Lord Protector

Historical title used in the context of British government. It was held by the head of state in the absence of a ruling monarch and it occured in different forms of government: Lord Protector either refered to the head of state of the later Commonwealth republic or to an acting regent in a monarchy.

The title has not been used since the Restoration period.

Commonwealth

The title Lord Protector represented the head of a Protectorate, as the government at the time was called, who was supported in government by a State Council. The position as Lord Protector, in a constitutional context, was created in the Instrument of Government and Oliver Cromwell was installed in the position on 16 December 1653 under the official title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

The position was awarded for life, but was, in contrast to a monarchy, elective and not hereditary. The second, revised constitution Humble Petition and Advice (1657), however, granted the Lord Protector the right to name a successor.

The rights and duties of the Lord Protector were also laid down in the Instrument of Government and they resembled and included some of the formerly royal prerogatives, such as awarding knighthood. The powers included executive powers such as foreign policy, control over the armed forces, the right to summon and dissolve Parliament and the right to delay bills for twenty days (Maurer 205). They were, however, not unlimited powers and in some cases the consent by the Council and/or Parliament was required (ibid.). The Lord Protector's duties included holding a Parliament at least every three years for five months.

Two people served as Lord Protector during the time of the Commonwealth: Oliver Cromwell (16 December 1653-3 September 1658), whose name was originally connected to the Instrument of Government, and his son, Richard Cromwell (3 September 1658-25 May 1659), who had been nominated as successor by his father. After Richard Cromwell resigned, monarchy was restored and there was no longer any use for the title in this context.

It is still a matter of scholarly debate if the position as Lord Protector constitutes a de facto monarchy or dictatorship, or not, for example due to the right to name his own successor (Goodlad 1ff.).

Regency

Prior to the Commonwealth period, the term Lord Protector was used in a monarchical form of government, referring to a royal agent, who fulfills the duties of the monarch if they are unable to do so. Since the Restoration, however, the term is no longer used and is substituted by the term Prince Regent, due to its past use during the Commonwealth period.

Bibliography

“Definition: Lord Protector.” Webster's Online Dictionary. MICRA, Inc. of Plainfield, NJ. Last edit February 3, 1998. Web. 17 Jun. 2013.

    [<http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/LORD+PROTECTOR>].

Goodlad, Graham. “The Cromwellian Protectorate”. History Review. March 2007.1-5.

"Instrument of Government." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 17 Jun. 2013.

    [<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/240140/Instrument-of-Government>]. 

Maurer, Michael. Kleine Geschichte Englands. 2nd revised ed. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2007.

"Protectorate." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 17 Jun. 2013.

    [<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/479670/Protectorate>]. 

“The Instrument of Government. Full Text.” The Cromwell Association. Cromwell Association and the Cromwell Museum Huntingdon. Web. 17 Jun. 2013.

    [<http://www.olivercromwell.org/protectorate/protectorate_6.htm>].