The officers of the army at the…
April 1659 CE
The officers of the army at the same time become increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause.
The fact that Richard Cromwell lacks military credentials grates with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's liberties.
Moreover, the new Parliament seems to show a lack of respect for the army which many military men find quite alarming.
In particular, there are fears that Parliament would make military cuts to reduce costs, and by April 1659 the army’s general council of officers has met to demand higher taxation to fund the regime’s costs.
Their grievances are expressed in a petition to Richard Cromwell on April 6, 1659, which he forwards to the Parliament two days later.
Yet Parliament does not act on the army's suggestions; instead they shelve this petition and on April 12 1659 increase the suspicion of the military by bringing articles of impeachment against William Boteler, who is alleged to have mistreated a royalist prisoner while acting as a Major General under Oliver Cromwell in 1655.
This is followed by two resolutions in the Commons on April 18, 1659 which state that no more meetings of army officers should take place without the express permission of both the Lord Protector and Parliament, and that all officers should swear an oath that they would not subvert the sitting of Parliament by force.
These direct affronts to military prestige are too much for the army grandees to bear and set in motion the final split between the civilian-dominated Parliament and the army, which is to culminate in the dissolution of Parliament and Richard Cromwell's ultimate fall from power.
When Richard refuses a demand by the army to dissolve Parliament, troops are assembled at St. James’s.
Richard eventually gives in to their demands and on April 22, Parliament is dissolved.
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