Editing The Protectorate (section)

===Oliver Cromwell's role===
[[File:Standard of Oliver Cromwell (1653–1659).svg|thumb|upright|Standard of Oliver Cromwell]]
In 1657, Oliver Cromwell was offered the crown by Parliament as part of a revised constitutional settlement. That presented him with a dilemma since he had been instrumental in abolishing the monarchy. Cromwell agonised for six weeks over the offer. He was attracted by the prospect of stability that it held out, but in a speech on 13 April 1657, he made it clear that God's providence had spoken against the office of king: “I would not seek to set up that which Providence hath destroyed and laid in the dust, and I would not build [[Battle of Jericho|Jericho]] again".{{sfn|Roots|1989|p=128}}{{efn|The reference is to [[Joshua]]'s curse upon any man who would rebuild Jericho and to its fulfillment in Hiel the Bethelite, who according to 1 Kings 16:34 "laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub".}}

Instead, Cromwell was ceremonially reinstalled as [[Lord Protector]], with greater powers than had previously been granted him under this title, at [[Westminster Hall]]. He sat upon [[King Edward's Chair]], which had been specially moved from [[Westminster Abbey]] for the occasion. The event in part echoed a [[coronation]] by using many of its symbols and regalia, such as a purple ermine-lined robe, a sword of justice, a [[sceptre]] and an ermine-lined coronet but not a crown or an orb. However, a crown and an orb were present on the lord protector's seal. However, most notably, the office of Lord Protector was still not to become hereditary though Cromwell was now able to nominate his own successor. Cromwell's new rights and powers were laid out in the [[Humble Petition and Advice]], a legislative instrument that replaced the Instrument of Government. Cromwell himself, however, was at pains to minimise his role by describing himself as a constable or watchman. However, Cromwell "had never gained the willing consent of the nation", and the Protectorate relied on armed force.{{sfn|Jones|1978|p=113}}