Oliver Cromwell
Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1653-8 AD.
Silver Shilling, 30 mm, 1656 AD
Obverse: St. George's cross within wreath, "THE COMMONWEALTH OF
ENGLAND", sun mintmark.
Reverse: St. George's cross, Irish harp, "GOD WITH US, 1656"
The coins struck during the Commonwealth have inscriptions in English, in
keeping with Puritan values, rather than the Latin that had become customary on
coinage, as Latin was considered too Papal. St. George's cross and the
Irish harp take the place of the royal arms.
Oliver Cromwell, the inspiring military leader who led the Parliamentary forces to victory in the English Civil War, is the man most responsible for the eventual establishment of parliamentary democracy as the English form of government.
In 1628, Cromwell was elected to Parliament, but served only briefly, as the following year King Charles I decided to dismiss Parliament and govern alone. In 1640, in need of money to pursue war against the Scots, Charles called a new Parliament. This Parliament, of which Cromwell was also a member, demanded assurances against resumption of arbitrary rule by the King. Charles I was unwilling to be subservient to Parliament, and war broke out in 1642 between forces loyal to the King and those loyal to Parliament.
During the war, Cromwell distinguished himself as the most successful general on the Parliamentary side. The war ended in 1646 with Charles as a prisoner. After Charles escaped and attempted to rally his forces, he was recaptured and executed in 1649.
Meanwhile, repeated rounds of hostilities, as well as social and religious conflicts, had had severe effects on the Parliamentary forces, with elimination of the more moderate elements. England had now become a republic (called the Commonwealth), with Cromwell as chairman of the Council of State. However, all that remained of Parliament was a small, unrepresentative, extremist minority, the so-called "Rump". Cromwell was unsuccessful in his attempt to call for new elections, and dissolved the Rump by force (1653).
From 1653 until his death from malaria in 1658, Cromwell ruled as a military dictator, under the title Lord Protector. However, his repeated attempts to institute democratic practices, as well as his refusal of the throne when it was offered to him, indicate that dictatorship was not what he sought; it was forced upon him by the inability of his supporters to establish a workable government. During Cromwell's tenure, he ameliorated harsh laws, and supported education. An ardent Puritan, he believed in religious toleration, and permitted the Jews to resettle in England.
Though the English Commonwealth failed soon after Cromwell's death, the monarchs that followed had lost considerable power to Parliament. The end result, a constitutional monarchy with the king subservient to Parliament, was what Cromwell had wanted in 1640.