During the 1650s some people wanted to make Cromwell the King and have a ceremony in which he was crowned. Not everybody agreed with this idea and Cromwell himself was unsure.
Transcript
There is much talk of a coronation at London; the letters say it has been voted in Parliament, opposed only by 14, but his Highness [Cromwell] will not accept it unless it pass nem. con. [Latin: ‘nemine contradicente’ meaning without opposition] The breach between the King [Charles II] and Duke of York [his younger brother James] is not quite made up; poor hopes of a kingdom divided, or of brothers where the bond of unity is broken.
P.S.—Mr. Fuller, the ambassador’s chaplain, tells us the coronation is a certain thing, and will surely come to pass soon.
Extract from letter with news about the coronation of Cromwell, March 1657
- What might the reasons have been for people wanting Cromwell to become King of England?
- What might the reasons have been for people not wanting Cromwell to becoming King of England?