S. J. Connolly
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199543472
- eISBN:
- 9780191716553
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199543472.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
The support of Irish Protestants for the restoration of the monarchy followed naturally on their earlier preference for a strong Protectorate over subjection to either the English parliament or the ...
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The support of Irish Protestants for the restoration of the monarchy followed naturally on their earlier preference for a strong Protectorate over subjection to either the English parliament or the army. New and Old Protestants now united to protect the Cromwellian land settlement, ensuring that only a minority of Catholic proprietors regained their estates. The accompanying religious settlement left a large body of Protestant dissenters outside the restored Church of Ireland. Rising external demand, combined with immigration, encouraged rapid economic growth with rising exports of beef, butter, and wool; the beginnings of linen manufacture, and the expansion of Dublin and other urban centres.Less
The support of Irish Protestants for the restoration of the monarchy followed naturally on their earlier preference for a strong Protectorate over subjection to either the English parliament or the army. New and Old Protestants now united to protect the Cromwellian land settlement, ensuring that only a minority of Catholic proprietors regained their estates. The accompanying religious settlement left a large body of Protestant dissenters outside the restored Church of Ireland. Rising external demand, combined with immigration, encouraged rapid economic growth with rising exports of beef, butter, and wool; the beginnings of linen manufacture, and the expansion of Dublin and other urban centres.
Achsah Guibbory
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199557165
- eISBN:
- 9780191595004
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557165.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, 17th-century and Restoration Literature
This chapter shows what happened to the analogy between England and Israel after the Restoration. Cowley and others greeted Charles II as David and invoked the idea of Israel's redemption. The Church ...
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This chapter shows what happened to the analogy between England and Israel after the Restoration. Cowley and others greeted Charles II as David and invoked the idea of Israel's redemption. The Church of England was reconstructed, symbol of unity in English Israel. But the reestablished Church was an instrument of division in the nation, persecuting nonconformists like Bunyan and the Quakers, who insisted that the persecuted people of God were the true Israel. Milton and Dryden represent alternative attitudes toward a nation claiming to be Israel. Suggestive of the complex English attitudes toward Jews, Milton as Hebraic prophet demonized nation–building, detaching Israel from the English nation and from Jewish Israel in his Restoration poems. Dryden, England's poet laureate, appropriated Isaiah's prophecies for England and used the biblical Absalom's rebellion to reaffirm Charles II's Davidic authority and the Israelite status of the nation. Some of the material on Milton here appeared in an earlier form in ‘England, Israel, and the Jews in Milton's prose, 1649–1660,’ in Milton and the Jews, ed. Douglas A. Brooks (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), pp. 13-34; and ‘“The Jewish Question” and “the Woman Question” in Samson Agonistes: Gender, Religion, and Nation,’ in Milton and Gender, ed. Catherine Gimelli Martin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), pp. 184-203, both reprinted by permission of Cambridge University Press.Less
This chapter shows what happened to the analogy between England and Israel after the Restoration. Cowley and others greeted Charles II as David and invoked the idea of Israel's redemption. The Church of England was reconstructed, symbol of unity in English Israel. But the reestablished Church was an instrument of division in the nation, persecuting nonconformists like Bunyan and the Quakers, who insisted that the persecuted people of God were the true Israel. Milton and Dryden represent alternative attitudes toward a nation claiming to be Israel. Suggestive of the complex English attitudes toward Jews, Milton as Hebraic prophet demonized nation–building, detaching Israel from the English nation and from Jewish Israel in his Restoration poems. Dryden, England's poet laureate, appropriated Isaiah's prophecies for England and used the biblical Absalom's rebellion to reaffirm Charles II's Davidic authority and the Israelite status of the nation. Some of the material on Milton here appeared in an earlier form in ‘England, Israel, and the Jews in Milton's prose, 1649–1660,’ in Milton and the Jews, ed. Douglas A. Brooks (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), pp. 13-34; and ‘“The Jewish Question” and “the Woman Question” in Samson Agonistes: Gender, Religion, and Nation,’ in Milton and Gender, ed. Catherine Gimelli Martin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), pp. 184-203, both reprinted by permission of Cambridge University Press.
Peter Hinds
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264430
- eISBN:
- 9780191733994
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264430.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 17th-century and Restoration Literature
The Popish plot was an alleged Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II and re-introduce the Catholic faith to England. Despite it being a fiction, belief in the plot became widespread and many ...
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The Popish plot was an alleged Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II and re-introduce the Catholic faith to England. Despite it being a fiction, belief in the plot became widespread and many innocent Catholics were sent to their deaths. Moving away from the focus of recent histories of the plot, which remain predominately in the realms of parliamentary discussion, courts of law and the councils of the King, this volume considers how details of the plot circulated more broadly. It investigates the many media used, primarily print, but also manuscript and word-of-mouth, for instance in books, pamphlets, newspapers, and ballads. The most prolific commentator on the Popish plot was Roger L'Estrange, the press censor during the reigns of Charles II and James II. L'Estrange was interested in the working of the London book trade at this time, and as one who did not believe there was a Popish plot, wrote prolifically in order publicly to cast doubt upon it. L'Estrange's writings provide us with valuable insights into the production, dissemination, and reception of political opinion in this period. Drawing on the insights of literary studies, political history, and the history of the book, reading this volume will further understanding in how belief in such an extraordinary plot took hold amongst so many.Less
The Popish plot was an alleged Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II and re-introduce the Catholic faith to England. Despite it being a fiction, belief in the plot became widespread and many innocent Catholics were sent to their deaths. Moving away from the focus of recent histories of the plot, which remain predominately in the realms of parliamentary discussion, courts of law and the councils of the King, this volume considers how details of the plot circulated more broadly. It investigates the many media used, primarily print, but also manuscript and word-of-mouth, for instance in books, pamphlets, newspapers, and ballads. The most prolific commentator on the Popish plot was Roger L'Estrange, the press censor during the reigns of Charles II and James II. L'Estrange was interested in the working of the London book trade at this time, and as one who did not believe there was a Popish plot, wrote prolifically in order publicly to cast doubt upon it. L'Estrange's writings provide us with valuable insights into the production, dissemination, and reception of political opinion in this period. Drawing on the insights of literary studies, political history, and the history of the book, reading this volume will further understanding in how belief in such an extraordinary plot took hold amongst so many.
Peter Hinds
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264430
- eISBN:
- 9780191733994
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264430.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 17th-century and Restoration Literature
This introductory chapter discusses the ‘horrid Popish Plot’, which was an alleged Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II. This was done to effect an armed foreign invasion and a domestic ...
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This introductory chapter discusses the ‘horrid Popish Plot’, which was an alleged Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II. This was done to effect an armed foreign invasion and a domestic uprising, as well as to reintroduce the Catholic faith into England. The chapter also includes a brief overview of the following chapters.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the ‘horrid Popish Plot’, which was an alleged Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II. This was done to effect an armed foreign invasion and a domestic uprising, as well as to reintroduce the Catholic faith into England. The chapter also includes a brief overview of the following chapters.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229117
- eISBN:
- 9780191678851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229117.003.0015
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses the arrival of a new government after an announcement made by King Charles II. The discussion centres mostly on the features of the king's new government and the new set of ...
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This chapter discusses the arrival of a new government after an announcement made by King Charles II. The discussion centres mostly on the features of the king's new government and the new set of advisers that he was given. Legislation, the Whigs, and declarations are just some of the features and concepts that are included in the discussed in this chapter.Less
This chapter discusses the arrival of a new government after an announcement made by King Charles II. The discussion centres mostly on the features of the king's new government and the new set of advisers that he was given. Legislation, the Whigs, and declarations are just some of the features and concepts that are included in the discussed in this chapter.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229117
- eISBN:
- 9780191678851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229117.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses the state of Spain during the late 1650s, which can be described as being in a state of penury, due to the number of wars the country has waged with other European countries. ...
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This chapter discusses the state of Spain during the late 1650s, which can be described as being in a state of penury, due to the number of wars the country has waged with other European countries. Most of the stories of the partnership between Spain and England have been told from King Charles II's view, which describes the Spaniards as having treated their royal guest with incompetence, neglect, and even deceit. The discussions in this chapter argue that this viewpoint is fallacious and the chapter aims to provide a more balanced picture.Less
This chapter discusses the state of Spain during the late 1650s, which can be described as being in a state of penury, due to the number of wars the country has waged with other European countries. Most of the stories of the partnership between Spain and England have been told from King Charles II's view, which describes the Spaniards as having treated their royal guest with incompetence, neglect, and even deceit. The discussions in this chapter argue that this viewpoint is fallacious and the chapter aims to provide a more balanced picture.
David Cressy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199564804
- eISBN:
- 9780191701917
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199564804.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, Cultural History
This chapter examines anti-monarchical speech in the reign of Charles II, when the law was tightened to punish treasonous expressions. The Restoration of Charles II was a joyful affair for most of ...
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This chapter examines anti-monarchical speech in the reign of Charles II, when the law was tightened to punish treasonous expressions. The Restoration of Charles II was a joyful affair for most of the king's subjects, but an unhappy turn for supporters of the commonwealth regime. Some of the anti-monarchical language was associated with plots to reverse the Restoration, but much of it was just alehouse chatter. The authorities remained vigilant, for nobody could tell whether loose talk betrayed a treasonable project, or how deep a conspiracy might run. The restored Stuart regime could not allow dangerous talk to go unchecked, and making an example of seditious speakers was part of the process of restoration. Hundreds of English men and women came before authorities in Charles II's reign for uttering dangerous words that are treasonable and seditious. Most of those cited were men of plebeian social condition.Less
This chapter examines anti-monarchical speech in the reign of Charles II, when the law was tightened to punish treasonous expressions. The Restoration of Charles II was a joyful affair for most of the king's subjects, but an unhappy turn for supporters of the commonwealth regime. Some of the anti-monarchical language was associated with plots to reverse the Restoration, but much of it was just alehouse chatter. The authorities remained vigilant, for nobody could tell whether loose talk betrayed a treasonable project, or how deep a conspiracy might run. The restored Stuart regime could not allow dangerous talk to go unchecked, and making an example of seditious speakers was part of the process of restoration. Hundreds of English men and women came before authorities in Charles II's reign for uttering dangerous words that are treasonable and seditious. Most of those cited were men of plebeian social condition.
Noel Malcolm
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198564843
- eISBN:
- 9780191713750
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198564843.003.0006
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This chapter chronicles the life of John Pell in Essex and London from 1658 to 1665. Pell's return to England in August 1658 coincided with the final illness of Cromwell, shortly after which the ...
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This chapter chronicles the life of John Pell in Essex and London from 1658 to 1665. Pell's return to England in August 1658 coincided with the final illness of Cromwell, shortly after which the government dispensed with his services, leaving Pell without a means to pay his huge arrears. The Restoration of Charles II seemed to offer little hope of improvement in Pell's situation. His social and intellectual milieu in London, based as it was on the Hartlib circle, had been overwhelmingly Parliamentarian during the Civil War; the only prominent Royalist among his patrons, Sir Charles Cavendish, was long dead, and Pell never established any usable connection with his brother, the Marquess of Newcastle. However, it was thanks to the Restoration that financial security was eventually obtained for Pell, from a rather unexpected source: the restored hierarchy of the Church of England. On March 31, 1661 he was ordained a deacon; his ordination as a priest followed in June, and on the 16th of that month he was instituted Rector of Fobbing, a parish in the southern part of Essex.Less
This chapter chronicles the life of John Pell in Essex and London from 1658 to 1665. Pell's return to England in August 1658 coincided with the final illness of Cromwell, shortly after which the government dispensed with his services, leaving Pell without a means to pay his huge arrears. The Restoration of Charles II seemed to offer little hope of improvement in Pell's situation. His social and intellectual milieu in London, based as it was on the Hartlib circle, had been overwhelmingly Parliamentarian during the Civil War; the only prominent Royalist among his patrons, Sir Charles Cavendish, was long dead, and Pell never established any usable connection with his brother, the Marquess of Newcastle. However, it was thanks to the Restoration that financial security was eventually obtained for Pell, from a rather unexpected source: the restored hierarchy of the Church of England. On March 31, 1661 he was ordained a deacon; his ordination as a priest followed in June, and on the 16th of that month he was instituted Rector of Fobbing, a parish in the southern part of Essex.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229117
- eISBN:
- 9780191678851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229117.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses the ministry of Arlington, who was one of five men widely believed to be running the government. Despite the position of power held by Arlington, it was still King Charles II ...
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This chapter discusses the ministry of Arlington, who was one of five men widely believed to be running the government. Despite the position of power held by Arlington, it was still King Charles II who was the source of important initiatives.Less
This chapter discusses the ministry of Arlington, who was one of five men widely believed to be running the government. Despite the position of power held by Arlington, it was still King Charles II who was the source of important initiatives.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229117
- eISBN:
- 9780191678851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229117.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses and weaves together the development of diplomatic, military, and political policy. Part of the discussion in this chapter also contests one or two recent beliefs about the ...
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This chapter discusses and weaves together the development of diplomatic, military, and political policy. Part of the discussion in this chapter also contests one or two recent beliefs about the process. There is only one thing common to all accounts of the events that led to the second Dutch War: no matter how cautiously he approached it, King Charles II made this war his own and fought it with determination until its end was forced upon him.Less
This chapter discusses and weaves together the development of diplomatic, military, and political policy. Part of the discussion in this chapter also contests one or two recent beliefs about the process. There is only one thing common to all accounts of the events that led to the second Dutch War: no matter how cautiously he approached it, King Charles II made this war his own and fought it with determination until its end was forced upon him.
R. A. Beddard
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199510146
- eISBN:
- 9780191700958
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199510146.003.0020
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
At the death of Charles II in 1685, Oxford University was solidly Anglican, predominantly high church and imperturbably Tory in its religion and politics. Indeed, it remained so well beyond the ...
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At the death of Charles II in 1685, Oxford University was solidly Anglican, predominantly high church and imperturbably Tory in its religion and politics. Indeed, it remained so well beyond the revolution of 1688, in which the Protestant William of Orange forcibly dethroned Charles's successor, the Catholic James II. Yet in the brief interval between the demise of one Stuart king and the deposition of another, the university saw such a challenge to the monopoly of the Church of England and to the academically ordered, religiously uniform, and financially secure way of life which the Protestant establishment guaranteed to churchmen, that the political behaviour of the dons, normally submissive, if not actually obsequious to the government of the day, underwent a visible transformation: one which was sufficient to push them into otherwise unaccountable acts of defiance against the lord's anointed. The Catholic challenge, while it had not destroyed the university's loyalty to King James, had completely anaesthetized it.Less
At the death of Charles II in 1685, Oxford University was solidly Anglican, predominantly high church and imperturbably Tory in its religion and politics. Indeed, it remained so well beyond the revolution of 1688, in which the Protestant William of Orange forcibly dethroned Charles's successor, the Catholic James II. Yet in the brief interval between the demise of one Stuart king and the deposition of another, the university saw such a challenge to the monopoly of the Church of England and to the academically ordered, religiously uniform, and financially secure way of life which the Protestant establishment guaranteed to churchmen, that the political behaviour of the dons, normally submissive, if not actually obsequious to the government of the day, underwent a visible transformation: one which was sufficient to push them into otherwise unaccountable acts of defiance against the lord's anointed. The Catholic challenge, while it had not destroyed the university's loyalty to King James, had completely anaesthetized it.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229117
- eISBN:
- 9780191678851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229117.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses the events that followed after King Charles II left Scotland after staying in the country as a resident King of Scots. The chapter provides a description of the status of other ...
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This chapter discusses the events that followed after King Charles II left Scotland after staying in the country as a resident King of Scots. The chapter provides a description of the status of other European countries when he returned from Scotland. France, for example, seemed to be in the process of disintegration due to the quarrel between the princes of the blood and the Queen Regent there.Less
This chapter discusses the events that followed after King Charles II left Scotland after staying in the country as a resident King of Scots. The chapter provides a description of the status of other European countries when he returned from Scotland. France, for example, seemed to be in the process of disintegration due to the quarrel between the princes of the blood and the Queen Regent there.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229117
- eISBN:
- 9780191678851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229117.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses not only the state of King Charles II residence at Whitehall, but also the number of changes made to his roster of advisers, parliament members, and other important ...
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This chapter discusses not only the state of King Charles II residence at Whitehall, but also the number of changes made to his roster of advisers, parliament members, and other important administration members. The king's home at Whitehall needed to be refurbished, and the king himself had expressed his desire to rebuild the whole place, but was restricted by his finances. The new government formed by the king, however, is described here in a positive light, since it symbolized the reunion of the nation and mixed social prestige with natural ability.Less
This chapter discusses not only the state of King Charles II residence at Whitehall, but also the number of changes made to his roster of advisers, parliament members, and other important administration members. The king's home at Whitehall needed to be refurbished, and the king himself had expressed his desire to rebuild the whole place, but was restricted by his finances. The new government formed by the king, however, is described here in a positive light, since it symbolized the reunion of the nation and mixed social prestige with natural ability.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198203926
- eISBN:
- 9780191676048
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198203926.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
The years 1658–67 form one of the most vital and eventful periods in English history, witnessing the Plague, the Great Fire of London, the naval wars against the Dutch, and, above all, the ...
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The years 1658–67 form one of the most vital and eventful periods in English history, witnessing the Plague, the Great Fire of London, the naval wars against the Dutch, and, above all, the transformation of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth into the Restoration monarchy of Charles II. This book is a detailed study of the period and returns to nearly all the extant manuscript sources and reworks every issue afresh. The result is an absorbing and perceptive account of national experience as government policy changed, influenced by the interaction of central concerns, local perspectives, and the various social, political, and religious groups.Less
The years 1658–67 form one of the most vital and eventful periods in English history, witnessing the Plague, the Great Fire of London, the naval wars against the Dutch, and, above all, the transformation of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth into the Restoration monarchy of Charles II. This book is a detailed study of the period and returns to nearly all the extant manuscript sources and reworks every issue afresh. The result is an absorbing and perceptive account of national experience as government policy changed, influenced by the interaction of central concerns, local perspectives, and the various social, political, and religious groups.
R. A. Beddard
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199510146
- eISBN:
- 9780191700958
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199510146.003.0019
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
Oxford University could not escape the political agitation set in motion by the Popish Plot. The scaremongering associated with Titus Oates's discovery of a supposed Catholic conspiracy against the ...
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Oxford University could not escape the political agitation set in motion by the Popish Plot. The scaremongering associated with Titus Oates's discovery of a supposed Catholic conspiracy against the life of Charles II seriously bothered Protestants. No sooner had the anti-Catholic hysteria of the capital invaded Oxford than there was a sharp revulsion of feeling against individual papists. The inbred anti-Catholicism of the nation — never far beneath the surface of Restoration politics — became ever more strident and merciless. The local magistracy made good use of the information collected by Bishop John Fell in his primary visitation of the diocese in 1676. Vice-Chancellor John Nicholas, the trimming warden of New College, was particularly active. His officious conduct in arresting the most harmless of Catholics, such as the poverty-stricken William Joyner, was seen by his critics as a bid to curry favour at Westminster in the hope of attracting preferment.Less
Oxford University could not escape the political agitation set in motion by the Popish Plot. The scaremongering associated with Titus Oates's discovery of a supposed Catholic conspiracy against the life of Charles II seriously bothered Protestants. No sooner had the anti-Catholic hysteria of the capital invaded Oxford than there was a sharp revulsion of feeling against individual papists. The inbred anti-Catholicism of the nation — never far beneath the surface of Restoration politics — became ever more strident and merciless. The local magistracy made good use of the information collected by Bishop John Fell in his primary visitation of the diocese in 1676. Vice-Chancellor John Nicholas, the trimming warden of New College, was particularly active. His officious conduct in arresting the most harmless of Catholics, such as the poverty-stricken William Joyner, was seen by his critics as a bid to curry favour at Westminster in the hope of attracting preferment.
Melissa E. Sanchez
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199754755
- eISBN:
- 9780199896912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199754755.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, Shakespeare Studies, Milton Studies
Chapter Seven considers what happens to Sidneian ideals of resistance after the civil wars and regicide illustrated their logical extreme. The chapter offers a new reading of Margaret Cavendish’s ...
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Chapter Seven considers what happens to Sidneian ideals of resistance after the civil wars and regicide illustrated their logical extreme. The chapter offers a new reading of Margaret Cavendish’s fiction, one grounded in the ancient constitutionalism to which both Cavendish and her husband, the Duke of Newcastle, subscribed. Cavendish’s romances struggle to find common ground between the extremes of absolutism and republicanism by turning to the Elizabethan discourse of love: this model insists that monarchs’ power is limited by subjects’ affections even as it acknowledges love’s latent violence. By imagining only compromised, even degrading, erotic unions, Cavendish acknowledges that the overwhelming desires of sovereign and subject alike may vitiate any possibility of mixed rule. Because the allure of power can be irresistible, the subjects who should restore justice may equally imperil it.Less
Chapter Seven considers what happens to Sidneian ideals of resistance after the civil wars and regicide illustrated their logical extreme. The chapter offers a new reading of Margaret Cavendish’s fiction, one grounded in the ancient constitutionalism to which both Cavendish and her husband, the Duke of Newcastle, subscribed. Cavendish’s romances struggle to find common ground between the extremes of absolutism and republicanism by turning to the Elizabethan discourse of love: this model insists that monarchs’ power is limited by subjects’ affections even as it acknowledges love’s latent violence. By imagining only compromised, even degrading, erotic unions, Cavendish acknowledges that the overwhelming desires of sovereign and subject alike may vitiate any possibility of mixed rule. Because the allure of power can be irresistible, the subjects who should restore justice may equally imperil it.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229117
- eISBN:
- 9780191678851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229117.003.0014
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses the political consequences that occurred after King Charles II fell ill sometime during the last few years of the 1670s. One of the events that happened during this time was ...
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This chapter discusses the political consequences that occurred after King Charles II fell ill sometime during the last few years of the 1670s. One of the events that happened during this time was related to the return of James, the king's younger brother, who was asked to return to the country after the Triumvirate (Halifax, Sunderland, and Essex) feared that the king might die.Less
This chapter discusses the political consequences that occurred after King Charles II fell ill sometime during the last few years of the 1670s. One of the events that happened during this time was related to the return of James, the king's younger brother, who was asked to return to the country after the Triumvirate (Halifax, Sunderland, and Essex) feared that the king might die.
Ronald Hutton
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198229117
- eISBN:
- 9780191678851
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198229117.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses the problems Prince Charles — then King Charles II — encountered shortly after inheriting the throne of England from his father, King Charles I. One of the problems that is ...
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This chapter discusses the problems Prince Charles — then King Charles II — encountered shortly after inheriting the throne of England from his father, King Charles I. One of the problems that is highlighted and discussed in this chapter is his need for an alliance with a party that was previously opposed to the royalists. However, to gain this alliance, King Charles II would had had to have gone against his father's beliefs and those of his accustomed and natural supporters. In order to solve this dilemma, King Charles II tasked some of his nobles to serve as foreign ambassadors to elicit help from other foreign monarchies.Less
This chapter discusses the problems Prince Charles — then King Charles II — encountered shortly after inheriting the throne of England from his father, King Charles I. One of the problems that is highlighted and discussed in this chapter is his need for an alliance with a party that was previously opposed to the royalists. However, to gain this alliance, King Charles II would had had to have gone against his father's beliefs and those of his accustomed and natural supporters. In order to solve this dilemma, King Charles II tasked some of his nobles to serve as foreign ambassadors to elicit help from other foreign monarchies.
Toni Bowers
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199592135
- eISBN:
- 9780191725340
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199592135.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 18th-century Literature, 17th-century and Restoration Literature
James, Duke of Monmouth (1649–85) embodied the paradoxes involved in distinguishing between force and fraud in late seventeenth‐century England. He appears as both seducer and victim of seduction in ...
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James, Duke of Monmouth (1649–85) embodied the paradoxes involved in distinguishing between force and fraud in late seventeenth‐century England. He appears as both seducer and victim of seduction in innumerable literary productions of the late 1670s and early 1680s, including John Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel (1681). The figure of Monmouth proved a magnet for a Protestant nation anxious about a Catholic succession, specifically that of the aging Charles II's designated heir, James, Duke of York. Monmouth led an armed rebellion after James's accession in 1685, a rebellion that resulted in bloodshed, dislocation, and, eventually, governmental savagery against his supporters. The Monmouth Rebellion became a site for public debate over the doctrine of passive obedience and the problem of imagining virtuous resistance to authority. Monmouth's cause and execution continued to resonate, paradoxically, among tory writers, for whom his tragic career as seduced seducer made visible pressing anxieties about their own positions as collusive and coerced subjects.Less
James, Duke of Monmouth (1649–85) embodied the paradoxes involved in distinguishing between force and fraud in late seventeenth‐century England. He appears as both seducer and victim of seduction in innumerable literary productions of the late 1670s and early 1680s, including John Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel (1681). The figure of Monmouth proved a magnet for a Protestant nation anxious about a Catholic succession, specifically that of the aging Charles II's designated heir, James, Duke of York. Monmouth led an armed rebellion after James's accession in 1685, a rebellion that resulted in bloodshed, dislocation, and, eventually, governmental savagery against his supporters. The Monmouth Rebellion became a site for public debate over the doctrine of passive obedience and the problem of imagining virtuous resistance to authority. Monmouth's cause and execution continued to resonate, paradoxically, among tory writers, for whom his tragic career as seduced seducer made visible pressing anxieties about their own positions as collusive and coerced subjects.
J. G. Simms
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199562527
- eISBN:
- 9780191701849
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562527.003.0017
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter discusses the restoration of the monarchy under the Charles II and the events that took place during the reign. The land question was a major preoccupation throughout the reign, and no ...
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This chapter discusses the restoration of the monarchy under the Charles II and the events that took place during the reign. The land question was a major preoccupation throughout the reign, and no satisfactory solution to it was found. Even before Charles's return to England, Cromwellians and Catholics had begun to press their respective claims. A number of named individuals were singled out for preferential treatment, either on account of special merit or because they had served faithfully under the king's ensigns. By the end of Charles II's reign the country had made a remarkable recovery from the devastation caused by war and civil strife. Many Protestants and a considerable number of Catholics had benefited from stable conditions and an expanding economy. The prosperity in which some Catholics shared rested on a narrow base of protestant privilege, secured by the land settlement, the legal system, a monopoly of political and administrative power, and the support of the English government.Less
This chapter discusses the restoration of the monarchy under the Charles II and the events that took place during the reign. The land question was a major preoccupation throughout the reign, and no satisfactory solution to it was found. Even before Charles's return to England, Cromwellians and Catholics had begun to press their respective claims. A number of named individuals were singled out for preferential treatment, either on account of special merit or because they had served faithfully under the king's ensigns. By the end of Charles II's reign the country had made a remarkable recovery from the devastation caused by war and civil strife. Many Protestants and a considerable number of Catholics had benefited from stable conditions and an expanding economy. The prosperity in which some Catholics shared rested on a narrow base of protestant privilege, secured by the land settlement, the legal system, a monopoly of political and administrative power, and the support of the English government.
