The members of the British Long Parliament who were left after Pride's Purge of conservative and moderate presbyterian elements (Dec 1648). It numbered about 60, but by-elections brought it up to 125 by 1652. It ordered the execution of Charles I (1649), and abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords, establishing the Commonwealth in its place. When it fell out with the army, Cromwell dismissed it (Apr 1653). It was recalled in 1659 with the fall of the Protectorate, and dissolved itself in 1660.
The Rump Parliament was the name of the English Parliament immediately following the Long Parliament, after Pride's Purge of December 6, 1648 had removed those Members of Parliament hostile to the intentions of the Grandees in the New Model Army to try King Charles I for high treason. The Long Parliament was recreated from the Rump on 21 February 1660 when General George Monck reinstated the members 'secluded' by Pride. The Speaker throughout the Rump Parliament's existence was the Speaker of the Long Parliament, William Lenthall. Since 1649, the term "rump parliament" has been used to refer to any parliament left over after the true parliament has formally dissolved.
Execution of Charles I
When it became obvious to the Grandees in the Army and Parliament that they could not negotiate a settlement with King Charles I and they could not trust him to resist raising an army to attack them, they reluctantly came to the conclusion that they would have to kill him.
On 4 January 1649, an ordinance was passed by the House of Commons to set up a High Court of Justice in order to try Charles I for high treason in the name of the people of England.
On 30 January, the execution of Charles I was delayed by several hours so that the House of Commons could pass an emergency bill to make it an offence to proclaim a new King, and to declare the representatives of the people, the House of Commons, as the source of all just power.
1649–1653
Between 1649 and 1653, the Rump passed a number of Acts in the area of Religion, Law, and Finance. As lawyers were overrepresented in the Rump Parliament, the Rump did not respond to the popular requests made by the Levellers to change the archaic and expensive legal system.
Oliver Cromwell
In 1653, after learning that Parliament was attempting to stay in session despite an agreement to dissolve, and having failed to come up with a working constitution, Cromwell’s patience ran out.
Within a month of the Rump's dismissal, Oliver Cromwell on the advice of Harrison and with the support of other officers in the Army, sent a request to Congregational churches in every county to nominate those they considered fit to take part in the new government. On 4 July a Nominated Assembly, nicknamed the "Assembly of Saints" or the Barebone's Parliament (named after one of its members), took on the role of more traditional English Parliaments.
End of the Rump Parliament
Richard Cromwell, the third (and eldest surviving) son of Oliver Cromwell, was appointed Lord Protector after his father's death. However, along with the Army, it was unable to form a stable government and after seven months the Army removed him and on 6 May 1659, it reinstalled the Rump Parliament. The Rump Parliament issued a declaration establishing a "Commonwealth without a king, single person, or house of lords". On the 12 October the Rump voted to declare the seven commissioners' responsibility for the Army void and appointed Charles Fleetwood commander-in-chief under the Speaker of the House. The next day on 13 October 1659 the Army in London under the command of John Lambert assisted by Charles Fleetwood excluded the Rump from Parliament by locking the doors to the Palace of Westminster and stationing armed guards outside. Lambert and Fleetwood created a 23 member Committee of Safety to govern the country in place of the Rump with General Fleetwood and Lambert directly under him, commander of the Army in England and Scotland.
Sir Arthur Haselrig appealed to other Army generals to support the Rump against Fleetwood and Lambert. Fearing anarchy, General George Monck, commander-in-chief of the English army in Scotland, declared that he was ready to uphold Parliament's authority and march at the head of his army to London. Lambert marched north against Monck in November 1659, but Lambert's army began to melt away, and he was kept in suspense by Monck till his whole army deserted and he returned to London almost alone. Parliament declared Monck commander-in-chief in England as well as Scotland.
In January 1660, Monck marched into England, as Lambert's supporters in the Army were cashiered and his authority crumbled. Monck entered London in February 1660 and he allowed the Presbyterian members, 'secluded' in Pride's Purge of 1648, to re-enter parliament on 21 February 1660. The Long Parliament dissolved itself on 16 March 1660 after preparing legislation for the Convention Parliament which formally invited King Charles II to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration.
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