English Civil War

About this Collection

The English Civil War (1642 -1660) pitted supporters of Parliament against the Crown. The period includes the trial and execution of Charles I, the replacement of the monarchy with the Commonwealth of England (1649-1653), the rise of Oliver Cromwell to a virtual military dictatorship, and the eventual restoration of the monarchy. The ultimate outcome of the Revolution was the discrediting of the the divine right of kings and the beginnings of parliamentary sovereignty and constitutional monarchy.

For additional reading see our collection of Key Documents.

Key People

Titles & Essays

The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, 4 vols.

Sir William Clarke (editor)

The Clarke Papers chronicle the debates which took place in the Army during the English Civil War over the relationship between Parliament and the Army.

The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 1

Sir William Clarke (editor)

Vol. 1 of the Clarke Papers which chronicle the debates which took place in the Army during the English Civil War over the relationship between Parliament and the Army.

The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 2

Sir William Clarke (editor)

Vol. 2 of the Clarke Papers which chronicle the debates which took place in the Army during the English Civil War over the relationship between Parliament and the Army.

The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 3

Sir William Clarke (editor)

Vol. 3 of the Clarke Papers which chronicle the debates which took place in the Army during the English Civil War over the relationship between Parliament and the Army.

The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 4

Sir William Clarke (editor)

Vol. 4 of the Clarke Papers which chronicle the debates which took place in the Army during the English Civil War over the relationship between Parliament and the Army.

The Constitutional Documents of the Puritan Revolution, 1625-1660

Samuel Rawson Gardiner (editor)

A collection of constitutional documents from the English Revolution of the mid-17th century. They include parliamentary speeches, letters and declarations by the monarch, legal proceedings, and other documents. They are preceded by…

Discourses Concerning Government

Algernon Sidney (author)

Written in response to Sir Robert Filmer’s Patriarcha (1680), the Discourses Concerning Government is a classic defense of republicanism and popular government. Sidney rejected Filmer’s theories of royal absolutism and divine right…

An Elegant and Learned Discourse of the Light of Nature

Nathaniel Culverwell (author)

An Elegant and Learned Discourse of the Light of Nature is a concerted effort to find a middle way between the two extremes that dominated the religious dispute of the English civil war in the seventeenth century. Nathaniel…

The English Works, vol. III (Leviathan)

Thomas Hobbes (author)

One of the major works of English political philosophy, Hobbes’ Leviathan was written during the English Revolution. It deals with the nature of sovereignty, how stable political power might be created, how wars might be avoided, and…

Excellencie of a Free-State

Marchamont Nedham (author)

First published in 1656, The Excellencie of a Free-State addressed a dilemma in English politics, namely, what kind of government should the Commonwealth adopt? One possibility was to revert to the ancient constitution and create a…

The Historical Essays and Narratives of the Merovingian Era

Augustin Thierry (author)

This volume contains many essays on 17th century English history, the revolution, the restoration, Scotland, the Roman Empire, books reviews, and French history. It also contains his narrative history of France from 561-583. There…

Milton, John (1608-1674)

Related Links:

Works by John Milton

Source: Areopagitica, with a Commentary by Sir Richard C. Jebb and with Supplementary Material (Cambridge at the University Press, 1918).

LIFE OF MILTON1

Milton’s life falls into these…

The Miscellaneous Works

Sir James Mackintosh (author)

This collections contains his philosophical writings on Locke, natural law, Thomas More, and Machiavelli; his historical writings on the Glorious Revolution, his defence of the French Revolution Vindiciae Gallicae; and several of his…

The Oceana and Other Works

James Harrington (author)

An edition of Harrington’s works by an 18th century Commonwealthman.

The Prose Works of John Milton, 2 vols.

Rufus Wilmot Griswold (introduction)

A mid-19th century 2 volume collection of Milton’s most significant prose works.

The Prose Works of John Milton, vol. 1

Rufus Wilmot Griswold (editor)

Vol. 1 of a mid-19th century 2 volume of Milton’s most significant prose works. Vol. 1 contains Areopagitica, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates.

The Prose Works of John Milton, vol. 2

Rufus Wilmot Griswold (editor)

Vol. 2 of a mid-19th century 2 volume of Milton’s most significant prose works. Vol. 2 contains The Ready and Easy way to Establish a Free Commonwealth, The History of Britain, Of True Religion, and other works.

Puritanism and Liberty, being the Army Debates (1647-9)

Alexander Dunlop Lindsay (foreword)

This collection contains the Putney Debates, the Whitehall Debates, and numerous other documents about Puritan religious and political views during the English Revolution. The collection has pieces by many authors including John…

The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth

John Milton (author)

A defence of the Republic written on the eve of the restoration of the monarchy. Milton persisted in opposing rule by one man in favor of rule by those to whom power had been delegated by the people.

Selected Writings of Sir Edward Coke, vol. I

Steve Shepherd (editor)

Vol. 1 of a 3 vol. set of The Selected Writings. This volume contains a long introduction by the editor and 13 parts of the Reports.

Selected Writings of Sir Edward Coke, vol. II

Steve Shepherd (editor)

Vol. 2 of a 3 vol. set of The Selected Writings. This volume contains Coke’s Speech at Norwich, excerpts from the small treatises, and excerpts from the 4 parts of the Institutes.

Selected Writings of Sir Edward Coke, vol. III

Steve Shepherd (editor)

Vol. 3 of a 3 vol. set of The Selected Writings. This volume contains Coke’s speech in Parliament (including the Petition of Right), a number of official acts related to Coke’s career, and other matters.

The Struggle for Sovereignty, 2 vols.

Joyce Lee Malcolm (editor)

The political tracts of the English peoples in the seventeenth century established enduring principles of governance and of liberty that benefited not only themselves but the founders of the American republic. These writings, by the…

The Struggle for Sovereignty: Seventeenth-Century English Political Tracts, vol. 1

Joyce Lee Malcolm (editor)

The political tracts of the English peoples in the seventeenth century established principles of governance and of liberty that benefited not only themselves but the founders of the American republic. These writings, by the renowned…

The Struggle for Sovereignty: Seventeenth-Century English Political Tracts, vol. 2

Joyce Lee Malcolm (editor)

The political tracts of the English peoples in the seventeenth century established principles of governance and of liberty that benefited not only themselves but the founders of the American republic. These writings, by the renowned…

The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates

William Talbot Allison (editor)

Written during the English Revolution, Milton’s pamphlet argues that there exists a voluntary contract between free men and their rulers, and that if a ruler becomes a tyrant then the people have the right to depose him if the…

Catalogue of the Pamphlets, Books, Newspapers, and Manuscripts relating to the Civil War, the Commonwealth, and Restoration 1640-1661. 2 vols.

George Thomason (author)

This is the catalog of the collection of 22,000 books and pamphlets made by the London bookseller George Thomason between 1641 and 1662, known as the Thomason Tracts. It is an unparalleled collection which documents the political and…

Catalogue of the Pamphlets, Books, Newspapers, and Manuscripts relating to the Civil War, the Commonwealth, and Restoration, Vol. 1. Catalogue of the Collection, 1640-1652

George Thomason (author)

This is vol. 1 of the catolog of the collection of 22,000 books and pamphlets made by the London bookseller George Thomason between 1641 and 1662, known as the Thomason Tracts. It is an unparalleled collection which documents the…

Catalogue of the Pamphlets, Books, Newspapers, and Manuscripts relating to the Civil War, the Commonwealth, and Restoration, Vol. 2. Catalogue of the Collection, 1653-1661

George Thomason (author)

This is vol. 2 of the catolog of the collection of 22,000 books and pamphlets made by the London bookseller George Thomason between 1641 and 1662, known as the Thomason Tracts. It is an unparalleled collection which documents the…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics (1638-1660), 7 vols.

David M. Hart (editor)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Vol. 1 (1638-1643)

William Prynne (author)

A collection of 11 pamphlets from 1638-1643 including works by John Lilburne, William Walwyn, Robert Greville, Henry Parker, John Goodwin, and William Prynne.

Every effort has been made to transcribe these 17th century political…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Vol. 2 (1644-1645)

John Lilburne (author)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Vol. 3 (1646).

David M. Hart (editor)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Vol. 4 (1647)

David M. Hart (editor)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Vol. 5 (1648)

David M. Hart (editor)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Vol. 6 (1649)

David M. Hart (editor)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Vol. 7 (1650-1660)

David M. Hart (editor)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Vol. 8 Addendum (1638-1643) (forthcoming)

Ross Kenyon (editor)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

Tracts on Liberty by the Levellers and their Critics Addendum Vol. 9 (1647-49) (forthcoming)

David M. Hart (editor)

The Levellers were a political movement active in England from 1646 to 1649. They were a populist movement that emphasized equal rights, religious toleration, and reformation of political and judicial corruption. They are…

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Quotes

Law

John Lilburne argues from prison that the King and the Magistrate must obey the law like everyone else (1648)

John Lilburne

Presidents, Kings, Tyrants, & Despots

Milton argues that a Monarchy wants the people to be prosperous only so it can better fleece them (1660)

John Milton

Liberty

Richard Overton argues that to submit to the unjust rule by another is to violate one’s right of self ownership (1646)

Richard Overton

Natural Rights

Richard Overton shoots “An Arrow against all Tyrants” from the prison of Newgate into the prerogative bowels of the arbitrary House of Lords and all other usurpers and tyrants whatsoever (1646)

Richard Overton

The State

Robert Filmer thought that the idea of the “consent of the governed” would inevitably lead to anarchy (1680)

Sir Robert Filmer

Origin of Government

Sidney argues that a People’s liberty is a gift of nature and exists prior to any government (1683)

Algernon Sidney

Liberty

The Levellers’ Declaration of Independence (March 1647)

William Walwyn

Presidents, Kings, Tyrants, & Despots

Thucydides on political intrigue in the divided city of Corcyra caused by the “desire to rule” (5thC BC)

Thucydides