Instrument of Government

The written constitution under which Oliver Cromwell became lord protector on 16 December 1653. Its author was Major-General Lambert. Like the army's earlier Heads of the Proposals, which he had helped to draft, the Instrument was a prescription for limited monarchy, and it originally named Cromwell as king. Cromwell declined the crown, but eventually accepted authority as protector under the instrument's terms.

These were that he should govern by the advice of a council, whose members it named. On his death the council was to elect his successor. Legislative power was vested in a single-chamber parliament representing England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland and elected at least every three years on a property franchise. A national church was to be maintained, but with freedom of worship for protestant dissenters.

For other uses, see Instrument of Government (disambiguation).

The Instrument of Government was a constitution of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. Drafted by Major-General John Lambert in 1653, it was the first sovereign codified and written constitution in the English-speaking world. It granted executive power to the Lord Protector. Although this post was elective, not hereditary, it was to be held for life.

The document also required the calling of triennial Parliaments, with each sitting for at least five months. Since America had already been colonized by the English--in 1607, at Jamestown, and in 1620, at Plymouth--the United States has sometimes claimed this historic document as a part of its political, legal, and historic heritage.

This Instrument of Government was adopted on 15 December 1653 and Oliver Cromwell was installed as Lord Protector on the following day. In January 1655, Cromwell dissolved the first Protectorate Parliament, ushering in a period of military rule by the Major Generals.

The Instrument of Government was replaced in May 1657 by England's second, and last, codified constitution, the Humble Petition and Advice.

See also

• Provisions of Oxford (1258)
• The Heads of Proposals and the Putney Debates (1647)
• An Act declaring England to be a Commonwealth 19 May 1649

References

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Further reading

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Instrument of Government, 1653

• Instrument of Government
• Instrument of Government
• Modern History Sourcebook: Commonwealth Instrument of Government, 1653

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