John Lambert (general)

Major General John Lambert
General John Lambert
Committee of Safety
In office May 1659 – October 1659
Member of Parliament for Pontefract
In office January 1659 – April 1659
Rule of the Major Generals, Northern Region
In office October 1655 – January 1657
Nominated to Barebone's Parliament
In office July 1653 – December 1653
Lord President, Council of State
In office April 1653 – May 1653
Personal details
Born	7 September 1619 (baptised) Calton Hall, near Kirkby Malham, Yorkshire, England
Died	1 March 1684(1684-03-01) (aged 64) Drake's Island, Plymouth, England
Resting place	St Andrew's Church, Plymouth
Political party	Parliamentarian
Spouse	Frances Lister (1622–1676)
Children	Thomas, John and Mary
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Occupation	Soldier and politician
Military service
Allegiance	England Commonwealth
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	Wars of the Three Kingdoms Tadcaster; Selby; Nantwich; Marston Moor; Siege of Pontefract; Siege of Dartmouth; Siege of Oxford; Preston; Dunbar; Inverkeithing; Worcester; Booth's Uprising

John Lambert^[a] (7 September 1619 – 1 March 1684) was an English Parliamentarian general and politician. Widely regarded as one of the most talented soldiers of the period, he fought throughout the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and was largely responsible for victory in the 1650 to 1651 Scottish campaign.

Although Lambert was involved in the discussions between the New Model Army and Parliament during 1647, his first formal involvement in civilian politics was in 1653, when he became a member of the English Council of State. In December 1653, he helped prepare the "Instrument of Government", which became the constitutional framework for the Protectorate. He later fell out with Oliver Cromwell, largely because he opposed converting Cromwell’s role as Lord Protector into a kingship.

Lambert lost his offices in 1657 after refusing to swear an oath of loyalty to Cromwell, but in early 1659, following Cromwell's death in September 1658, he re-entered politics as Member of Parliament for Pontefract. When Richard Cromwell resigned in May, Lambert became a member of the Committee of Safety and successfully suppressed the Royalist Booth's Uprising. He was then sent to deal with George Monck, but his army disintegrated and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London on 3 March 1660.^[1]

Lambert escaped a month later, on 9 April,^[1] and made one final attempt to resist the Restoration before being recaptured on 24 April.^[1] Despite his prominent role in the Protectorate, he had not participated in the Trial of Charles I and had many close connections with senior Royalists. Although he was sentenced to death, this was commuted to life imprisonment; he spent the remaining 24 years of his life under house arrest, first on Guernsey, then on Drake's Island near Plymouth, where he died on 1 March 1684.

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