John Thurloe: Secretary of State 1652-1660

Edmund Baker describes how Cromwell's principal assistant in foreign affairs and his most devoted friend, Thurloe, saw in the Protectoral system “a mean between two intolerable extremes of unrestrained anarchy and reaction.”

A minor mystery of seventeenth century English history is that its greatest Secretary of State should have remained a largely unknown figure right down to the present day. John Thurloe gets only the briefest mention in any work upon the Great Rebellion, despite the fact that for nearly eight years he was at the centre of government, and had in his hands the control of nearly all the administrative machinery for domestic and foreign affairs.

This disregard of Thurloe’s part in the Interregnum is the more puzzling since all students of the period have recourse to his State Papers (edited by Thomas Birch in 7 volumes, 1742) which, together with the complementary Clarendon Papers, must form the basis of any historical research for that period.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.