Some Farther Intelligence of the Affairs of England (1659) provides a rare insight into the Protectorate’s official version of events surrounding Oliver Cromwell’s (1599–1658) death: a crucial but brief moment in British history that is often overshadowed by the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in 1660.
The woodcut illustration (after p. 8) shows Oliver Cromwell’s effigy in ermine-trimmed robes, with a crown placed just above his head. These royal accessories were given to Cromwell posthumously: he had been offered them in life but had refused. Through association with the easily recognised and respected artefacts of royalty, the hereditary succession of Cromwell’s son Richard was legitimised. To this effect, Cromwell’s effigy was displayed at Somerset House and during the funeral procession through London, as well as depicted in images that were circulated to audiences further afield.
After the Restoration, positive visual representations of Oliver Cromwell kept the spectre of rebellion and republicanism alive. In a macabre demonstration of strength (and vengeance for his father’s death) King Charles II (1630–1685) ordered Cromwell’s body to be exhumed, tried, executed and exhibited before the citizens of London. The sight of Cromwell’s mutilated corpse was intended to counteract any lingering pro-Cromwellian sentiment in Britain.
Margaret Cavendish and Katherine Philips both wrote across a range of genres and achieved considerable success in their day. Tamara Tubb explores their different approaches to the difficulties of being a 17th-century female writer: Philips created a reserved and modest literary persona, presenting herself as the ideal woman of the time, while Cavendish openly challenged literary and feminine conventions.
Andrew Marvell was a poet, but he was also a politician and a civil servant at a time of tremendous upheaval. Nigel Smith investigates how Marvell and his writing negotiated the civil wars, Oliver Cromwell's government and the Restoration.
The 17th century was a time of great political and social turmoil in England, marked by civil war and regicide. Matthew White introduces the key events of this period, from the coronation of Charles I to the Glorious Revolution more than 60 years later.
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