* The Treason Act of 1651 made it treason to support the imprisoned Charles Stuart, even if his supporters had not taken up arms against the Commonwealth. This law was used to prosecute prominent royalists and to suppress dissent.
* The Navigation Acts of 1651 gave English-owned and built ships a monopoly on the trade of the English Empire, which stimulated ship-building and boosted the English economy.
* The Act of Settlement of 1653 abolished the monarchy and established a republic, ending the rule of Charles Stuart and his family.
* The Instrument of Government of 1653 established a Protectorate, with Cromwell as Lord Protector, and defined the powers of the Protector and the structure of the government.