Abstract

This article challenges the widespread belief that Oliver Cromwell nominated his eldest son as his successor. By looking closely at private correspondence, official publications and parliamentary debates, the article demonstrates that the surviving evidence does not suggest that Oliver Cromwell ever nominated a successor in his own lifetime. Instead, it would seem that the ultimate decision to confer the title of lord protector on Richard Cromwell was taken by the privy council at Whitehall in the hours following his father's death. The implications of this are examined, both in terms of the council's motives and the ultimately debilitating effect it had on the protectorate as a whole.