In the years leading up to the outbreak of Civil War, very few would have predicted that England would become a Republic.
But in Parliament, one MP, Henry Marten (1602 – 1680) who was returned for Berkshire in the Short and Long Parliaments, became an early and outspoken champion for republicanism and subsequently for the execution of the King.
As the conflict progressed, Marten became the focus for a group of likeminded radical MPs. These men allied themselves to popular movements outside Parliament, and they were determined to defeat the King, both politically and on the battlefield.
A newly published book, Fiery Spirits: Popular Protest, Parliament and the English Revolution by Dr John Rees, Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London, explains how this group overcame their opponents to help to establish England’s experiment in republican government.
