Concetti Chiave
- The Civil War ended with the Puritan victory under Oliver Cromwell, leading to the establishment of the Commonwealth and the eventual Restoration of the Stuart monarchy.
- The Glorious Revolution in 1688 saw the peaceful overthrow of the Catholic James II, resulting in the Protestant William of Orange taking the throne.
- Political parties emerged post-Glorious Revolution, with the Whigs and Tories representing different societal interests in England.
- The Augustan Age in the 18th century marked a literary transformation inspired by classical poets, leading to the rise of the novel as a popular genre.
- Women began participating in literary salons during the Augustan Age, contributing to discussions on literature and politics.
The Civil War and the Restoration
The Civil War between Catholics and Puritans ended with the victory of Puritan army under the command of Oliver Cromwell and the King Charles I was executed. Cromwell founded a republic known as "Commonwealth" but puritan rule did not last long: after Cromwell's deth in 1658, a new Parliament decided the return of the monarchy with Charles II (1660-1685), member of Stuart dynasty. The return of the monarchy with the Stuart was called "The Restoration" and was initially welcomed by the people. The first years of Restoration were marked by a tragic event: in 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed most of the city.
The Glorious Revolution
The relative tranquillity of Charles' reign ended when his brother, James II (1685-1688) came to the throne. He was catholic and more absolutist than his predecessor so, the population, did a secret plan to call William of Orange, the champions of protestant and husband of James' Protestant daughter, Mary. William landed England on November 1688 with only a small force but with most of the english on his side and and won over James II, then he was crowned King. William's victory is know as the Glorious Revolution because it was bloodless. During his reign important laws were introduced: the Bill of Right (1689), decided that the King wasn't be able to rule the country without Parliament; the Toleration Act introduced the freedom of religion.
The Rise of Political Parties
Since the time of the Glorious Revolution there had been a development of two parties that would dominate English political life: the Whings, represented the interests of the middle classes, and the Tories, represented the old aristocracy.
In the eighteenth century, during Georg I's reign (german that didn't speak english), a new sister of government, known as Parliamentary monarchy, was introduced. The Whigs were in power for most of the first half of the century and their leader, Sir Robert Walpole was the fist Prime Minister.
1702= Queen Anne was crowned
1776= beginning of the Independence American War.
The Augustan Age and the Novel
From the first half of the eighteenth century, writers toke inspiration from the Latin poets Virgil, Horace and Ovid who lived under the Emperor Augustus so, the early and the mid-eighteenth century is known as the "Augustan Age".
In this period, also women started to read and to take part at the literary salons, important meeting place where the people used to talk about literature and politics. During Augustan Age was introduced a new genre, the novel (from the italian "novella") and was immediately seen as something revolutionary. The novel relete quite realistic story where, the things that happen, were things that could happen to real people and the protagonists aren't heroes with supernatural powers but people from the middle-class and believed in God. There be different types of novels, indeed Novels can be: realistic (Daniel Defoe "Robinson Crusoe"), utopian (J. Swift "Gulliver's Travels"), epistolary (S. Richardson "Pamela"), picaresque (H. Fielding "Tom Jones"), sentimental and so on...
One of the first writers that tried this new genre was Daniel Defoe in his first novel "Robinson Crusoe" (1717).
Domande da interrogazione
- What was the outcome of the Civil War between Catholics and Puritans, and what followed after Cromwell's death?
- What significant event marked the early years of the Restoration under Charles II?
- How did the Glorious Revolution change the English monarchy, and what were its key legislative outcomes?
- What was the significance of the rise of political parties following the Glorious Revolution?
- How did the Augustan Age influence literature, and what new genre emerged during this period?
The Puritan army, led by Oliver Cromwell, won the Civil War, leading to the execution of King Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth. After Cromwell's death in 1658, the monarchy was restored with Charles II, marking the period known as "The Restoration."
The early years of the Restoration were marked by the Great Fire of London in 1666, which destroyed much of the city.
The Glorious Revolution resulted in the bloodless overthrow of James II by William of Orange, who was crowned king. It led to the introduction of the Bill of Rights in 1689, limiting the king's power without Parliament, and the Toleration Act, which introduced religious freedom.
The rise of political parties, the Whigs and the Tories, marked a significant development in English political life, with the Whigs representing the middle classes and the Tories the old aristocracy. This period also saw the introduction of the Parliamentary monarchy and the role of the Prime Minister, with Sir Robert Walpole as the first.
The Augustan Age, inspired by Latin poets, saw the emergence of the novel as a new literary genre. This period was marked by realistic storytelling, with novels featuring middle-class protagonists and exploring various themes, as seen in works like Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe."
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