Those people who have studied the English Civil War and the conflicts associated with it should be familiar with the Levellers, and the name Richard Overton. These radicals, whose democratic views were based on their understanding of Christianity, were one of the world's first political parties. Their name continues to echo down through history, still influencing politics to this day.
Overton himself was famous for writing pamphlets and tracts about the issues of the day. This was a controversial and stormy period in British history, with the so-called English Civil War of the 1640s spreading to Scotland and Ireland, and King Charles I being executed by Parliament in 1649. The Levellers were at their most influential in the period between the outbreak of the Second Civil War in 1648, and the execution of the King.
Although by 1650 the Levellers were, to all intents and purposes, finished as meaningful political force, their fame still persists today, especially among political groups with left-wing persuasions. Many would describe the Levellers as one of the world's first political parties, as they wore sea-green ribbons to show their loyalties, and campaigned using pamphlets and petitions. Overton was prominent in the movement as the writer of many of these pamphlets.
The term 'Leveller' probably dates back to the early 17th century, when rebels who 'levelled' hedges in protest against enclosures were abused with the word. By the 1640s, it had come to be used to refer to members of a New Model Army group who were said to favor the killing of Charles I. As well as Richard Overton, prominent Levellers included John Liliburne and William Walwyn.
The political demands that the Levellers made seem somewhat tame to modern eyes, but they were considered very radical indeed by the standards of the 17th century. Concepts such as the vote for all adult males, parliamentary reform to eradicate corruption, Parliament to be elected every couple of years, and the abolition of imprisonment as a punishment for debt, all formed part of their program. They were also in favor of religious toleration, which had continued to be controversial during the 17th century.
Overton himself was of the opinion that liberty was the natural right of every person, something which is familiar today. Some Levellers also felt that the natural rights of the English people had been eroded since the Norman Conquest. Others felt that the justification for universal freedom could be found in the Bible.
The forces of the government, with Oliver Cromwell to the fore, did not tolerate the Levellers for long. A mutiny amongst some New Model Army units was brutally crushed, with some ringleaders shot, while political leaders like Walwyn and Lilburne were put in prison. Many of the Levellers' demands would later come into law, in England and across the world.
As for Richard Overton himself, his ultimate fate is largely obscure, though he he was forced to flee to Flanders at one stage due to his involvement with later plots. He also spent time in prison, and is later believed to have spied on behalf of Charles II. Despite the obscure nature of his later life, he and the Levellers would nevertheless write an important page in the history of England.
Overton himself was famous for writing pamphlets and tracts about the issues of the day. This was a controversial and stormy period in British history, with the so-called English Civil War of the 1640s spreading to Scotland and Ireland, and King Charles I being executed by Parliament in 1649. The Levellers were at their most influential in the period between the outbreak of the Second Civil War in 1648, and the execution of the King.
Although by 1650 the Levellers were, to all intents and purposes, finished as meaningful political force, their fame still persists today, especially among political groups with left-wing persuasions. Many would describe the Levellers as one of the world's first political parties, as they wore sea-green ribbons to show their loyalties, and campaigned using pamphlets and petitions. Overton was prominent in the movement as the writer of many of these pamphlets.
The term 'Leveller' probably dates back to the early 17th century, when rebels who 'levelled' hedges in protest against enclosures were abused with the word. By the 1640s, it had come to be used to refer to members of a New Model Army group who were said to favor the killing of Charles I. As well as Richard Overton, prominent Levellers included John Liliburne and William Walwyn.
The political demands that the Levellers made seem somewhat tame to modern eyes, but they were considered very radical indeed by the standards of the 17th century. Concepts such as the vote for all adult males, parliamentary reform to eradicate corruption, Parliament to be elected every couple of years, and the abolition of imprisonment as a punishment for debt, all formed part of their program. They were also in favor of religious toleration, which had continued to be controversial during the 17th century.
Overton himself was of the opinion that liberty was the natural right of every person, something which is familiar today. Some Levellers also felt that the natural rights of the English people had been eroded since the Norman Conquest. Others felt that the justification for universal freedom could be found in the Bible.
The forces of the government, with Oliver Cromwell to the fore, did not tolerate the Levellers for long. A mutiny amongst some New Model Army units was brutally crushed, with some ringleaders shot, while political leaders like Walwyn and Lilburne were put in prison. Many of the Levellers' demands would later come into law, in England and across the world.
As for Richard Overton himself, his ultimate fate is largely obscure, though he he was forced to flee to Flanders at one stage due to his involvement with later plots. He also spent time in prison, and is later believed to have spied on behalf of Charles II. Despite the obscure nature of his later life, he and the Levellers would nevertheless write an important page in the history of England.
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