John Milton e il Diciassettesimo secolo

Charles I (1625-1649)

• He married Henrietta Maria, the Catholic daughter of the King of France, soon after he took the throne
• He believed in the divine right of kings and he wanted to rule without Parliament
• At the beginning of his reign, he summoned Parliament because he needed money for the war with Spain
  • When Parliament refused to raise taxes, Charles I dismissed them and ruled for 11 years without them
  • The House of Commons was strongly Protestant, suspicious of the Catholic influence around the king
  • Charles quarrels with Parliament led to the Petition of Rights in 1628
    • Which stated that the King could not imprison anyone without a trial
    • Or could not impose taxes without the consent of the Commons
  • The Petition became the foundation of all later declarations of civil rights, but Charles dismissed it
• In 1634 he used his royal prerogative to demand "ship money", a tax to pay for the Royal Navy, but was met with widespread resistance
• Needing money to pay his army to fight a rebellion in Scotland, he was forced to call Parliament in 1640
  • This "Long Parliament" became one of the great institutions of English history
• Parliament worked to assert control over the King, passing laws to reduce his powers
  • In 1642 Charles entered the House of Commons to arrest 5 of its members, but they had already escaped
  • The King raised an army of Royalists and declared war. His opponents, the Parliamentarians, also known as Roundheads prepared to fight back.
• The Civil War (1642-1649) had begun

• He created one of Europe's greatest art collections
• James's son, Charles I, was very fond of art and became a patron of painters like Rubens and Van Dyck

Puritan beliefs

Oliver Cromwell was a committed Puritan, and as head of state he instituted many Puritan reforms

Puritanism had begun under Henry VIII, and it was a religious reform movement that wanted to "purify" the Church of England

Their sense of moral conviction interested their way of life and they wanted their lifestyle to transform the nation

Religious unity was considered essential for society and the church was an auditorium where sermons took on political as well as religious significance

Puritans criticized ecclesiastical rituals and outlook and they rejected scholarly interpretations of the Scriptures

They claimed the right of the individual to comprehend God's will from reading the Bible

They argued that priests should be free to choose how to dress and the clergy should be distinguished by their behaviour and not by special clothing

The movement was particularly strong in London and southwest and had followers among the clergy, the nobles, merchants and members of Parliament

Puritans believed in the Calvinist theory of predestination, everything has been decided or planned in advance by God or fate and humans cannot change it

So all men are born sinners and condemned to damnation. Only God's grace can save man

This means that man is required to do good individual acts and to live a holy life of hard work and discipline

He was an East-Anglian gentleman farmer

He was a brilliant leader in raising and training cavalry composed by Puritan soldiers

He became Commander-in-chief of the army in 1649

He was appointed Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1653

He followed a mercantilist policy and reorganized the Navy

He passed the Navigation Acts in 1651 which stated that all English imports had to be carried in ships owned by England

It begins by stating that the poem's main theme will be "Man's first Disobedience". Adam and Eve's disobedience and the story of Satan's rebellion

Obedience and rebellion

Paradise Lost Themes

Fate and free will

Satan is determined to be free even though the price of this freedom is banishment to Hell