Has England Ever Been A Republic?

England was a republic for 11 years, from 1649-1660. The seeds of this change were mainly sown by the crowning of Charles I in 1625. Charles asserted the "divine right of kings" i.e. the king derived his power directly from God and could not submit to any human authority. This belief had once been common, but over time Parliament had grown more powerful. Having clashed with Parliament, Charles actually dissolved it and for several years attempted to rule in his own right, raising taxes by any means, legal or illegal. Civil war (between Royalists and Parliamentarians, or "cavaliers and roundheads") followed from 1654-52. Later in the war, Charles was captured, tried and found guilty of waging war on his own people. He was beheaded in 1649, and Oliver Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector in 1653. England remained without a monarch until Cromwell died and his regime, now led by his son Richard, began to fail. In 1660 the new Parliament invited Charles's son to return from exile in France; he was duly crowned Charles II.

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