Triumph of Parliament- A Republic Country
England is now without a king or monarch. The country is now considered to be a republic and now known as "Commonwealth." Rump parliament voted to abolish the monarchy and the House of Lords. Many people disagreed with their decision and rebelled. To make sure that the citizens would support Parliament's decision, the Roundhead army threatened those who disagreed.
Oliver Cromwell's Rule
Gradually, Oliver Cromwell began to loose patience with Parliament. He found that they were ineffective leaders but they refused to hold an election. Cromwell decided to march into the parliament and took it forcefully with his army and locked the doors. Senior officers gave him the name Lord Protector (military dictator) of England. During Cromwell's reign, he:
- Divided England up into districts which were ruled by major generals
- Created the Calvinist Blue Laws which disallowed ceremonies and recreation
- Became the dictator he was trying to remove