Oliver Cromwell

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Key Terms and Events

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Key Terms and Events

Terms

Council of State
Governing and advisory body set up in February 1649 after the beheading of Charles I. Cromwell was its first chairman. After Cromwell assumed the title of Lord Protector, the Council of State functioned as his personal advisory committee, not unlike the Privy Council of King Charles I.
Levellers
A political faction that favored a radically republican and democratic form of government. The Levellers, who had a strong base of support in the army, were opposed to the power of the landed nobility and favored more equal political representation. Disappointed with what they saw as Cromwell's conservative political leanings, the Levellers threatened armed revolt on more than one occasion.
Lord Protector
Title Cromwell received in 1653, effectively granting him the position of ruler of England. As Lord Protector, Cromwell had complete control of the army, as well as the power to call and dissolve Parliament. In many ways, the office of Lord Protector gave Cromwell as much power as the kings he replaced.
New Model Army
Name of the consolidated armed forces under Cromwell's leadership at the end of the English Civil War. The New Model Army was a standing army composed of men, including officers, from diverse backgrounds. Previous English armies were commanded by officers drawn almost exclusively from the English noble classes.
Presbyterian
Protestant denomination inspired, like Puritanism, by the teachings of John Calvin. The Presbyterians tended toward a less austere form of worship than the Puritans, and their politics in Cromwell's time tended to favor a more moderate, conciliatory policy toward Royalists.
Protectorate
Term describing the governing regime in England from 1653 to 1660. During the Protectorate, the country had no king in power but was governed instead by Cromwell, in collaboration with the Army and, at times, with Parliament.
Puritan
Protestant denomination inspired by Calvinism to which Cromwell belonged. The Puritans were particularly concerned with the state of the Church of England, which they felt needed to purify itself by abandoning rituals and forms of worship identified with Roman Catholicism. Puritanism was often characterized by austerity and by a very strict moral outlook.
republican
A school of political thought that believes in a popular government where the power to make laws rests in the hands of representatives elected by the people. A republic may have a king who serves in an executive capacity, but who cannot, in principle, use his power to put his own needs over the wishes of the people.
Restoration
The period when the royal Stuart family returned to the throne, effectively ending the Protectorate. Charles Stuart, the son of the deposed King Charles I, became King Charles II of England in 1660, and the English form of government returned to a system wherein the crown reigned supreme.
Royalist
Noun or adjective denoting those who supported King Charles I and the idea of a monarchy during the era of the English Civil War.

Events

Barebones Parliament

Parliament called by Cromwell in 1653. The members of the Barebones Parliament were handpicked by Cromwell and the Council of State, largely from among the lesser gentry and merchant classes. The name itself comes from the fantastic name of one of its members, Praise-God Barebones, a Puritan leather merchant. A coup d'état in December 1653 caused this Parliament to hand its power back to Cromwell, who was proclaimed Lord Protector that same month.
Drogheda

Irish town taken by Cromwell and his army in September 1649 as part of his anti- Catholic crusade in Ireland. The siege lasted for eight days, and when Cromwell's troops finally entered the city over a thousand inhabitants of the town were massacred.
English Civil War

War fought between 1642 and 1646 between supporters of King Charles I and supporters of the English Parliament. Parliament's army won, and the end of the war set the stage for King Charles I's removal from the throne, as well as allowing Lieutenant-General Oliver Cromwell to rise to primary importance in the English government.
Grand Remonstrance

An act of Parliament passed in November 1641 that listed Parliament's numerous grievances against King Charles I. This act was a major step on the road to the English Civil War, as it explicitly marked Parliament's opposition to the overall course of Charles's reign.
Long Parliament

Parliament called to session by Charles I in 1640 that enacted reforms such as the Triennial Act and was openly hostile against the Royalists. Cromwell sat in this Parliament, which did not bend to Charles's wishes and eventually took up arms against him in the English Civil War.
Penruddock's Rebellion

Royalist rebellion against the Protectorate that occurred in March 1655 under the leadership of John Penruddock. This was the most significant outbreak of violent Royalist opposition to Cromwell's government during the years of the Protectorate.
Rump Parliament

Parliament which convened after the beheading of King Charles I and was later forcibly disbanded by Cromwell in April 1653. The Rump Parliament was known for its slow-paced reform efforts and generally conservative outlook on what the English constitution should look like.
Triennial Act

1641 act of Parliament that stipulated that the king must call a Parliament into session at least once every three years. This act displeased King Charles I, who had a history of ignoring Parliament and only calling Parliamentary sessions to help him raise revenues to pay for wars and other expenditures of the Crown.

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