What If…
With no ruling monarchy and no Christmas, what would a continuing republic have looked like?
Following the Roundhead victory at the end of the English Civil War, King Charles I of England was executed. Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the new republic, took charge but refused the crown himself. For the next 11 years, in a period known as the Interregnum, Cromwell and Parliament ruled over a now strictly puritan nation. Festivals such as Christmas and Easter were banned and theatres were closed. But following Cromwell’s death and the lacklustre reception of his successor, Charles II returned to England and the monarchy was restored. However, is it possible that if a different successor was chosen, the English republic could have continued?
What was the situation in England upon the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658? Complicated. On the one hand the nation was secure and there was no realistic prospect of any uprisings attempting to overthrow the regime. Over the previous years all Royalist opposition had been disarmed and dispirited. There’s a Presbyterian who says of Cromwell that “I Will not oppose him, but he deserves to be hanged for a fool If he thinks that I will help him if once he stumbles”. In other words, he’s achieved acquiescence but he lacks popular support. I think it’s important to remember that we are not only talking about England but Scotland, Wales and Ireland too. The regime is secure, but only because it’s got a very large military establishment and very tight military control. For example, there is a significant series of garrisons in Scotland, and they’re important not only for intimidating the population and reminding them that there’s no point in rebelling, but also because the military officers stationed there act as magistrates and local governors. So it’s a highly militarised regime. In Ireland 40 per cent of all land was transferred from Irish Catholics to English Protestants and 40,000 Catholic soldiers deported, but the problem is that he’s running out of money. The large funds needed to support the military establishment always outstripped even the very high levels of taxation that were in place.
Initially, that problem was resolved by selling the land of cathedrals, the bishops, the crown and 800 ‘malignant’ royalists. Eventually, they ran out of land to sell and were forced to use credit. Interest rates went up and Cromwell had already alienated the main money men in London – he’d not honoured his promises to prioritise them in the redistribution of land in Ireland. However, Cromwell was aware that if he cuts back on the army and significantly reduces the military presence then it’s possible there might be unrest, particularly in Scotland and Ireland. So things are not entirely secure.
So how much of the eventual collapse of the republic is due to Richa
