PURITANISM AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What were the essential features of Puritanism? What factors contributed to the outbreak of the English civil war? What were the goals of the English Enlightenment?

Prior to the Enlightenment (Review) King James I rules 1603-1625 King James dies and is replaced by his son Charles I – who believes in the Divine Right of Kings Fights with parliament and dissolves is in 1626, 1628, and 1640 Charles I does not allow the Catholics or Puritans to practice their religion Parliament passes the Act of Toleration (religious) 1642-English Civil War begins

English Civil War Fought between the Royalists and the Puritan Roundheads Catholics tend to resettle in France and Italy; Puritans in Holland, and then Massachusetts colony Charles the I beheaded in 1649 and monarchy abolished Puritans led by Oliver Cromwell Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England-strict Puritan

Oliver Cromwell Closed theatres Banned dancing Banned celebration of Christmas Puritanism was a radical form of Calvinism- wanted to eradicated the doctrines and rites that were retained by Catholicism Punishment for public swearing was a fine that varied according to social rank from 3-20 shillings. Coffee houses became very popular British slave trade grew a great deal

John Milton A Puritan who valued civil liberties and defended their beliefs He argued in Aeropagiticia that “he who destroys a good book, ills reason itself, kills the image of God , as it were in the eye” Believed that the loss of a book was greater than the loss of a life for the book lives on as a distillation of human intellect. Went blind at the age of 44

The Enlightenment Begins with Charles II restored to the throne in 1660 John Dryden named England’s first poet laureate. Theory of gravitation Development of the microscope Publication of the Dictionary

What was happening during this period? 1650- Taj Mahal completed 1660- Charles II crowned 1661- Louis XIV begins the Palace at Versailles 1665- plague ravages London, killing 1/3 of the population 1666- Great Fire of London- lasted 4 days 13,200 homes destroyed 4 river bridges Newgate and several other prisons destroyed

James II time period 1685- Charles II dies and James II crowned 1682- La Salle claims Louisiana for France 1683- Ottoman Turks besiege Vienna 1697 – Ashanti Empire formed in Africa

The Glorious Revolution 1688- James II – a Catholic – deposed, and William III and Mary II accede to the throne. Mary was Jame’s Protestant daughter and consort to the Dutch Prince William of Orange 1707= The Act of the Union establishes the state of Great Britain, composed of England and Scotland. Wales had been a part of England since the mid 1500s.

Sir Christopher Wren and St. Paul’s Cathedral 604- original built- ransacked by Vikings 962- more elaborated version erected 1087-1310- work underway in the grand Norman style- destroyed in the Great Fire 1710- Wren designed the one we see today Cost- 2 million pounds

More history of the period 1714- Ruling house of Hanover founded by George I 1742-George Handel’s Messiah first performed 1746- defeat of Culloden Moor ends Jacobite Rebellion 1750-London is the largest city in Europe 1752- Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar 1756- Seven Year’s War begins in Europe 1757- Victory at Plassey begins British rule of India 1759-Voltaire completes Candide 1762- Catherine II becomes ruler of Russia

More History of the period 1775- American Revolution begins

Authors and their Works 1667- Milton – Paradise Lost 1678- Bunyan – Pilgrim’s Progress 1668- Samuel Pepys diary 1711- The Spectator first published 1714 – Pope- The Rape of the Lock – (mock epic) 1719- Defoe – Robinson Crusoe 1726 – Swift – Gulliver’s Travels 1729- Swift – A Modest Proposal 1755 – Samuel Johnson publishes A Dictionary of the English Language

NEOCLASSICISM 18TH CENTURY Diests believe that God manifests himself not through the Bible or supernatural forces, but through the grandeur of his creation. Therefore, the way to know God is to use reason and observation, to study the laws that govern the physical universe. This way of thinking led to a creative outburst of scientific inquiry and intellectual freedom that was unprecedented in the Western world.

Scientific Inquiry Francis Bacon – astronomer Robert Boyle – chemist Edmund Halley – astronomer Isaac Newton- physics, math, and astronomy Admiration of the ancient Greeks and classics

Why It Matters The thinkers of the English Enlightenment helped to shape the ideals of the American Revolution and the U.S. Government. John Locke’s theory of natural rights is a key element in the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Hobbes influenced the writers of the Federalist Papers, a series of articles supporting ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Why it Matters, cont. Laid the foundation for a modern worldview based on rationalism and secularism. Widespread use of the scientific method. Rights of the individual paved the way for the rise of democracy in the 1800s and 1900s. Pilgrim leader William Bradford advocated the use of a plain style that became an enduring influence on American literature.

Why it matters, page 3 John Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost is an archetypal rebel who influenced such characters as the monster in Frankenstein and Captain Ahab in Moby Dick. Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels has added several words to the English language, such as Lillipution (tiny) and Yahoo (crude person).