alternatehistory.com

Rumours abounded as Oliver Cromwell grew nearer to death that he would name Charles Fleetwood, rather than his unimpressive son Richard, his successor as Lord Protector. In OTL this did not happen, and Richard's claim to fame is little more than overseeing the end of recent England's first and only republican experiment, and coincidentally being the longest living head of state of England of all time (despite a rule of only 9 months, he died aged 85 in 1712).

At this point my knowledge of the situation ends. Like most, I have a rough knowledge of the Civil War and basic ideas about the Protectorate - what I am looking to learn and explore here is the possibility of the Protectorate, under Fleetwood, lasting somewhat longer and perhaps even becoming permanent. History books tend to claim that the only reason it ended was that Richard Cromwell was so weak a leader that parliament rode roughshod over him, and the only figure who could maintain order would be a restored King. Would Fleetwood, with his closer relationship with the Army, have been able to maintain stability? If so, would the Protectorate have lasted, or would this simply have postponed the inevitable? If it lasted, then for how long? How far can we take this before the butterfly effect makes it impossible to realistically speculate on how long it would last?

Thanks in advance for any contributions.
Top