Richard Cromwell
| Richard Cromwell | |
|---|---|
Richard Cromwell
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| 2nd Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland | |
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In office 3 September 1658 – 25 May 1659 (264 days) |
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| Preceded by | Oliver Cromwell |
| Succeeded by | Council of State |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 October 1626 Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England |
| Died | 12 July 1712 (aged 85) Cheshunt, Hertfordshire |
| Nationality | English |
| Political party | Roundhead |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Maijor |
| Relations |
Father: Oliver Cromwell Mother: Elizabeth Bourchier |
| Children |
See list
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| Religion | Reformed (an Independent Puritan) |
| Nickname(s) |
Tumbledown Dick Queen Dick |
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Royal styles of Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth |
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|---|---|
.svg) |
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| Reference style | His Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Highness |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Tumbledown Dick
Richard Cromwell (4 October 1626 – 12 July 1712) was Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, and one of only two commoners to become the English head of state, the other being his father, Oliver Cromwell, from whom he inherited the position.
On his father's death Richard became Lord Protector, but lacked authority. He attempted to mediate between the army and civil society, and allowed a Parliament which contained a large number of disaffected Presbyterians and Royalists. Suspicions that civilian councilors were intent on supplanting the army were brought to a head by an attempt to prosecute a major-general for actions against a Royalist. The army made a threatening show of force against Richard, and may have had him in detention; he formally renounced power nine months after succeeding. Without a king-like figure, such as Cromwell, as head of state the government lacked coherence and legitimacy.
Although a Royalist revolt was crushed by recalled civil war figure General John Lambert, who then prevented the Rump Parliament from reconvening and created a Committee of Safety, he found his troops melted away in the face of general George Monck's advance from Scotland. Monck then presided over the Restoration of 1660. Richard Cromwell subsisted in straitened circumstances after his resignation, he went abroad and lived in relative obscurity for the remainder of his life. He eventually returned to his English estate, dying in his eighties. None of his children had offspring of their own and he has no descendants.
Cromwell was born in Huntingdon on 4 October 1626, the third son of Oliver Cromwell and his wife Elizabeth. Little is known of his childhood. He and his three brothers were educated at Felsted School in Essex close to their mother's family home. There is no record of his attending university. In May 1647, he became a member of Lincoln's Inn. He may have served as a captain in Thomas Fairfax's lifeguard during the late 1640s, but the evidence is inconclusive.
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Wikipedia