Chapter Introduction of Age of Milton and Marvell by History

Introduction

During the mid-seventeenth century the political form of English government was dramatically changed on several occasions. Parliamentarians were adamant that they ought the Civil War for both the liberty of the English people and for the King should not be discarded as political expediency. No-one would consider executing the King and abolishing monarchy and the House of Lords as a logical solution to the problem of settling a complicated and deeply intertwined situation.

During a period of experimentation, the leading political figures were searching for a system under which England could be effectively governed. In 1649 with the execution of the king and the abolition of the House of Lords, English government shifted radically from monarchy to republicanism. Then, in 1653, with Cromwell's acceptance of the Instruments of Government, England went from republic to a quasi- monarchical protectorate. Finally, in 1660 the political upheaval in this period went full turn with the Restoration of Charles II as the government of England reverted to monarchy.