Rump Parliament

(noun)

The English Parliament after Colonel Thomas Pride purged the Long Parliament on December 6, 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason.

Related Terms

Examples of Rump Parliament in the following topics:

  • The English Protectorate

    • The republic's existence was declared by the Rump Parliament on May 19, 1649.
    • In 1653, after the forcible dissolution of the Rump Parliament, Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of a united Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland under the terms of the Instrument of Government, inaugurating the period now usually known as the Protectorate.
    • The Protectorate began in 1653 when, following the dissolution of the Rump Parliament and then Barebone's Parliament, Oliver Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector of the Commonwealth under the terms of the Instrument of Government.
    • He summoned a Parliament in 1659.
    • In May, a Committee of Safety was formed on the authority of the Rump Parliament, displacing the Protector's Council of State, and was in turn replaced by a new Council of State.

  • Cromwell and the Roundheads

    • First and foremost, to avoid Parliament, the King needed to avoid war.
    • Other laws passed by the Parliament made it illegal for the king to impose taxes without Parliamentary consent and later gave Parliament control over the king's ministers.
    • The first (1642–46) and second (1648–49) wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third (1649–51) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II (Charles I's son) and supporters of the Rump Parliament.
    • Cromwell was one of the signatories of King Charles I's death warrant in 1649, and he dominated the short-lived Commonwealth of England as a member of the Rump Parliament (1649–53).
    • In April 1653, he dismissed the Rump Parliament by force, setting up a short-lived nominated assembly known as Barebone's Parliament, before being invited by his fellow leaders to rule as Lord Protector of England (which included Wales at the time), Scotland, and Ireland from December 1653.

  • Restoration of the Stuarts

    • Richard proved to be unable to manage the Parliament and control the army.
    • On May 7, a Committee of Safety was formed on the authority of the Rump Parliament, displacing the Protector's Council of State, and was in turn replaced by a new Council of State on May 19.
    • However, his leadership was undermined in Parliament.
    • Monck organised the Convention Parliament.
    • The Cavalier Parliament convened for the first time in May 1661 and it would endure for over 17 years.

  • The First Stuarts and Catholicism

    • James flatly told them not to interfere in matters of royal prerogative and dissolved Parliament.
    • In January 1629, Charles opened the second session of the English Parliament. 
    • The provocation was too much for Charles, who dissolved Parliament.
    • The first (1642–46) and second (1648–49) wars pitted the supporters of Charles against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third (1649–51) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament.
    • Describe the tensions between the Stuart kings and Parliament over religion.

  • Government in the English Colonies

    • The British Parliament believed that it had the right to impose taxes on the colonists.
    • While it did have virtual representation over the entire empire, the colonists believed Parliament had no such right as the colonists had no direct representation in Parliament .
    • In addition Parliament required a duty to be paid on court documents and other legal documents, along with playing cards, pamphlets and books.
    • The Parliament also provided for special courts in which British judges, rather than American juries, would try colonists.
    • Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (1808–1879) being introduced in the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament, on 26 July 1858.

  • British Taxes and Colonial Grievances

    • With persuasion from Grenville, Parliament also began to impose several new taxes on the colonists in 1764.
    • The soldiers' main purpose was to enforce the previous acts passed by Parliament.
    • Following the Quartering Act, Parliament passed one of the most infamous pieces of legislation: the Stamp Act.
    • Prior to the Stamp Act, Parliament imposed only external taxes on imports.
    • Parliament repealed the Stamp Act but passed the Declaratory Act in its wake.

  • The Stamp Act

    • The Stamp Act of 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament on the colonies of British America.
    • The Stamp Act reflected the first significant joint colonial response to any British measure by petitioning Parliament and the King.
    • The Grenville ministry therefore decided that Parliament would raise this revenue by taxing the American colonists without their consent.
    • Parliament announced in April 1764 when the Sugar Act was passed that they would also consider a stamp tax in the colonies.
    • Since members of Parliament were bound to represent the interests of all British citizens and subjects, colonists, like those disenfranchised subjects in the British Isles, were the recipients of virtual representation in Parliament.

  • The Sugar and Stamp Acts

    • When passed by Parliament, the new Sugar Act of 1764 halved the previous tax on molasses.
    • Parliament announced with the passage of the Sugar Act in 1764 that they would also consider a stamp tax in the colonies.
    • The Stamp Act, passed in 1765, was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament on the colonies of British America.
    • The counter to this argument, held by members of Parliament, was the theory of virtual representation.
    • Since members of Parliament were bound to represent the interests of all British citizens and subjects, colonists—like those disenfranchised subjects in Great Britain—were the recipients of virtual representation in Parliament.

  • The Calm Before the Storm

    • The Tea Act of 1773 arose from the financial problems of the British East India Company and the dispute of Parliament's authority over the colonies.
    • In England, Parliament gave the East India Company a monopoly on the importation of tea in 1698.
    • Parliament laid additional taxes on tea sold for consumption in Britain.
    • In response to the colonial protests over the Townshend Acts, Parliament repealed the majority of the Townshend taxes in 1770.
    • Parliament passed a new act in 1772 that reduced this refund, effectively leaving a 10% duty on tea imported into Britain.

  • Charles I and the Power to Tax

    • Charles I's attempt to impose taxes not authorized by Parliament contributed to the ongoing conflict between the King and Parliament and eventually resulted in passing the 1628 Petition of Right.
    • After he summoned a new Parliament to meet in April 1625, it became clear that he was not.
    • By 1627, with England still at war, Charles decided to raise "forced loans" or taxes not authorized by Parliament.
    • However, Charles decided that the only way to prosecute the war was to again ask Parliament for money and Parliament assembled in 1628.
    • The conflict between the King and Parliament escalated.