Restoration Literature

Lecture One:

Introduction

Rewind

The First Stuart KingJames VI and I, King of Scotland and

England.Came to the throne 1603 when his cousin,

Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, diedDied 1625

Simplified Reasons for Civil War

The economic interests of the urban middle class and religious Puritan ideology

Vs.

The traditional economic interests of the Crown and the Anglican Church.

Who are the Puritans?

A generalization, as there are wide variances in this group: included the Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, etc. (mostly Calvinists)

Not only did the Puritans wish to “purify” themselves, they also strove to "purify" both the English church and society of the remnants of "corrupt" and "unscriptural" "papist" ritual and dogma.

What are Papists?

Derogatory term!

Papist refers to those who follow the Pope, in other words, Roman Catholics.

For the Puritans, Roman Catholics were worse than unbelievers.

Puritans believed that Roman Catholics were actually following the Anti-Christ in the shape of the Pope, and at heart, they were nothing more than idol worshippers.

What does this mean for individuals?

In a broad sense, Puritanism represented strict obedience to the dictates of conscience and strong emphasis on the virtue of self-denial.

Puritanism and Art

It’s not that they didn’t like art, though they were traditionally anti-theater (which for them represented lying and immorality).

But art should glorify God.

One of England’s greatest poets, Milton, was a staunch Puritan.

Martyred King

Charles Imarried Henrietta Marie de Bourbon,

daughter of the King of FranceExecuted January 30, 1649

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)

Given the title “Lord High Protector”Former general in charge of Parliament’s

New Model Army

England under Cromwell

Closed the theatres and inns

Many sports were banned.

Swearing was fined, though if you kept up at it, you could end up in jail.

Women and girls should dress modestly as it says in the Bible: hair should be covered; make-up was forbidden; colorful clothes were banned,

Sundays and Christmas

Boys found playing ball on a Sunday could be whipped.

Any unnecessary work or even taking a walk for pleasure could result in a fine (or placement in the stocks).

Changes to Christmas

, so Christmas.

Christmas was the birth of Christ, and since many Christmas practices are rooted in paganism, celebrations were banned that they should be celebrating, not fun, games and frivolity.

Having a Christmas feast won you punishment, and soldiers were sent out to snatch the cooking goose if they found one.

Traditional decorations like holly and ivy were banned.

Modesty in DressWomen and girls should dress modestly as it says

in the Bible: hair should be covered; make-up was forbidden; colorful clothes were banned,

Richard Cromwell, the Heir

“Richard was an unlikely successor, coming to prominence only because his two elder brothers both died before their father. Having previously sat in parliament, but only having joined the Council of State a year before his appointment as Protector, he had neither the political experience nor the interest required to maintain his position. He gave it up with little hesitation, resigning or "abdicating" after a demand by the Parliament. This was the beginning of a short period of restoration of the Commonwealth of England, but led to a state of anarchy that resulted in the return of the exiled King Charles II and the restoration. Unlike his father, Richard was not held accountable for the death of King Charles I. He retired to obscurity, going into exile on the Continent under the soubriquet of "John Clarke", but returning in 1680 to live out the remainder of his life in Britain.”

Where Does the Term “Restoration” Come from?

In 1649, King Charles I was executed by the Parliament

When Richard abdicated, people longed for the stability of the monarchy.

From 1649-1660 England was ruled by the Lord High Protector, Oliver Cromwell and Parliament.

Asked Charles II, the executed king’s son, to come back to England and rule.

Act of Indemnity and Oblivion

Charles granted an amnesty to Cromwell’s supporters

Not covered under this act were the judges and officials involved in his father’s trial and execution.

The Regicides

“At that time 41 of the 59 signers of the king’s death warrant were still alive. Fifteen of them fled…Some were able to convince Charles II that they had had little to do with his father’s trial and that they were loyal to the monarchy, and they were reprieved. Nine of those who signed the warrant and four others closely connected with the trial were hanged. Six others, who were deemed less politically dangerous, were imprisoned for life; some were later reprieved.”

Restoration

In May of 1660, Charles II finally came back to England.

He arrived in London to great cheering and joy on his 30th birthday.

Repealing Cromwell’s Laws

One of the first things Charles did when he returned was to repeal all of Cromwell’s laws.

Inns reopened, theaters reopened, sports started up again, and life in England became “merry” again.

Political Pamphlets

There was a thriving pamphlet culture.

Pamphlets were anonymous political tracts put out about all kinds of political questions.

The pamphlets had to be anonymous because of the strict censorship laws

Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Delariver Manley wrote pamphlets

James as King

When Charles II died, his brother James II (Roman Catholic) became King. Fearing Catholic rule, his daughter Mary and her husband, William of Orange, attacked England and forced James to flee. Parliament invited William and Mary to assume the throne. There was no blood shed (known as The Bloodless Revolution).

James II

Abdication or Coup? December 1688: William of Orange arrived in England

with a large force

James fled for France, in fear of his life (Remember, James had been a young man of 16 when his father was executed; like his brother, he spent most of his early life facing danger and possible death).

Parliament saw this as an abdication, and named William and Mary joint rulers.

James never accepted defeat, and claimed the throne for the rest of his life, as did his son, “The Old Pretender”, and his grandson, the “The Young Pretender,” or Bonnie Prince Charlie as he’s often called in literature.

Bloodless Revolution

Technically the second civil war in England.

Although it’s called bloodless, James continued to attempt to regain the throne until the decisive Battle of the Boyne in Ireland, July 1690.

Blood was spilt, but very little for such a large overthrow of a king.

William and Mary

The new co-regnants

England’s Only Co-regnants

Mary II and William IIIMary is the daughter of James II and Lady

Anne Hyde, Duchess of York.William is the son of King Charles II and

King James’s sister Mary and her husband Willem II, prince of Orange-Nassau

Mary died 1694William died 1702

The Last Stuart Monarch

Anne, younger daughter of James II and Lady Anne Hyde, Duchess of York.

Died childless in 1714Passed the throne on to her cousins in the

House of Orange from Hanover.

Final Uprising

Many Scottish people never accepted the House of Orange, and were persecuted because of it until a final revolt in 1745, which the English finally crushed for once and for all.