Richard Cromwell (4 October 1626 – 12 July 1712) was Lord Protector of the English Commonwealth from 3 September 1658 to 25 May 1659, succeeding Oliver Cromwell. He was nicknamed "Tumbledown Dick" for his rapid fall from power which resulted from a military coup in 1659; this was quickly followed by "the Restoration" and the return of King Charles II of England to power.
Biography[]
Richard Cromwell was born in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England on 4 October 1626, the third son of Oliver Cromwell. He served as a Captain in the 3rd Cavalry during the First English Civil War, fighting at the Battle of Naseby in 1645. In 1657, he was named his father's heir apparent when Oliver was offered the crown of England and named "Lord Protector", and Richard also served as MP for Huntingdon during the Protectorate era. When his father died on 3 September 1658, Richard succeeded him as Lord Protector, but the English Army questioned his legitimacy to rule, as he lacked much military experience, and he inherited a massive debt from his father's tenure. When Parliament rejected the Army's demands to raise taxes to pay off England's debts, the Army responded by launching a military coup, recalling the Rump Parliament on 7 May 1659 and forcing Cromwell to resign on 25 May. He lived in the Palace of Whitehall until July, when Parliament forced him to return to Hursley. In 1660, he went into exile in France amid "The Restoration", and he travelled across Europe before returning in 1681. He died in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire in 1712 at the age of 85.