Lord Protector is a title used in British
constitutional law for certain heads of
states at different periods of history. It is also a particular
title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established
church. It is sometimes used to render in English other posts of
temporary
regent, acting for the absent
monarchic head of state.
Feudal royal regent
The title of
Lord Protector was originally used by royal
princes or other nobles exercising an
individual regency (
i.e., not merely member of a
collegial regency council) while the English
monarch was still a
minor
or otherwise unable to rule.
Notable cases in England are:
Cases in Scotland:
Cromwellian Commonwealth
The
Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland
and Ireland was the title of the
head of state during the
Interregnum, following the first period
of the
Commonwealth under
Council of State
government. It was held by
Oliver
Cromwell (December 1653–September 1658) and his son and
designated successor
Richard
Cromwell (September 1658–May 1659) during what is now known as
The Protectorate.
The 1653
Instrument of
Government (republican constitution) stated that;
Oliver Cromwell, Captain-General of the forces of England,
Scotland and Ireland, shall be, and is hereby declared to be, Lord
Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, and
the dominions thereto belonging, for his life.
The replacement constitution of 1657, the pseudo-monarchical
Humble Petition and
Advice, gave ‘
his Highness the Lord Protector’ the
power to nominate his successor. Cromwell chose his eldest
surviving son, the politically inexperienced Richard. This
non-representative and
de facto dynastic mode of
succession, the royal connotations of both styles awarded, even a
double invocation 16 December 1653 - 3 September 1658 "
By the Grace of God and Republic
Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland" and many other
monarchic prerogatives, such as awarding knighthood, and the
authoritarian traits of the whole militarized regime meant that the
regicidal civil war, allegedly to uphold parliament against 'royal
tyranny' and Protestantism against 'Stuart papacy', had in fact
produced a repressive
crowned
republic, fatally unable to bring peace and prosperity
back.
The younger Cromwell, who succeeded on his father's death in
September 1658, held the position for only eight months before
resigning in May 1659, being followed by the second period of
Commonwealth rule until the
Restoration of the exiled heir to the
Stuart throne
Charles II in
May 1660.
Since that Restoration the title has not been used in either above
manner.
George, Prince of Wales, appointed
to the regency in 1811, was referred to as "His Royal Highness the
Prince Regent". George exercised the
powers of the monarchy just as medieval Lords Protectors had done,
but the title's republican associations had rendered it
distasteful. It is not considered likely to be revived in the
foreseeable future. As the Lord Protector Cromwell was paid
£100,000 a year.
References in culture
Literature
In 1659, the royalist
Anglican theologian
(later bishop of Rochester)
Thomas
Sprat made his witty and literary reputation with his satirical
poem
To the Happie Memory of the most Renowned Prince Oliver,
Lord Protector, clearly mocking Cromwell's regal status.
In
Prince Caspian, the
second book in
C. S. Lewis's fantasy
series
The Chronicles of
Narnia, the usurper
Miraz begins his
reign calling himself "Lord Protector".
In
Orson Scott Card's series of
fantasy novels
The Tales of Alvin
Maker, set in an alternate early 19th century America,
England continues to be ruled by the Cromwells as Lords Protector,
while the Stuarts rule the "Crown Colonies" (roughly equivalent to
the states from Virginia
to Georgia
) from "Camelot" (Charleston
). The references especially come into play
in
Heartfire, the fifth book in
the series, where much of the story occurs in Camelot.
In
Kim Newman's 1992 novel
Anno Dracula,
Count Dracula takes the title of Lord
Protector upon marrying
Queen
Victoria and becoming
Prince
Consort.
In the 2007
Transformers
film universe, the Prequel comic book states that before the
Cybertronian Civil War over control of the
All
Spark,
Optimus Prime and
Megatron shared power, with Optimus Prime seemingly
the political leader of the Cybertronians, and Megatron filling the
role of the Lord Protector, the
executor of
Cybertronian law and order. They are described as "one fair, the
other firm".
In
the Emberverse series book
series, the character Norman Arminger takes the role of Lord
Protector in his neo-feudalistic kingdom of Portland.
Television
Alan B'Stard on the final episode of UK
sitcom
The New Statesman,
suggested, seeking alternatives in case he was not made
Prime Minister, that he might proclaim
himself Lord Protector of England.
In the
Star Trek Voyager episode
"Blink of an Eye" during which Voyager is trapped in orbit above a
planet experiencing a rapid passage of
time,
the first attempt shown by the people to contact Voyager was made
during the planet's
medieval period by a
Lord Protector. By the end of the episode, the planet's
technologically-advanced society was governed by the Central
Protectorate, hinting that the planet's head of state was still
called Lord Protector.
In the
Stargate Atlantis
episode "The Tower" (Season 2, Episode 15) the team come across a
planet ruled by a Lord Protector from a city with the same
dimensions as
Atlantis.
Video games
In the
Microprose videogame
Sid Meier's Civilization II, the term
Lord
Protector (or its corresponding female form
Lady
Protector) is applied to the leader of the English
civilization under the
Fundamentalist
type of government.
In the Sony
MMORPG Everquest,
Paladins
who attain the 65th level are given the title of "Lord
Protector"
In
Europa Universalis
III by
Paradox
Interactive, Lord/Lady Protector is applied to a country's head
of state under the Republican Dictatorship form of
government.
Protector of the church
Lord Protector has also been used as a rendering of the Latin
Advocatus in the sense of a temporal Lord (such as a
Monarch) who acted as the protector of the (mainly secular)
interests of (a part of) the church; compare
vidame.
Rendering other temporarily acting monarchic head of state
The title is still in use in some constitutional monarchies and
designates the temporarily acting head of state, while the
monarch is abroad.
Denmark
In
Denmark, when the present
Queen is abroad, the heir apparent
Frederik, Crown Prince
of Denmark is
regent.
If the heir apparent is also abroad, lord protector ( ) is
either:
- Prince Joachim of
Denmark or
- Princess Benedikte of
Denmark
Sweden
In
Sweden, per
The Instrument of Government ( )
in the
constitution, when the
present
King is abroad,
the next in the
line of succession
(as defined by the
Swedish Act
of Succession) becomes lord protector ( ):
- Crown Princess
Victoria, Duchess of Västergötland
- Prince
Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
-
Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland
Sources and references
(incomplete)
References
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Misc
Search
