Editing Commonwealth of England (section)

== 1649–1653 ==

=== Rump Parliament ===
{{Main|Rump Parliament}}
The Rump was created by [[Pride's Purge]] of those members of the [[Long Parliament]] who did not support the political position of the [[Grandee#Grandee (New Model Army)|Grandee]]s in the [[New Model Army]]. Just before and after the execution of King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] on 30 January 1649, the Rump passed a number of acts of Parliament creating the legal basis for the republic. With the abolition of the monarchy, [[Privy Council of England|Privy Council]] and the [[House of Lords]], it had unchecked executive and legislative power. The [[English Council of State]], which replaced the Privy Council, took over many of the executive functions of the monarchy. It was selected by the Rump, and most of its members were MPs. However, the Rump depended on the support of the Army with which it had a very uneasy relationship. After the execution of Charles I, the House of Commons abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords. It declared the people of England "and of all the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging" to be henceforth under the governance of a "Commonwealth",{{sfn|HMSO|1911}} effectively a republic.
==== Structure ====
In [[Pride's Purge]], all members of parliament (including most of the political [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]]) who would not accept the need to bring the King to trial had been removed. Thus the Rump never had more than two hundred members (less than half the number of the Commons in the original Long Parliament). They included: supporters of religious independents who did not want an established church and some of whom had sympathies with the [[Levellers]]; Presbyterians who were willing to countenance the trial and execution of the King; and later admissions, such as formerly excluded MPs who were prepared to denounce the Newport Treaty negotiations with the King.

Most Rumpers were [[gentry]], though there was a higher proportion of lesser gentry and lawyers than in previous parliaments.  Less than one-quarter of them were [[regicide]]s. This left the Rump as basically a conservative body whose vested interests in the existing land ownership and legal systems made it unlikely to want to reform them.
==== Issues and achievements ====
[[File:An Act Declaring and Constituting the People of England to be a Commonwealth and Free-State (1649).pdf|thumb|left|A 21st-century edition of the Act Declaring and Constituting the People of England to be a Commonwealth and Free-State enacted on 19 May 1649]]

For the first two years of the Commonwealth, the Rump faced economic depression and the risk of invasion from [[Scotland]] and Ireland. By 1653 Cromwell and the Army had largely eliminated these threats.

There were many disagreements amongst factions of the Rump. Some wanted a republic, but others favoured retaining some type of monarchical government. Most of England's traditional ruling classes regarded the Rump as an illegal government made up of regicides and upstarts. However, they were also aware that the Rump might be all that stood in the way of an outright [[martial law|military dictatorship]]. High taxes, mainly to pay the Army, were resented by the gentry. Limited reforms were enough to antagonise the ruling class but not enough to satisfy the radicals.

Despite its unpopularity, the Rump was a link with the old constitution and helped to settle England down and make it secure after the biggest upheaval in its history. By 1653, France and Spain had recognised England's new government.
==== Reforms ====
Though the [[Church of England]] was retained, episcopacy was suppressed and the [[Act of Uniformity 1558]] was repealed in September 1650.<ref>27 September 1650 "Act for the Repeal of several Clauses in Statutes imposing Penalties for not coming to Church" {{harv|Firth|Rait|1911|pp=423–425}}</ref> Mainly on the insistence of the Army, many independent churches were tolerated, although everyone still had to pay [[tithe]]s to the established church.

Some small improvements were made to law and court procedure; for example, all court proceedings were now conducted in English rather than in [[Law French]] or [[Latin]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/acts-ordinances-interregnum/pp455-456|title=November 1650: An Act for turning the Books of the Law, and all Proces and Proceedings in Courts of Justice, into English. |website=British History Online |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231209175631/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/acts-ordinances-interregnum/pp455-456 |archive-date= Dec 9, 2023 }}</ref> However, there were no widespread reforms of the [[common law]]. This would have upset the gentry, who regarded the common law as reinforcing their status and property rights.

The Rump passed many restrictive laws to regulate people's moral behaviour, such as [[London theatre closure 1642|closing down theatres]] and requiring [[Blue law|strict observance of Sunday]]. Laws were also passed banning the celebration of Easter and Christmas.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Durston |first=Chris |year=1985  |title= The Puritan War on Christmas 1642-60 |magazine= History Today |url-access=subscription |url=http://www.historytoday.com/chris-durston/lords-misrule-puritan-war-christmas-1642-60 |volume=35| issue=12 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200809150911/http://www.historytoday.com/chris-durston/lords-misrule-puritan-war-christmas-1642-60 |archive-date=Aug 9, 2020 }}</ref> This antagonised most of the gentry.

==== Dismissal ====
Cromwell, aided by [[Thomas Harrison (soldier)|Thomas Harrison]], forcibly dismissed the Rump on 20 April 1653, for reasons that are unclear. Theories are that he feared the Rump was trying to perpetuate itself as the government, or that the Rump was preparing for an election which could return an anti-Commonwealth majority. Many former members of the Rump continued to regard themselves as England's only legitimate constitutional authority. The Rump had not agreed to its own dissolution; their legal, constitutional view that it was unlawful was based on Charles' concessionary Act prohibiting the dissolution of Parliament without its own consent (on 11 May 1641, leading to the entire Commonwealth being the latter years of the [[Long Parliament]] in their majority view).

=== Barebone's Parliament, July–December 1653 ===
[[File:Commonwealth Unite 1653 692157.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|A gold [[Unite (English coin)|Unite]] from 1653]]

The dissolution of the Rump was followed by a short period in which Cromwell and the Army ruled alone. Nobody had the constitutional authority to call an election, but Cromwell did not want to impose a military dictatorship. Instead, he ruled through a "nominated assembly" which he believed would be easy for the Army to control since Army officers did the nominating.

[[Barebone's Parliament]] was opposed by former Rumpers and ridiculed by many gentries as being an assembly of inferior people. Over 110 of its 140 members were lesser [[landed gentry|gentry]] or of higher social status; an exception was [[Praise-God Barebone]], a Baptist merchant after whom the Assembly got its derogatory nickname. Many were well educated.

The assembly reflected the range of views of the officers who nominated it. The Radicals (approximately 40) included a hard core of [[Fifth Monarchists]] who wanted to be rid of Common Law and any state control of religion. The Moderates (approximately 60) wanted some improvements within the existing system and might move to either the radical or conservative side depending on the issue. The Conservatives (approximately 40) wanted to keep the ''status quo'', since common law protected the interests of the gentry, and tithes and [[advowson]]s were valuable property.

Cromwell saw Barebone's Parliament as a temporary legislative body which he hoped would produce reforms and develop a constitution for the Commonwealth. However, members were divided over key issues, only 25 had previous parliamentary experience, and although many had some legal training, there were no qualified lawyers.

Cromwell seems to have expected this group of amateurs to produce reform without management or direction. When the radicals mustered enough support to defeat a bill which would have preserved the ''status quo'' in religion, the conservatives, together with many moderates, surrendered their authority back to Cromwell, who sent soldiers to clear the rest of the Assembly. Barebone's Parliament was over.