Strongest in the 16th and 17th centuries, they advocated strict religious discipline and placed primary emphasis on the Bible rather than on traditions developed in the Christian community.
The puritans considered the Bible as the true law of God that provided guideline for church government; they believed that all Christian churches should be organized through councils called (presbyteries or church court) rather than under bishops, as in the Church of England.
The puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell, won a series of victories and took control of the government in 1649 and their political power ended after Cromwell died in 1658. In 1660, the Stuart dynasty returned to the throne.
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John Milton: (Puritan) – An Example of Literature
He was born on 9th December 1608. He wrote seven or eight poems in Latin while in school. Concerned with the puritan cause, he was against Episcopacy or government by Bishops.
At that time of the Civil War, John wrote pamphlets defending the execution of Charles 1 by the victorious parliamentarians. In 1646, he published a collection of poems, but politics was still his main occupation. Besides the pamphlets, he became Secretary of Foreign Tongue under the new Commonwealth. He always felt that the commonwealth failed to reach its full potential and disapproval of Oliver Cromwell's dictatorial ways after declaring himself Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. Still, he worked away loyally until he lost his eyesight in 1651.
After the death of Charles 1, Milton Published The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates 1649 supporting the view that the people had the right to depose and punish tyrants.
His great work Paradise Lost wasn't published until 1667. It was quite the hit, though none of John's other works reached the widespread popularity in his lifetime. Paradise Regained was published in 1671 and John spent most of the rest of his life getting as many manuscripts ready for publication as possible.
THE RESTORATION
The Declaration of Breda:
After the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658, Richard his son succeeded him. However, he was an inefficient leader and power quickly fell into the hands of the generals. A strong reaction began in England against puritan supremacy and military control. Opinion was then settled on recalling the exiled King. A new parliament was elected in 1660 called convention parliament. Some members of the parliament were sent to the Netherlands to persuade Charles to issue the document known as The Declaration of Breda , in which he promised general amnesty to the former enemies of the Stuarts and promises religious toleration and pays higher salaries to the army.
Charles accepted the subsequent invitation to return to England and become its king. He favored religious toleration largely because of his leaning towards Roman Catholicism.
The Main Figure of Restoration Comedy:
William Congreve:
William Congreve (, – , ) was an and poet. William Congreve wrote some of the most popular English plays of the Restoration period of the late 17th century. By the age of thirty, he had written four comedies, including (premiered , ) and (premiered ), and one tragedy, The Mourning Bride ()
- The Way of the World is a play written by . It is widely regarded as being one of the best written and is still performed to this day.
- The Double-Dealer, a comedy by William Congreve dealing with angry lovers.
- Love for Love: a Comedy by William Congreve, funnier, interesting characterized by its foolish characters and clever speech
Unfortunately, his career ended almost as soon as it began. After writing five plays from his first in 1693 until 1700, he produced no more as public tastes turned against the sort of high-brow sexual comedy of manners in which he specialized.
