Epilogue and Conclusion

In the months after the regicide the Rump completed the constitutional revolution it had begun early in January 1649. The House of Lords and the monarchy were abolished, and a Council of State was established in place of the Derby House Committee. The Rump’s top priority after putting its own house in order was the reconquest of Ireland. In April 1649 the assessment was raised to £90,000 a month to help finance an invasion force under the command of Cromwell. In 1649 alone the Rump would spend over half a million pounds on the Irish expedition — this compares with the Confederates’ annual revenue of about £70,000 at the height of their power in 1645–6. Cromwell embarked for Ireland in August 1649 with 12,000 New Model veterans, a large train of siege artillery, and a war chest of £100,000.