Interregnum

England became a republic during the Interregnum, but removing the king did not settle the arguments about who should govern.

Livy calls the year without a king an interregnum: an interval between reigns.

The Interregnum, 1649–1660, was the period without a monarch. During part of it, Oliver Cromwell governed as Lord Protector. This government was called the Protectorate.

An Act of 1624, under James I, imposed penalties for profane swearing. However, moral regulation became particularly prominent during the Interregnum, 1649–1660, when England was governed without a king and Puritan influence was strong. Legislation in 1650 increased penalties for swearing, while the Adultery Act of 1650 made adultery a capital offence.