Cromwell, Richard (1626-1712), ruled England as lord protector from September 1658 to May 1659. He succeeded his father, Oliver Cromwell, as lord protector. But he could not govern effectively, and a group of political and army leaders forced him to resign. In 1660, Parliament invited Charles Stuart to return from the Continent and rule as Charles II. Cromwell fled to France. He returned to England about 1680 and lived under another name in Cheshunt until his death on July 12, 1712.
Cromwell was born on Oct. 4, 1626, in Huntingdon. He fought with Parliament’s forces against King Charles I in the English Civil War in the 1640’s. In 1657, Cromwell was named chancellor of Oxford University and was admitted to the Council of State.
