Title in British constitutional law
Lord Protector
(
plural
:
Lords Protector
) was a title that has been used in
British constitutional law
for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes used to refer to holders of other temporary posts; for example, a
regent
acting for the absent monarch.
Feudal royal regent
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The title of "The Lord Protector" was originally used by royal princes or other nobles exercising a role as protector and defender of the realm, while also sitting (typically as chairman) of a
regency council
, governing for a monarch who was unable to do so (on account of minority, absence from the realm on
Crusade
, madness, etc.).
Notable cases in England:
- John, Duke of Bedford
, and
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
, were (5 December 1422 ? 6 November 1429) jointly Lords Protector for
Henry VI
(1421?1471);
- Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York
, was three times (3 April 1454 ? February 1455; 19 November 1455 ? 25 February 1456; and
31 October
?
30 December 1460
) Lord Protector for Henry VI;
- Richard, Duke of Gloucester
, was "Lord Protector of the Realm" (10 May 1483 ? 26 June 1483) during the nominal reign of
Edward V
(one of the
Princes in the Tower
) before being offered the throne as
Richard III
;
- Edward Seymour
,
Duke of Somerset
, was Lord Protector (4 February 1547 ? 11 October 1549) during the early years of the reign of the young
Edward VI
;
and in Scotland:
Cromwellian Commonwealth
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The
Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
was the title of the
head of state
and
head of government
during the
Commonwealth
[1]
(often called the
Interregnum
), following the first period when a
Council of State
held executive power. The title was held by
Oliver Cromwell
[1]
[2]
(December 1653 ? September 1658) and subsequently his son and designated successor
Richard Cromwell
(September 1658 ? May 1659) during what is now known as
The Protectorate
.
The 1653
Instrument of Government
(republican constitution) stated:
Oliver Cromwell,
Captain-General of the forces
of England, Scotland and Ireland, shall be, and is hereby declared to be, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, and the dominions thereto belonging, for his life.
The replacement constitution of 1657, the
Humble Petition and Advice
,
[1]
gave "His Highness the Lord Protector" the power to nominate his successor. Cromwell chose his eldest surviving son, the politically inexperienced Richard. That was a nonrepresentative and de facto dynastic mode of succession, with royal connotations in both styles awarded (even a double invocation 16 December 1653 ? 3 September 1658 "
By the Grace of God
and Republic Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland") and many other monarchic prerogatives, such as that of awarding knighthoods.
Richard Cromwell, who succeeded after his father's death in September 1658, held the position for only eight months before he resigned in May 1659. He was followed by the second period of Commonwealth rule until the
Restoration
of the exiled heir to the Stuart throne,
Charles II
, in May 1660.
Lords Protector (1653?1659)
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Lord Protector
|
Lifespan
|
Term began
|
Term ended
|
Oliver Cromwell
Old Ironsides
|
(
1599-04-25
)
25 April 1599 ?
3 September 1658
(1658-09-03)
(aged 59)
|
16 December 1653
|
3 September 1658
(Died)
|
Richard Cromwell
Tumbledown Dick
|
(
1626-10-04
)
4 October 1626 ?
12 July 1712
(1712-07-12)
(aged 85)
|
3 September 1658
|
25 May 1659
(Resigned)
|
Post-Cromwell
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Since the Restoration the title has not been used in either of the above manners.
George, Prince of Wales
, appointed to the regency in 1811, was referred to as "His Royal Highness the
Prince Regent
". George exercised the powers of the monarchy, just as Lords Protector had, but the title's republican associations had rendered it distasteful.
Protector of the church
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'Lord Protector' has also been used as a rendering of the Latin
Advocatus
in the sense of a temporal Lord (such as a Monarch) who acted as the protector of the mainly secular interests of a part of the church; compare the French title of
vidame
.
In fiction
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In the novel
The Last Man
by
Mary Shelley
, Britain becomes a republic with its elected head of state styled as Lord Protector. The title is held by Lord Raymond, and Ryland. In 1987 television series
The New Statesman
finale episode "The Irresistible Rise of Alan B'Stard", after B'Stard's New Patriotic Party wins a landslide majority in a special general election called over British membership of the
European Economic Community
but with himself not having contested a seat, he briefly considered adopting the title of Lord Protector before being permitted to serve as an extra-parliamentary Prime Minister. In the 2020 film
Wolfwalkers
, the Lord Protector serves as its primary antagonist.
[
citation needed
]
References
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External links
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