Third Protectorate Parliament facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Third Protectorate Parliament

← 1656 December 1658 – January 1659 1660 →
Members elected →
All 567 seats of the House of Commons 284 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader John Thurloe Harry Vane Party Protectorate Faction Commonwealthsmen Leader's seat Cambridge University Whitchurch Popular vote - - Percentage - -

The Third Protectorate Parliament was a special meeting of lawmakers in England. It met for a short time, from January 27, 1659, to April 22, 1659. During this time, Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde served as the main speakers. This Parliament was made up of two parts: the House of Commons and an Upper House. The Upper House had the power to stop laws passed by the Commons.

Why This Parliament Met

After Oliver Cromwell died, his son Richard Cromwell became the new leader, called the Lord Protector, on September 3, 1658. Richard was not a military leader like his father. He did not have the full trust of the powerful Army.

The government also had a big money problem. It owed a lot of money, especially to the Army, which was due nearly £900,000 in back pay. To fix these issues, Richard decided to call a Parliament. He hoped this would make his position as leader stronger. He also wanted Parliament to raise new taxes to pay the Army.

Key Events and Groups

The Third Protectorate Parliament was called on December 9, 1658. It used the old rules for voting, meaning only certain people could vote. It officially started on January 27, 1659.

At first, Parliament voted to recognize Richard as Lord Protector. But soon, old disagreements came back. There were two main groups:

• The Commonwealthsmen wanted to get rid of the Protectorate. They wanted to go back to the English Commonwealth. This was the government that existed after King Charles I was executed in 1649. Important members included Sir Henry Vane and Edmund Ludlow.
• The Protectorate Faction wanted to keep the Protectorate. They were led by people like John Thurloe and General John Lambert. However, even they disagreed about who should lead the Army and be Lord Protector.

These groups often mistrusted each other. This made it hard for Parliament and the Army to work together.

Army Demands

The Army leaders, sometimes called the "Grandees," had their own demands. They wanted:

• To be protected from punishment for anything they had done during Oliver Cromwell's rule. This is called an "act of indemnity."
• Money and support for Richard Cromwell, even if he was no longer Lord Protector.
• Changes to the laws and the church.
• A government led by elected representatives and a special senate.

These demands showed the tension between the Army and Parliament.

Parliament Dissolved

The disagreements became very serious when Parliament tried to put Major-General William Boteler on trial. They wanted to punish him for things he did in 1656.

In response, on April 6, 1659, the Army leaders told Parliament that soldiers should not be punished for actions taken during Oliver Cromwell's time. The Army leaders, especially Charles Fleetwood and Sir John Desborough, then forced Richard Cromwell to use his power. He had to dissolve, or close down, Parliament on April 22, 1659.

The Army leaders hoped to keep Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector, but under their control. They did not want another Parliament. However, many regular soldiers still supported the idea of the Commonwealth. They also wanted their unpaid wages. This pressure from the soldiers forced the Army leaders to change their minds. Less than a month after closing the Third Protectorate Parliament, they allowed Richard Cromwell to bring back the Rump Parliament.

Speakers of Parliament

The Third Protectorate Parliament had two main Speakers:

• Chaloner Chute was Speaker from January 27, 1659, to April 14, 1659.
• Thomas Bampfylde was Speaker from April 15, 1659, to April 22, 1659.

There were also two Deputy Speakers who helped out.

How Parliament Was Set Up

For this Parliament, the way areas were divided for voting went back to how they were for the Long Parliament. This means England and Wales used older rules. However, Scotland and Ireland kept the same voting areas they had before.

Voting Areas (Constituencies)

A "constituency" is an area that elects a representative to Parliament.

• Borough constituencies were towns or cities.
• Shire constituencies were counties or rural areas.
• University constituencies were special areas for universities.

Here is a simple look at how many voting areas and representatives there were:

Table 1: Voting Areas and Representatives, by Type and Country

Table 2: Number of Representatives per Area, by Type and Country

• Note 1: Monmouthshire (1 town area and 2 county areas) was counted as part of England, not Wales.
• Note 2: Dublin City and County were treated as one county area with 2 representatives.

See also

• List of parliaments of England
• List of MPs elected to the English parliament in 1659