Lord Protector or otherwise unable to rule. Notable cases in England are: and in Scotland: The Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland was the title of the head of state during the Commonwealth (or, to monarchists, the Interregnum), following the first period when a Council of State held executive power. The title was held by Oliver Cromwell (December 1653 – September 1658) and subsequently his son and designated successor Richard Cromwell (September 1658 – May 1659) during what is now known as The Protectorate. The 1653 Instrument of Government (republican constitution) stated that— Oliver Cromwell, Captain-General of the
Lord Protector Prince Regent". George exercised the powers of the monarchy, just as Lords Protectors had, but the title's republican associations had rendered it distasteful. Lord Protector has also been used as a rendering of the Latin "Advocatus" in the sense of a temporal Lord (such as a Monarch) who acted as the protector of the mainly secular interests of a part of the church; compare vidame. Lord Protector Lord Protector (pl. Lords Protectors) is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It is also a particular title for the British heads of state