38 • The Fifth Monarchists Channels 2022 Thomas Venner. After Charles II was restored to the throne of England in 1660, the Fifth Monarchists under his influence launched a last-ditch attempt to overthrow him and usher in the rule of the saints. Their goals are explained in their pamphlet “A Door of Hope,” where they declared Charles Stuart a “son of a murtherer” on a throne established by “the Blood of precious Saints.”55 Babylon would be destroyed, and the Antichrist would fall as Christ would deliver the saints one last time. Thus, they launched their assault on London in January of 1661. Samuel Pepys recounted the events in his diary. Although he initially believed there were some five hundred rebels, it later turned out to be closer to several dozen “fanatiques.”56 Thomas Venner was promptly hung, drawn, and quartered. After this event, little was written by the Fifth Monarchists. The movement died out as Charles II took his throne and its members began to die. Any opportunities to bring about the rule of the saints passed. Needless to say, Christ did not return in the following decades, and the Fifth Monarchy never took place. Conclusion Importance of the Fifth Monarchists With this study of the Fifth Monarchists, the question that arises is the significance of this movement. It failed and died out, accomplishing few of their 55 Internet Archive, “A Door of Hope,” pg. 1 56 Pepys, “Diary entries from January, 1661” objectives that they so clearly pursued. While it may be tempting to turn to the Levellers or other groups that perhaps played a larger role in the development of modern English history or foreshadowed modern political developments, there is one thing that a historian must remember. The failures of individuals, just as much as the successes, play a role in history. Furthermore, one must resist the temptation to take a deterministic approach and assume that they were doomed to fail. Certainly, history is often decided by the centuries-long cumulation of culture, wars, and other trends, but the decisions made by individuals, whether rational or not, cannot be ignored. As the Revisionists point out, history is often the result of the choices of people. If people had made different choices— whether on the part of the Fifth Monarchists, those who opposed them, or those who were neutral—they ultimately could have changed the fate of England. The Fifth Monarchists were no insignificant group. While there were certainly other radicals throughout England that held just as fanatical ideas, this group had the key ingredients to success that the others usually lacked. These were primarily their influence in the establishment of a new government, the positioning of particular individuals in positions of power, and alliances with significant individuals.
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