Anyone who has studied the history of the English Civil War of the mid-17th century will have heard of the Levellers. These radicals, whose ideas about the world were shaped by their version of democratic Christianity, are famous in England. Richard Overton was just one of the many people who were associated with this movement.
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.
By 1650, the influence of the Levellers had diminished to almost nothing, but they are far from forgotten today in England, and further afield, especially among political groups on the left of the spectrum. In many ways, the Levellers were one of the world's first political parties, wearing a sea-green ribbon to show their loyalties, and campaigning with petitions and pamphlets. Overton played a prominent role in producing many of these.
The word 'Leveller' was first heard in the early years of the 17th century, when rural rebels who 'levelled' hedges in protest against enclosures were disparaged with the term. In the 1640s, the term Leveller came to be associated with a New Model Army faction who were accused of planning the assassination of Charles I. Richard Overton, John Lilburne and William Walwyn were among the most prominent of the people who were known as Levellers.
The Levellers' political program made a series of demands which, at the time, were seen as very radical indeed. They do not necessarily seem so, though, when examined with modern eyes. They wanted almost all adult males to be entrusted with the vote, for Parliament to be elected every two years, for the process of elections to be reformed, and for an end to the punishment of imprisonment for debt. Importantly in the 17th century, they also wanted religious freedom, which was a burning issue for much of the century.
While some Levellers took the inspiration for their views from the Bible, there were several shades of opinion within the movement. Many agreed with Overton's assertions that liberty was the natural right of every person. Some felt that the English had had their natural liberties removed during the Norman Conquest.
Despite some elements in the Army mutinying in support of them, the Levellers were eventually crushed by the new, Parliamentarian government. Several mutineers were killed, and leaders such as Overton, Walwyn and Lilburne imprisoned. Many of their demands would later become the foundations of free societies 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.
By 1650, the influence of the Levellers had diminished to almost nothing, but they are far from forgotten today in England, and further afield, especially among political groups on the left of the spectrum. In many ways, the Levellers were one of the world's first political parties, wearing a sea-green ribbon to show their loyalties, and campaigning with petitions and pamphlets. Overton played a prominent role in producing many of these.
The word 'Leveller' was first heard in the early years of the 17th century, when rural rebels who 'levelled' hedges in protest against enclosures were disparaged with the term. In the 1640s, the term Leveller came to be associated with a New Model Army faction who were accused of planning the assassination of Charles I. Richard Overton, John Lilburne and William Walwyn were among the most prominent of the people who were known as Levellers.
The Levellers' political program made a series of demands which, at the time, were seen as very radical indeed. They do not necessarily seem so, though, when examined with modern eyes. They wanted almost all adult males to be entrusted with the vote, for Parliament to be elected every two years, for the process of elections to be reformed, and for an end to the punishment of imprisonment for debt. Importantly in the 17th century, they also wanted religious freedom, which was a burning issue for much of the century.
While some Levellers took the inspiration for their views from the Bible, there were several shades of opinion within the movement. Many agreed with Overton's assertions that liberty was the natural right of every person. Some felt that the English had had their natural liberties removed during the Norman Conquest.
Despite some elements in the Army mutinying in support of them, the Levellers were eventually crushed by the new, Parliamentarian government. Several mutineers were killed, and leaders such as Overton, Walwyn and Lilburne imprisoned. Many of their demands would later become the foundations of free societies 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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