THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR

in that period the england was changing because of: the wealth of the nation passed the nobility
to the lended gentry, and there were also religious conflict between catholics and protestants. The
english civil war began when Charles I took the throne of his father James I already dead. Infact
there will be a law signed in order to limit Charles I divine power. The petition of right wich
represents the first contrast between Charles I and Parliament. Which will be assolved by the king
who will rule so as an absolute monarch. There will the civil war between parlamentarian who
supported the parliament and the royalists who supported the king. The battels will and the Oliver
Cromwell who arrested the parlamentarian loyal to the king and with the parlamentarian
remained, voted for Charles I s' execution. After the execution the monarchy was abolished and
Cromwell established a "sort of republic" the Commonwealth.
A sort because in the end Cromwell made himself Lord Protector, so a sort of dictator.
CHARLES II
Son of Charles I spent his exile in France, infact had france tastes. When he returned in england
and sestored the monarchy, estabilished a court with the goal of the pleasure. Infact teathers and
taverns re- opened, and gossip replaced religious things. So it was a monarchy based on the reality
on the present world, differently from the post, concerted on the life, the soul, the religion in
general. But in spite of theat, because of a secret agreement with the france. Charles II put the
catolicism as the principal religion, in fact his succesor will be his brother James as be converted to
catolicism.
JAMES II
James II was catholic, in fact he started too put catholics as autorites, like generals in the army or
teachers in university. In spite his catholicism, his two heirs/ deughters were Protestants and
married with a ruler of holland and one of denmark. That's why he will marry a catholic women of
Modena and had a Son who took precedence over the two daugheters on the throne. Bacusa of
this the parlament had the fear of another civil war, that is why they asked help to william of
holland and James daughters Mary who took the throne while James II was in paris with his family
and started the joint monarchy , but there also the "Glorious revolution" bacause Mary II was a
protestant, so not chosen by the divine rights, it was a revolution without violence.
ANNE' S REIGN
She will have the crown because William and Mary had no heirs. Anna had been a very popular
queen thanks to all her political decision very important, like the act of union where the england
and the scotland became the united kingdom of beat britain with just and parlament or the treaty
of Utrecht wich put and end on the war with france the spanish controll and took possession over
the Canada and the slave-trade of Spanish- America.
JOHN MILTON
He was born in london, he studied classics and political history, he travelled in Italy, france and
grece. When returned in england he wrote a series of tracts supporting the parliament in the civil
war. He became blind, infact an assistent hepled him with his works and in the end he died in
London.
LITERARY PRODUCTION
It can be divided in three periods:
- he wrote poems
- he wrote tracts, started in paradis lost and composed 17 sonnets.
- the peak of his career, completed Paradise lost, wrote paradise regained and the poetic drama.
PARADISE LOST
Is Milton's mastepiece, written in blank verses, unrhymed pentamenter and with this epic, Milton
tried to equal classics like Aeneid on the Iliad and the odissey. He used the grand style a language,
which is highly ornate and obscure. Milton makes considerable use of latin constructions as well as
numerous classical and biblical allusions. The story tells of the fall of Adam and Eve in 12 cantos,
which is preceded by a argument. The centre is the question: why has eve eaten the apple and
why did not liad saved them, his creations?