Anyone who has studied the history of the English Civil War of the mid-17th century will have heard of the Levellers. These radicals, whose ideas about the world were shaped by their version of democratic Christianity, are famous in England. Richard Overton was just one of the many people who were associated with this movement.
Overton himself was famous for writing pamphlets and tracts about the issues of the day. This was a controversial and stormy period in British history, with the so-called English Civil War of the 1640s spreading to Scotland and Ireland, and King Charles I being executed by Parliament in 1649. The Levellers were at their most influential in the period between the outbreak of the Second Civil War in 1648, and the execution of the King.
Although by 1650 the Levellers were, to all intents and purposes, finished as meaningful political force, their fame still persists today, especially among political groups with left-wing persuasions. Many would describe the Levellers as one of the world's first political parties, as they wore sea-green ribbons to show their loyalties, and campaigned using pamphlets and petitions. Overton was prominent in the movement as the writer of many of these pamphlets.
The term 'Leveller' probably dates back to the early 17th century, when rebels who 'levelled' hedges in protest against enclosures were abused with the word. By the 1640s, it had come to be used to refer to members of a New Model Army group who were said to favor the killing of Charles I. As well as Richard Overton, prominent Levellers included John Liliburne and William Walwyn.
Many of the political demands made by the Levellers have been incorporated into the political systems of countries all over the world now, but at the time they seemed very radical. The Levellers wanted to see all adult males given the vote, for Parliament to be elected every two years, the abolition of imprisonment to punish debtors, and for measures to be put in place to eliminate parliamentary corruption. Religious toleration, a vital issue in the 17th century, was also one of their principles.
There were different strains of opinion within the Levellers about the exact nature of their demands, but, in general, they agreed with Overton's argument that liberty was right for every person. Some felt that the natural liberties of the English had been oppressed since the Norman Conquest. Others took their inspiration from the words of the Bible.
Despite some elements in the Army mutinying in support of them, the Levellers were eventually crushed by the new, Parliamentarian government. Several mutineers were killed, and leaders such as Overton, Walwyn and Lilburne imprisoned. Many of their demands would later become the foundations of free societies across the world.
As for Richard Overton himself, his ultimate fate is largely obscure, though he he was forced to flee to Flanders at one stage due to his involvement with later plots. He also spent time in prison, and is later believed to have spied on behalf of Charles II. Despite the obscure nature of his later life, he and the Levellers would nevertheless write an important page in the history of England.
Overton himself was famous for writing pamphlets and tracts about the issues of the day. This was a controversial and stormy period in British history, with the so-called English Civil War of the 1640s spreading to Scotland and Ireland, and King Charles I being executed by Parliament in 1649. The Levellers were at their most influential in the period between the outbreak of the Second Civil War in 1648, and the execution of the King.
Although by 1650 the Levellers were, to all intents and purposes, finished as meaningful political force, their fame still persists today, especially among political groups with left-wing persuasions. Many would describe the Levellers as one of the world's first political parties, as they wore sea-green ribbons to show their loyalties, and campaigned using pamphlets and petitions. Overton was prominent in the movement as the writer of many of these pamphlets.
The term 'Leveller' probably dates back to the early 17th century, when rebels who 'levelled' hedges in protest against enclosures were abused with the word. By the 1640s, it had come to be used to refer to members of a New Model Army group who were said to favor the killing of Charles I. As well as Richard Overton, prominent Levellers included John Liliburne and William Walwyn.
Many of the political demands made by the Levellers have been incorporated into the political systems of countries all over the world now, but at the time they seemed very radical. The Levellers wanted to see all adult males given the vote, for Parliament to be elected every two years, the abolition of imprisonment to punish debtors, and for measures to be put in place to eliminate parliamentary corruption. Religious toleration, a vital issue in the 17th century, was also one of their principles.
There were different strains of opinion within the Levellers about the exact nature of their demands, but, in general, they agreed with Overton's argument that liberty was right for every person. Some felt that the natural liberties of the English had been oppressed since the Norman Conquest. Others took their inspiration from the words of the Bible.
Despite some elements in the Army mutinying in support of them, the Levellers were eventually crushed by the new, Parliamentarian government. Several mutineers were killed, and leaders such as Overton, Walwyn and Lilburne imprisoned. Many of their demands would later become the foundations of free societies across the world.
As for Richard Overton himself, his ultimate fate is largely obscure, though he he was forced to flee to Flanders at one stage due to his involvement with later plots. He also spent time in prison, and is later believed to have spied on behalf of Charles II. Despite the obscure nature of his later life, he and the Levellers would nevertheless write an important page in the history of England.
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