ure of Cromwell looking at the King's
corpse.

449. Summary.

The whole of Charles I's reign must be regarded as a prolonged
struggle between the King and the nation. Under the Tudors and James
I the royal power had been growing more and more despotic, while at
the same time the progress of the Protestant Reformation and of
Puritanism had encouraged freedom of thought.

Between these opposite forces a collision was inevitable, since
religious liberty always favors political liberty. Had Charles known
how to yield in time, or been sincere in the concessions which he did
make, all might have gone well. His duplicity was his ruin. Though
his death did not absolutely destroy the theory of the Divine Right of
Kings, yet it gave it a blow from which it never recovered.

The Commonwealth and Protectorate--1649-1660

450. Establishment of the Commonwealth, or Republic, 1649.

While the crowd that had witnessed the execution of Charles I was
leaving the spot (S448), the remnant of the House of Commons met.
This "Rump Parliament" (S447), composed of only about fifty members,
claimed the right to act for the whole nation. A few days later it
abolished the House of Lords as "useless and dangerous." Next, for
similar reasons, it abolished the office of king, and declared that
"The People are, under God, the origin of all just power."

England was now a commonwealth or republic, governed, in name at
least, by a Council of State. Of this Council John Bradshaw (S448)
was president, and the poet Milton was foreign secretary, while
General Fairfax with Oliver Cromwell had command of the army. The
real power was in the army, and the true head of the army was
Cromwell. Without him the so-called republic could not have stood a
day.

451. Radical Changes.

All members of the House of Commons, with those who held any civil or
military office, were required to swear allegiance to the Commonwealth
"without King, or House of Lords." The use of the English church
service was forbidden, and the statues of Charles I in London were
pulled down and demolished.

The Great Seal of England (S145) had already been cast aside, and a
new one adopted, having on one side a map of England and Ireland, on
the other a representation of the House of Commons in session, with
the words, "In the first year of freedom, by God's blessing restored
1648."[1]

[1] 1648 Old Style would here correspond to 1649 New Style. (See S545,
note 2.)