Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Individual Blog Post: The History

Note: Because this is history and there's no main argument, there is not a huge difference from this and my part of our blog post. The chapters AFTER this is when the author gets more involved with Milton's writings and how the history may or may not have impacted him. I am going to figure out what else I can do to change this, so please just stick with me for now. I also had problems posting this, so if only half of it gets posted...I'll try again.

In Part I, chapter two of Milton and the English Revolution, Christoper Hill explains some of the historical background of England before and during the revolution in an attempt to later explain that Milton viewed his time period as both a religious and cultural crisis. However, the main point of this article is to actually fill in the reader about the ongoing turmoil Milton was exposed to before and after he wrote many of his works of literature.
According to Hill, the declaration of Protestantism and the break from the Roman Catholic Church by Henry VIII of England led to a strong tie between the nation and its religion. Under the reign of Elizabeth, protestantism became even more associated with England, and Roman Catholic countries, especially Spain, emerged as national enemies. In order to further dissolve ties with Catholicism, legends and rumors regarding Catholic cruelty were spread through propaganda in England. This continuation of propaganda and religious tension continued throughout the British people after Elizabeth's reign, while under James I and Charles I reign, the attempt by both monarchs to settle religious hatred were unacceptable in the eyes of Parliament and England. He married a French woman by the name of Henrietta Maria, who was Catholic and influenced many of Charles decisions, one of which allowed a papal agent into England. Charles passed many reform bills that gave true tolerance to Catholics, and Milton, very involved with the politics of Britain, strongly opposed these reforms. Hill suggests that his opposition and dislike for Charles may have impacted his writings and political standpoint.
Other individuals and heads of the Church of England, such as William Laud, also seemed to support Catholicism. Little changes made in the church, such as the movement of the communion table from the center to the East end of the church, appeared to enhance Catholic doctrine. Milton called it the "table of separation" in disgust due to the simple fact that moving the Communion to the East raised the priest higher than the congregation, which was exactly what the Reformation had wanted to prevent. The increased seeming presence of Catholicism seemed to be too overwhelming for many Englishmen, including Milton. This skepticism continued when events in Ireland and Scotland, such as imposing Bishops in Scotland and Catholic revolts in Ireland, occurred.
After being fed up with a ruler who seemed to favor to Catholics, Oliver Cromwell, soon to be England's new dictator, began to challenge Charles. After a bloody revolution that followed between the Cavaliers (those who supported King Charles) and the Roundheads (those who supported Cromwell) and ended with the beheading of Charles I in 1649, Cromwell was put into power. It is here when Milton works right underneath Oliver Cromwell and writes works of literature praising Cromwell. Soon after the war, Cromwell dissolved Parliament, naming himself "Lord Protector," and ultimately declaring himself a dictator and tyrant. Though Cromwell claimed religious tolerance, he continually passed bills limiting Catholicism and promoted intolerance towards Catholicism. Cromwell ruled through fear and hypocrisy, while wielding almost unlimited power in England until he died in 1658, where England decides to put Charles II on the throne to re
store the monarchy.


Works Cited:

Hill, Christopher. Milton and the English Revolution. New York, New York: The Viking Press, 1978

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