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I think you have to start citing your sources. My sources suggest that Cromwell was hugely popular and pretty much not allowed to leave his post, which is why t

by DenisM 6y ago

I think you have to start citing your sources. My sources suggest that Cromwell was hugely popular and pretty much not allowed to leave his post, which is why the restoration did not happen until after his death. He was even pushed to accept the crown himself - that's as popular as one could get. Also he was not into regicide, and King Charles I was only axed because he stubbornly refused to pare down his ambition from absolute monarchy to anything less, and with full agreement of the Parliament. Sources: The Revolutions podcast by Mike Duncan.

inops 6y ago
A big reason why the Roundheads wanted to make Cromwell king was to limit his power. His status as Lord Protector was not King, and therefore had none of the constraints on power that the kingdom had evolved over the centuries. He wasn't widely popular outside the parliamentarians, who were the ones in power. The "godly", who made up the majority of the Roundheads were reviled by a substantial portion of the British. Cromwell held the Commonwealth together, that's for sure, but the cohesion amongst the Roundheads dried up once he died. Source: The English and their History by Robert Tombs
notahacker 6y ago
The Humble Petition was a small number of MPs offering him the Crown as a carrot to try to persuade him to tone down the military rule of his generals in the provinces and give power back to Parliament. Cromwell rejected it after some deliberation, not least because he believed some of his military allies would turn on him if he did. He filled a power vacuum, but the support he got from the military was conditional, and the Parliaments he convened didn't back his agendas despite his allies designing the franchises and vetting the candidates. Even Cromwell himself didn't think he was popular as opposed to powerful, famously remarking of a cheering crowd that "they would just as noisy if they were going to see me hanged". He stayed in power due to skill at bridging factions who hated each other and commanding armies, but failed to build a legacy or unite people behind a cause which meant the Restoration happened without significant opposition (and the public got to cheer the hanging of his exhumed corpse). After that, not not many words were written in his favour until Carlyle decided to make him a hero of history in the 19th century. In the absence of a Lord Protector, we might have seen an attempt at an English Republic instead, and it is conceivable it could have lasted longer. It is true that regicide was not Parliament's original intent and was not pursued until after the Second Civil War. But Cromwell was prominent in making it happen when it did. It's been over a decade since I studied Cromwell so you'll forgive me for not listing every source I read on the subject, but suffice to say it's more than one podcast :)
- DenisM 6y ago
  Nothing is what it seems, eh? Thanks!

by DenisM 6y ago

inops 6y ago

A big reason why the Roundheads wanted to make Cromwell king was to limit his power. His status as Lord Protector was not King, and therefore had none of the constraints on power that the kingdom had evolved over the centuries. He wasn't widely popular outside the parliamentarians, who were the ones in power. The "godly", who made up the majority of the Roundheads were reviled by a substantial portion of the British. Cromwell held the Commonwealth together, that's for sure, but the cohesion amongst the Roundheads dried up once he died. Source: The English and their History by Robert Tombs

notahacker 6y ago

The Humble Petition was a small number of MPs offering him the Crown as a carrot to try to persuade him to tone down the military rule of his generals in the provinces and give power back to Parliament. Cromwell rejected it after some deliberation, not least because he believed some of his military allies would turn on him if he did. He filled a power vacuum, but the support he got from the military was conditional, and the Parliaments he convened didn't back his agendas despite his allies designing the franchises and vetting the candidates. Even Cromwell himself didn't think he was popular as opposed to powerful, famously remarking of a cheering crowd that "they would just as noisy if they were going to see me hanged". He stayed in power due to skill at bridging factions who hated each other and commanding armies, but failed to build a legacy or unite people behind a cause which meant the Restoration happened without significant opposition (and the public got to cheer the hanging of his exhumed corpse). After that, not not many words were written in his favour until Carlyle decided to make him a hero of history in the 19th century. In the absence of a Lord Protector, we might have seen an attempt at an English Republic instead, and it is conceivable it could have lasted longer. It is true that regicide was not Parliament's original intent and was not pursued until after the Second Civil War. But Cromwell was prominent in making it happen when it did. It's been over a decade since I studied Cromwell so you'll forgive me for not listing every source I read on the subject, but suffice to say it's more than one podcast :)

DenisM 6y ago
Nothing is what it seems, eh? Thanks!