Instrument of Government

E120494

The Instrument of Government was the written constitution that established Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate and defined the structure and powers of its government in mid-17th-century England.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Instrument of Government canonical 16

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf constitutional document
legal instrument
written constitution
abolishedHouseOfLords yes
abolishedMonarchy yes
appliesTo England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
basisOfAuthority military and parliamentary settlement after English Civil Wars
cameIntoForceWith Cromwell’s assumption of office as Lord Protector
constitutionalModel mixed government of Protector, Council, and Parliament
country England
createdBody Council of State
dateAdopted 1653-12-16
definedPowersOf Council of State
Lord Protector
Parliament
definedSuccession Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
surface form: Lord Protector to be chosen by Council of State
draftContext after dissolution of the Rump Parliament
during the Barebone’s Parliament crisis
draftedBy army officers
establishedOffice Lord Protector
excludedFromToleration Roman Catholicism
surface form: Roman Catholics

prelatic Anglicans
some radical sectaries
firstLordProtector Oliver Cromwell
governmentFormEstablished Protectorate
headOfStateDefinedAs Lord Protector
historicalEra Interregnum
surface form: English Interregnum
language English
legalStatus supreme law of the Protectorate
legislatureType unicameral Parliament
limitedTaxationPower required consent of Parliament for new taxes
militaryProvision fixed standing army and navy establishment
minimumParliamentDuration five months
numberOfArticles 42
period Interregnum
regulatedConstituencies redistributed parliamentary seats across counties and boroughs
religiousPolicy provided for liberty of conscience for most Protestants
replacedBy Humble Petition and Advice
replacedByYear 1657
requiredParliamentFrequency at least once every three years
restrictedFranchise property-based voting qualifications
significance first written constitution of England
one of the earliest modern written national constitutions
yearAdopted 1653

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (16)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Lord Protector officeCreatedBy Instrument of Government
Lord Protector appointedBy Instrument of Government
Lord Protector legalBasis Instrument of Government
First Protectorate Parliament convenedUnder Instrument of Government
Humble Petition and Advice predecessor Instrument of Government
Interregnum constitutionalDocument Instrument of Government
English Commonwealth constitutionalDocument Instrument of Government
Second Protectorate Parliament legalBasis Instrument of Government
Protectorate Parliament constitutionalBasis Instrument of Government
John Lambert notableWork Instrument of Government
Committee on the Constitution appliesLaw Instrument of Government
Cromwell's dissolution of the Rump (1653) relatedTo Instrument of Government
Act abolishing the Kingly Office relatedLegalAct Instrument of Government