Radicalism in the 17th Century
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- Created on: 18-04-17 21:05
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- The nature and importance of radical ideas in the 17th Century
- Religious radicalism
- Nature
- Freedom for individual judgement and morality
- Religion was "a personal search for truth and no man could predict where truth and the knowledge of God might be found"
- The overarching theme of the campaign was for religious toleration
- Society is responsible for the removal of poverty and economic inequality
- Importance
- Godly laymen like Milton guiding and informing the people constituted a threat to the clerical monarchy
- Their constant advocacy of religious liberty led to bitter attacks by parliamentary conservatives, and also by the more cautious and conventional members of the sectarian Churches
- Nature
- Political radicalism
- Nature
- Many of the key figures used their own wrongs to create a dramatic focus for the general political issues that lay at the heart of the Leveller ideas
- Lilburne published a pamphlet, 'England's Birthright Justified' attacking the Commons for infringing individual rights
- The Leveller campaign organised marches, petitions and popular demonstrations - first sign of them being an organised movement with Lilburne as its leader
- Importance
- Lilburne's frequent imprisonment raised a case of a genuine issue about an individual's right to a fair trial, and Parliament's abuse of power in order to punish individuals
- This led to the first publication of a coherent Leveller programme
- It was based on popular sovereignty, individual rights including religious liberty, and free exercise of trade
- This led to the first publication of a coherent Leveller programme
- Lilburne's frequent imprisonment raised a case of a genuine issue about an individual's right to a fair trial, and Parliament's abuse of power in order to punish individuals
- Nature
- Other key ideas
- Educational reform combined Godly purpose with rational learning
- The Ranters
- Held two distinctive beliefs: antinomianism and pantheism
- Antinomianism: development of predestination - who will be saved has already been decided
- Pantheism: God is in every living thing
- Held two distinctive beliefs: antinomianism and pantheism
- Key political figures
- John Milton (1608 - 1674)
- Poet Prophet
- Cromwell's secretary
- Identified with Puritan mainstream, but was too individual to accept the bonds of Presbyterian discipline.
- Calvinist theology but never joined a gathered Church - labelled a Seeker
- Divorced his Royalist wife - cutting all ties with the regime
- John Lilburne (1615 - 1657)
- Leveller leader
- Dominated the movement and shaped it
- Shown his natural leadership when opposed to Laud and the bishops in 1638
- Because of this he was imprisoned in the Fleet
- After he was released, he was then re-imprisoned in the Tower for infuriating the Lords, so missed out on the Putney debates
- Because of this he was imprisoned in the Fleet
- Warm-hearted, generous, passionately opposed to injustice of any kind.
- Stubborn, argumentative and quick to take offence
- Was originally allied with Cromwell but later became the target of Lilburne's attacks
- Leveller leader
- William Walwyn (1600 - 1680)
- Member of the Merchant Adventurers Company - prosperous
- His radicalism stemmed from the application of his classical background, with its respect for human reason, to the questions about God and salvation that troubled his Puritan soul
- He spoke of the right of laymen to preach, and complete religious toleration
- In 1649 an attack upon him was published under the title of 'Walwyn's Wiles' by the Baptist and Congregation-al Churches
- The most private of the Leveller leaders
- Provided breadth of vision and philosophical justification for the new society that the Levellers sought to achieve
- Gerrard Winstantley (1609 - 1676)
- First-hand experience of the economic disruption caused by war
- God lives in man, and the struggle between good and evil in the world happens in the human body
- Formed the DIggers:
- John Milton (1608 - 1674)
- Religious radicalism
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