Cromwell's Protectorate is widely viewed as a time of
strict, Puritanical rule, with Cromwell as the era's dour supervising
figure. In reality, however, Cromwell was not an exceptionally
dour or moralistic man. It is true that in the first years of the
Protectorate, Puritan social mores exercised considerable influence
over English public life. Simple clothes became the fashion, and
women who wore make-up of any kind were scorned. The Church of
England turned away from its elaborate rituals and décor, and adopted
a new austerity instead. Cromwell also supported an extensive public
campaign against individual vices like drunkenness, adultery, swearing, and
so on.
By 1655, however, English society began to liven up, in
part because of Cromwell began encouraging the creation of a new, dynamic
social elite in the capital. Entertainment such as dancing and
musical performances became socially acceptable at this time, and
fashions in dress and even in women's hair and make-up became more
vibrant. Cromwell saw this recreation of elite London as a necessary
step toward stable government, and his own family became personally
attached to individuals who were more Royalist than Puritan. Two
of Cromwell's daughters married noblemen, one of whom, Lord Falconbridge,
would actually become a close adviser to Charles II when the monarchy
was restored in 1660.
Despite these close associations with former supporters
of the monarchy, Cromwell's government faced continued opposition from
Royalists within the population. In March 1655, Royalist forces
rose up in rebellion in an uprising known as Penruddock's Rebellion.
The uprising was quickly subdued by the army. Around this time,
however, some Royalists began allying themselves with the remaining
Levellers. Despite the fact that the Royalists and Levellers came
from other sides of the political spectrum, they united over their
dislike of Cromwell and his regime. Nonetheless, Cromwell was able
to fracture this alliance by frightening each side with the idea
of a government run by the other. Cromwell's foreign policy efforts
in the first years of the Protectorate also deserve mention. In
April 1654, with the support of his Council of State, Cromwell moved
to end England's war with the Dutch, and was able to reach a peace
treaty with the Netherlands. Afterwards, again with the support
of his Council of State, Cromwell ended England's amicable relationship
with the Spanish and made amicable overtures toward the French
instead. Cromwell also took an interest in England's colonies in
the New World. His policy, which he called Western Design, focused
on urging greater English settlement of Jamaica and the West Indies,
and on strengthening England's navy.
Cromwell also made numerous civic reforms. His Council passed
ordinances that brought relief to debtors and to poor prisoners
who could not afford bail payments. Cromwell reorganized England's
treasury, known as The Exchequer, to make it more efficient. He
also supported state subsidies for universities and tried to iron
out the complicated English court system. Most notably, Cromwell
gave state protection to Baptists, Presbyterians, Independents,
and other formerly persecuted Protestant minorities. Cromwell's
opinion of Roman Catholics, however, remained low, and they were
afforded no such protection.