John Lilburne and the Levellers

At the end of the 16th century there were two important changes of Britain's Position in Europe: the defeat of the spanish Armada and the defeat of the Netherlands as a concurrent in world trade. On this basis english foreign trade prospered as well as english manufactures developed. The towns grew with industry. This led inevitably to contradictions between the lords, and the king was naturally their head, and this new bourgeoisie. For a certain time feudal privileges and manufacturers interests could coexist, but this was temporarily because the power of the lords and the king declined whereas the power of the merchants and manufacturers increased.

King James I and after him Charles I always needed more money than they got. In 1629 the parliament made a first attempt to limit the expenses and to get more rights. But Charles I sent the parliament home and continued for 11 years without. When in 1640 a rebellion of the scottish presbyterians started, Charles had no money to bring up an army. He had to call the parliament to get more taxes. But the parliament refused taxes and accused the chancellor Strafford and the archbishop of Canterbury as traitors. Charles had no choice than to drop his best servants. Both were executed.

Meanwhile peasants had taken land to cultivate it. The king suspected the parliament behind this and demanded the leaders. When the parliament didn't respond he sent troops to occupy it and to arrest the leaders he wanted. But they had already escaped and were hidden in London. Upon that the king went to the North of the country where he had more support. In 1642 the king declared war on the parliament.

Oliver Cromwell

Now the parliament also prepared for the war. The soldiers of this army were called "the Roundheads", because of their short hair. The king reconquered more than half of the country, but all the more important towns supported the Revolution. The Parliament at this stage of the revolution was dominated by the Presbyterians, some of the lords, rich merchants and bankers. They acted undecided and though their army was by far more important than the kings army, it marched from one defeat to another. As the danger grew, the people in the cities became more radical and the Independents, the other great party, became more important. The leader of the Independents was Oliver Cromwell. Finally the Independents got the leadership of the army. Cromwell reorganized the cavalry. As a result of this change, the parliaments army was victorious in the battle of Marston Moor in July 1644. On Cromwells demand, the whole army was reorganized: a centralized command structure, revocation of pm's from command-posts, regular payment, peasants and craftsmen could become officer etc. This was called the New Model Army. The supreme commander was Sir Thomas Fairfax, with Lieutenant-General Oliver Cromwell as his cavalry commander. This was a key to success. In June 1645 in the battle at Naseby this peasants and craftsmen army smashed the royalist army, captured 5000 prisoners and nearly the whole enemy artillery. The king escaped to Scotland but was handed over for a price of 400 000 pound in january 1647.

John Lilburne

The victory over the armed forces of the king and the lords was all the bourgeoisie wanted: they got the political and economical power in Britain and did not want to share the profit of the war. A continuation of the war seemed to them being an unnecessary expense, the parliaments army could go home. Unfortunately (for them) things were not so simple. Since 1645 a new party was coming up: the Levellers (as they were called falsely by their enemies), whose most important representative was John Lilburne. The Levellers wanted to continue the fight for equal rights for everybody, give everybody the right to vote, independent of the income, and distribute the land of the lords to the peasants. They were particularly strong among the peasants and craftsmen in the army and the more important towns, especially London. When the parliament, which was still dominated by the presbyterians, declared that the war was over and the soldiers should go home, every regiment of the army elected councils of the soldiers, called "Agitators". The army split up into two distinct parts: simple soldiers supported the Levellers, while the upper officers were Independents. To discuss on the issue of the revolution, the General Council of the army was formed, representing equally the Independents and the Agitators (two of each regiment). In November 1647 started the Putney Debates of the General Council - without any result.

[execution of Charles I ] Mutinies in the army started, but when the king, who had escaped to Scotland, came back in March 1648 with a new army, this time with the help of scottish presbyterians, Levellers and Independents fought together against their common enemy. This second war ended in October 1648 with Cromwell entering Edinburgh. To complete the victory, Colonel Pride expelled 41 presbyterians from the parliament (Prides Purge). The power of the presbyterians was broken. A supreme court was instituted to judge the king, who was found guilty of treason against the people and executed on January 30, 1649.

Cromwell was probably convinced that the revolution could and should not go further. He did not approve the claims of the Levellers. Now the "Grandees", the higher officers of the army, and Cromwell didn't need the Levellers any more. He solved this problem with the war against the Irish people. In March 1649 the most important Levellers in London are arrested for treason by order of the Council of State: John Lilburne, William Walwyn, Richard Overton and Thomas Prince. Mutinies of the Levellers in the army are successful at Salisbury, Aylesbury and Banbury. They join their forces, but are surprised and defeated by Cromwell at Burford. This resistance removed, Cromwell could lead the army to Ireland where a cruel war began, which continued until 1653. Thus, the Levellers had lost their military support (and protection) in England. At the same time the economic situation in England improved. After the irish campaign the army was sent to Scotland where it defeated the troops of Charles II (the son of Charles I). Charles II himself escaped to France in 1654 where he lived at St Germain, with the money of Louis XIV.

Cromwell, who was declared Lord Protector of the English Republic on December 16, 1653, died in 1658.

Suggested Links:

http://www.lilburnes.com	site for english civil war re-enactment
http://www.open2.net/civilwar/	Detailed background of the Civil War
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jbshank/Hum_Lecture24.html	It is full of good information
http://levellers.org	it is helpful for 80 students with the same project
http://www.levellers.org.uk	Details the annual Levellers Day celebrations in Burford

The Dutch Rebellion

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Last modified: Nov 26, 2004, /english/levelle.html