so strong that he felt he was the only man capable of maintaining the nations integrity. Cromwell attempted to establish many of the reforms that Puritans had been demanding throughout the revolutionary decades. These included religious toleration and stricter morals. He was willing to tolerate all but the most extreme religious sects, enforced the stricter moral code established during the Commonwealth, and even closed theaters. None of these Puritan policies enjoyed widespread support, and from the first, the Protectorate was a minority government. In 1655 renewed Royalist uprisings led Cromwell to appoint military governors, known as major generals, in eleven regions, but this experiment was so unpopular that it was discontinued after a year. Cromwell’s greatest accomplishment as Lord Protector was naturally a military one. A naval war with Spain in 1657 resulted in the capture of Jamaica in the West Indies and the seizure of the Spanish treasure fleet. Cromwell's government settled a trade war with the Dutch, making English merchant ships secure in colonial waters. Under Admiral Robert Blake, the English navy became a great international power, and Cromwell supported the building of new warships. His alliance with France resulted in the capture of Dunkirk, then a Spanish possession in northern France. These triumphs softened criticism of the Protectorate, but the Parliament called in the fall of 1656 continued found itself under attack. In the Humble Petition and Advice, members of Parliament presented Cromwell with a new constitution that included an upper house, like the former House of Lords, and again requested that he accept the crown. He agreed to create what was called the Other House and appointed army officers and officeholders to it, but again refused to be king. “Nevertheless, his government took on the look of a royal court,” and on his deathbed, he nominated his eldest son, Richard Cromwel...
