The Fall: Last Days of the English Republic

Why did England's one experiment in republican rule fail? Oliver Cromwell's death in 1658 sparked a period of unrivalled turmoil and confusion in English history. In less than two years, there were close to ten changes of government; rival armies of Englishmen faced each other across the Scottish border; and the Long Parliament was finally dissolved after two decades. Why was this period so turbulent, and why did the republic, backed by a formidable standing army, come crashing down in such spectacular fashion? In this fascinating history, Henry Reece explores the full story of the English republic's downfall. Questioning the accepted version of events, Reece argues that the restoration of the monarchy was far from inevitable—and that the republican regime could have survived long term. Richard Cromwell's Protectorate had deep roots in the political nation, the Rump Parliament mobilised its supporters impressively, and the country showed little interest in returning to the old order until the republic had collapsed. This is a compelling account that transforms our understanding of England's short-lived period of republican rule.

About the Author :
Henry Reece is emeritus fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and was previously chief executive of Oxford University Press. He read history at Bristol University and did his D.Phil. at St John’s College, Oxford. He is the author of The Army in Cromwellian England 1649–1660.

Review :
“The Fall is a deeply studied book about a uniquely thorny period of English history, and makes a successful case for its enduring importance.”—Daniel Brooks, The Telegraph “This is a fresh academic look at a crucial 22 months of great interest in the history of Parliament, between the death of Cromwell and the return of the monarchy.”—Lord Moylan, Publishers Association, “Winter Reading List for Parliamentarians,” 2024 “[A] brilliant new history.”—Andrea Valentino, The Critic “[A] compelling and lively study. . . . [Reece’s] work will certainly encourage historians to think again about a period too often treated as no more than a prologue to the inevitable restoration of royal government.”—Edward Vallance, Literary Review “The Fall has drawn the reader in enough to float over the surface, to understand the lay of the land and to navigate the impenetrable and, most importantly, to have fun while doing so.”—Debbie Kilroy, GetHistory A Samuel Pepys Award highly-commended book 2025 “This is the best narrative history to date of a crucial and yet neglected part of British history. It is exciting, pugnacious, original, informative, generally convincing, and a great read.”—Ronald Hutton, author of The Making of Oliver Cromwell “An important study of a seriously misunderstood period. Through his deeply researched high-political narrative, Reece shows that there was greater support for kingless government in England than hitherto recognized and that the republic could have survived for years following the fall of the Protectorate; the restoration of the monarchy did not become inevitable until very late in the day.”—Tim Harris, author of Rebellion: Britain’s First Stuart Kings, 1567–1642 “A gripping account of one of Britain’s pivotal moments: the fall of the Protectorate and Commonwealth. Superbly written and deeply researched, Reece deftly unravels an enormously complex political story and, in the process, shows that the Restoration of the monarchy was by no means a foregone conclusion. An outstanding contribution to the history of early modern Britain.”—Victor Stater, author of Hoax “Both fresh and refreshing. A vigorous and thought-provoking case is made for seeing the regimes of 1658–59 as having the potential for longer-term survival and durability. This elegant, judicious and balanced narrative will rightly supersede most previous studies of the late 1650s.”—Peter Gaunt, author of The English Civil War: A Military History