The Monarchical Republic of Oliver Cromwell

Abstract

The last time I gave the address on Cromwell Day was twenty-one years ago, back in 1994. On that occasion, I explored Cromwell’s relationship with Parliaments, and considered how far he might be called ‘a great Parliamentarian’. Today I want to turn to examine Cromwell’s relationship with that other great institution of English government, the monarchy. My aim is not to discuss Cromwell’s relationship with Charles I – a subject on which much has already been written – but rather to explore his views on monarchy itself and to look at how far the Protectorate came, in its trappings and ceremonial, to resemble a monarchy.