ey refused to provide for new parliamentary elections, and by 1653 the army was again pressuring for the overthrow of Parliament. Cromwell had consistently opposed military rule, but he also opposed the continuation of the Rump. In April 1653 he brought a troop of soldiers into the House of Commons and forcibly evicted its members. This action seemed to place Cromwell at the head of a revolutionary government, but he at first refused to accept such a position. Instead, he was involved in nominating a Parliament to replace the Rump; its members were chosen from among army supporters and London's Puritan congregations. This Nominated Parliament, or Barebone’s Parliament as it was called, was no more able to achieve necessary legal, religious, or social reforms than the Rump. Although Cromwell had brought the Nominated Parliament into existence, he took no active role in its proceedings and was surprised in December of 1653 when a parliamentary delegation arrived asking him to lead England in a dictatorial fashion. Cromwell refused to establish a military government and was in favor of a plan developed by General John Lambert for a written constitution. Lambert though had hoped a king would head the new government, but Cromwell refused to accept the crown and instead named himself Lord Protector. He ruled as head of the military with a Council of State and a Parliament that met every three years and included members from England, Scotland, and Ireland. The protector's powers were broadly defined, especially in military and foreign affairs. Many historians have used this as their strongest criticism of Cromwell ethics as it appears, that he was nothing more then ” a traitor and a hypocrite” for imposing a seeming dictatorial regime which Cromwell had rejected earlier. However as it has been stressed early it was the only method he had available to him at the time and Cromwell’s belief in the commonwealth was...
