After the English Civil War and the execution of Charles I, the republic's existence was initially declared by " An Act declaring England to be a Commonwealth " adopted by the Rump Parliament, on 19 May 1649.

It was selected by the Rump, and most of its members were MPs.

Despite its unpopularity, the Rump was a link with the old constitution, and helped to settle England down and make it secure after the biggest upheaval in its history.

Theories are that he feared the Rump was trying to perpetuate itself as the government, or that the Rump was preparing for an election which could return an anti-Commonwealth majority.

The Rump had not agreed to its own dissolution when it was dispersed by Cromwell and legislation from the period immediately before the Civil War — the Act against dissolving the Long Parliament without its own consent ( 11 May 1641 ) -- gave them the legal basis for this view.

The dissolution of the Rump was followed by a short period in which Cromwell and the Army ruled alone.

While their numbers did not pose a serious threat to the government, they scared the Rump into action and a Treasons Act was passed against them in 1649.

In the former, the Rump was anxious not to offend the traditional ruling class whose support it needed for survival, so it opposed radical ideas.

The Fifth Monarchists were also a significant opponent to the Rump Parliament and leading Fifth Monarchists like Vavasor Powell were annoyed at the Rump's failure to renew certain pieces of legislation, such as the Propagation of the Gospel in Wales, because they believed that the Rump was not fulfilling what the Fifth Monarchists perceived to be its aim, that is to turn England into a more ' godly ' nation.

Major-General Thomas Harrison, who had commanded the troop which aided Oliver Cromwell in dissolving the Rump, suggested that there be a ruling body based upon the Old Testament Sanhedrin of 70 selected " Saints ", which was based on his beliefs, as a Fifth Monarchist, that the rule of the Saints would usher in the reign of Christ on Earth.

A modified version of this proposal was accepted by Cromwell and the Council of Officers and less than a month after the dissolution of the Rump, during May 1653, letters in the name of the Lord-General and the Army Council were sent to Congregational churches in every county in England to nominate those they considered fit to take part in the new government.

After Richard Cromwell, who had succeeded his father Oliver as Lord Protector in 1658, was effectively deposed by an officers ' coup in April, 1659, the officers re-summoned the Rump Parliament to sit.

However, the Navy declared for Parliament, and on 26 December 1659 the Rump was restored to power.

After this initial show of deference to the Rump, Monck quickly found them unwilling to continue in cooperation with his plan for an election of a new parliament ( the Rump Parliament believed Monck was accountable to them and had its own plan for free elections ); so on 21 February 1660 he forcibly reinstated the members ' secluded ' by Prid's purge in 1648, so that they could prepare legislation for the Convention Parliament.

General Edmond Ludlow, still loyal to the Rump Parliament was also excepted.

the Rump, after being disturbed by my Lord Lambert, was lately returned to sit again.

The new Parliament constituted a Rump Parliament, which was a Parliament in which the minority ( Presbyterians ) carried on in the name of the majority that was kicked out.

In July 1653 Barebone was returned to the Nominated Assembly, set up after the expulsion of the Rump Parliament by Oliver Cromwell.

He prevented the sitting of the Rump Parliament and created a Committee of Safety with which to run the interim government.

Cromwell, aided by Thomas Harrison, forcibly dismissed the Rump on 20 April 1653, for reasons that are unclear.

After the forcible dissolution of the Rump Parliament by Oliver Cromwell, the Grandees of the Army Council of Officers were reluctant to authorise free elections because they were aware that the members returned by the traditional constituency would return Presbyterians and Royalists as well as their own sympathisers.

The republican theory also suggests that the Long Parliament would have been successful in these necessary reforms except through the forceful intervention of Oliver Cromwell ( and others ) in removing the loyalists party, the unlawful execution of King Charles II, later dissolving the Rump Parliament ; and finally the forceful dissolution of the reconvened Rump Parliament by Monck when less than a fourth of the required members were present.

* May 19 – An act declaring England to be a Commonwealth is passed by the Rump Parliament.

As both nations were by now exhausted and Cromwell had dissolved the warlike Rump Parliament, ongoing peace negotiations could be brought to fruition, albeit after many months of slow diplomatic exchanges.

Asked for advice by Oliver Cromwell on the dissolution of the Rump Parliament and the establishment of a Protectorate, he replied that nine out of ten would oppose it.

He was one of the leading men in the Commonwealth, but he was antagonised by Cromwell's expulsion of the Rump Parliament, and he opposed the Protectorate and refused to pay taxes.

The army council unsure of support of its troops restored the Rump Parliament by 26 December.

The Rump Parliament was dissolved and Hesilrage found himself marginalised by the unfolding events.

As lawyers were overrepresented in the Rump Parliament, the Rump did not respond to the popular requests made by the Levellers to change the expensive legal system.

* Pride's Purge ( Start of the Rump Parliament ) 7 December 1648

After Pride's Purge and the execution of Charles I, power lay in the hands of the Grandees in the Army ( and to a lesser extent with the Rump Parliament ).

* December 11 – " Pride's Purge " in England, with elements of the New Model Army, under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell invading London and expelling a majority of the Long Parliament, resulting in the creation of the Rump Parliament.

Monck and his army marched into the City of London and forced the Rump Parliament to re-admit members of the Long Parliament excluded in December 1648 during Pride's Purge.

Pride's Purge brought the Parliament to heel, under the direct control of the Army ; the remaining Commons ( the Rump ) then on 13 December 1648 broke off negotiations with the King.

When the Rump insisted on placing restrictions on who could stand in these by-elections, Cooper urged Monck to insist instead on the return of the members of the Long Parliament secluded by Pride's Purge, and Monck obliged on 21 February 1660.

When the breakaway forces of George Monck invaded England from Scotland where they had been stationed — without Lambert's supporters putting up a fight — Monck temporarily recalled the Rump Parliament and reversed Pride's Purge by recalling the entirety of the Long Parliament.

* 7 December – Pride's Purge, when troops under Colonel Thomas Pride removed opponents of Oliver Cromwell from Parliament by force of arms resulting in Rump Parliament

After Pride's Purge, the so-called Rump Parliament of around fifty Independent MPs sanctioned the trial and execution of King Charles in January 1649 and the creation of the republican English Commonwealth.

* Pride's Purge ; Thomas Pride drove the Presbyterians from the House of Commons leaving the Rump Parliament

The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees ' intention to try King Charles I for high treason.

Because of the varied energies within the Rump, the parliament divided into two categories, front benchers and back benchers, meaning, those who attended parliament regularly and those who did not.