Richard Cromwell, the son
of Oliver Cromwell, was born in 1626.
He served in the Parliamentary army during the Civil
War and in 1654 was elected to House of
Commons.
In 1658 Oliver
Cromwell announced that he wanted Richard Cromwell to replace
him as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. The English army was unhappy
with this decision. When members of the House
of Commons complained about Richard Cromwell he closed it down.
In May 1659 John
Lambert, John Desborough
and Charles
Fleetwood
forced him to retire
from government. Parliament and the leaders of the army now began
arguing amongst themselves about how England should be ruled. General
George Monck, the officer in charge of
the English army based in Scotland, decided to take action, and in
1659 he marched on London.
After the Restoration
Cromwell fled to France. He also lived in Geneva before returning
to England in 1680. Richard Cromwell died in 1712.
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