Richard Cromwell faced an impossible fate, overwhelmed by incompetence, exile, and a crumbling Protectorate.

Richard Cromwell became Lord Protector after his father, Oliver Cromwell, died in 1658. Oliver had been the nation's first Protector and was offered the crown on numerous occasions, but he consistently refused. However, he claimed the right to nominate his successor and selected his son, Richard, the eldest surviving member of the Cromwell family.

The position of Lord Protector was one Richard did not want, desiring only a peaceful life as a country gentleman, but he felt he had no choice but to accept it. Unfortunately for him and the supporters of the Republican Commonwealth, his competence was nonexistent. Clumsy, poorly advised, and lacking experience, Richard's Protectorate lasted less than eight months. His catastrophic time in power earned him the nickname Tumbledown Dick and effectively convinced the majority of the country that the monarchy should be restored.

Richard spent the next twenty years in self-imposed exile, eventually returning to face a hostile family situation. He was dragged through the courts as his daughters tried to claim his house and land for themselves. He ultimately won his case and died in his eighties, the longest-living leader of the country, despite having spent most of that time out of office and living abroad.

The story of Tumbledown Dick is intriguing, yet his true name and nickname remain largely unknown. Phil Carradice's book vividly narrates the tale, placing Oliver and Richard in the context of the era and the beliefs of the Interregnum. It is a story that deserves to be told.