threat (dutch and rupert)
unpopularity of high taxes
normal political process grinding to a halt

Question 7

key issue 1649 rump

Answer 7

regicide by minority as last resort
rump accidentally now in power
local gov depended on cooperation 
stability needed to be restored
MAIN PROBLEM; biggest fear = army upon which the rump relied to keep them in power

Question 8

burford may 1649

Answer 8

levellers soldier mutiny
levellers wanted a more radical reform than just the rump
leaders shot

Question 9

army in ireland

Answer 9

still in rebellion
cromwell landed in ireland 1649
garrisons at Drogehda and Wexford slaughtered even though they had surrendered
cromwells prestige increses
message sent to other foreign powers

Question 10

army in scotland

Answer 10

feb 1649 scots declare charles 2 as king
cromwell (now commander in chief) led army across border at dunbar
(his amry of 3,000 defeats scottish army of 10,000)

Question 11

third civil war

Answer 11

chalres 2 invades england
defeated swiftly at battle of worcester again by cromwell
shows very little support for chalres 2 / resotring monarchy

Question 12

aims of rump

Answer 12

reform government
reform law
social justice (ending arbitary imprisonment for debt & bring down high taxation levels)

Question 13

why did rump fail to achieve stability

Answer 13

legal reform = complex, not easily agreed and fixed
Hale Commission established to fix this
failed to agree
unable to reduce taxes (army = biggest cost but was what kept rump in power), (war: Anglo Dutch 52-54, scotland, ireland)

Question 14

rate of reform stats 1649 & 1652

Answer 14

49: 125
52: 51

Question 15

monthly assessment

Answer 15

a tax modelled on ship money originally collected in areas under parliamentary control during civil war
still being used across england raising £90,000

Question 16

Rump downfall

Answer 16

after defeat of charles, rump under pressure form army
wanted more significant law and political reform
cromwell supported these ideas (was member of army, rump and council of state = very powerful)
many saw members of rump as self-serving oligarchs ( Henry Vane & Sir Arthur Hesselridge both of whom were hostile to the amry)
to the army the rump was a disappointment
as army and rump separate cromwell now had to take a side
once again sides with army

Question 17

why did cromwell side with army

Answer 17

only secure power
believed army was gods chosen instrument
rump reluctant to embrace toleration
heselridge attempted to remove cromwell as commander in chief of the army

Question 18

cromwell closes the rump

Answer 18

may 20th 1653 - rump debating a bill for new elections
these elections would replace the members lost during prides purge
due to present mood of england, would produce a deeply conservative house
any further chances of reform would end
cromwell denounced the rump and used troops to forcibly close the house

Question 19

what was the nominated assembly

Answer 19

an assembly of all good men
four generals (cromwell nominated) got independent churches to nominate members
council of officers added more men
then cut down to 140 members from all over scotland, wales, england and ireland ‘to answer the call of god’

Question 20

what did the nominated assembly achieve

Answer 20

handful of moderate and progressive measures

• war withe dutch continued for trade reasons
• legal measures to help people in debt
• regulation on treatment of lunatics
• civil marriages allowed (supervised by JPs)

Question 21

what divisions existed in the nominated assebly

Answer 21

radical ‘saints’ vs conservative gentry ‘sinners’
propertied members upset about abolishing tithes
radical minorities inc Fifth Monarchists

Question 22

how did nominated assembly come to an end

Answer 22

december 1653 moderate members voted to dissolve itslef

Question 23

Instrument of government

Answer 23

december 53
major-general john lambert
entirely new constitution
-protectorate led by a single figure = cromwell

Question 24

structure of new provisional government

Answer 24

lord protector (Cromwell unitlhe died then elected by council of state)
council of state to support (460 men voted for by men with +£200 of personal property every 3 years, sitting for a minimum of 3 months)
state church
freedom of religion
rule over england, wales, scotland and ireland

Question 25

achievements by first protectorate parliament

Answer 25

84 ordinances were issued

• bear baiting
• cock fighting
• blasphemy
• drunkeness
• postal service
• maintenance of roads

Question 26

limitations of first protectorate

Answer 26

cromwells concern of army stood in way
republican MPs destabilised first protectorate parliament by refusing to recognise instrument of government
cromwell dissolved 1655

Question 27

dates of first protectorate parliament

Answer 27

1654-1655

Question 28

date of second protectorate parliament

Answer 28

1655-1656

Question 29

who did cromwell introduce to help control providences

and what sparked this need for greater control

Answer 29

Major Generals to control provinces using military (cromwell divided england into 11 district each controlled by its own major general)
needed because john penruddock led a royalist rising in 1655 in wiltshire
aimed at ‘reformation of manners’

Question 30

how effective were the major generals

Answer 30

mixed
some took job very seriously (eg worsley closed 200 alehouses in lancaster)
others lacked enthusiasm and neglected their duties

Question 31

who established commission of Triers and Ejectors, when and what did it do

Answer 31

Cromwell 1654

established commissions to vet members of the clergy and eject unsuitable individuals

Question 32

Humble petition and advice - what was it?

Answer 32

new constitution offered to cromwell
government by a king
lords and commons to help
provision for hereditary succession
parliament to control army
regular elections
limited religious toleration

Question 33

why did cromwell not accept the humble petition and advice

Answer 33

wanted godly reform (people free to find god in their own way)
believed in the civil war god had chosen the army
army and people close to cromwell opposed the humble petition and advice
faced a severe backlash if he did accept

Question 34

what happen in september 1658

Answer 34

cromwell died

Question 35

aftermath of cromwell’s death

Answer 35

son richard (a civilian lacking military knowledge and skill)
third protectorate parliament in January 1659
council of officers forced to resign later in 1659
rump disintegrated
general george Monck marched his forces to london to restore a free parliament on the understanding the ultimate outcome would be the restoration of the stuarts

Question 36

8 themes regarding: to what extent did republican rule provide stable government 1649-1660

Answer 36

the rump
the failures of the rump
cromwell
nominated assembly
first protectorate parliament
major generals
second protectorate parliament
humble petition and advice