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Epilogue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 October 2022

Markku Peltonen
Affiliation:
University of Helsinki
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Summary

The English free state ended in failure in the spring of 1653 when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump parliament, which was soon replaced by the unelected Nominated Assembly. In December 1653, this Assembly abdicated its authority to Cromwell, who became the Lord Protector under the Instrument of Government, England’s first written constitution. This failure has led historians to write the free state off as a terrible mistake, which almost no one outside the small coterie of its leaders genuinely wanted or actively supported. Throughout this book, I have questioned this standard interpretation and tried to show that numerous people eagerly came forth in the defence of the free state and that its political thought was far more important than has hitherto been assumed.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Epilogue
  • Markku Peltonen, University of Helsinki
  • Book: The Political Thought of the English Free State, 1649–1653
  • Online publication: 13 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009212090.007
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  • Epilogue
  • Markku Peltonen, University of Helsinki
  • Book: The Political Thought of the English Free State, 1649–1653
  • Online publication: 13 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009212090.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Epilogue
  • Markku Peltonen, University of Helsinki
  • Book: The Political Thought of the English Free State, 1649–1653
  • Online publication: 13 October 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009212090.007
Available formats
×