Gabriel

The podcast episode discusses the historical journey of English liberalism, which developed through religious division in England from the 16th century onwards. The roots of English liberal thinking can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with the Magna Carta Libertatum in 1215. John Locke played a key role in the development of liberalism, particularly during the religious conflicts in the 17th century. The Act of Supremacy of 1534 created a religious division in England, which inadvertently paved the way for liberalism. The emergence of liberalism in Britain coincided with its rise to power in commerce and manufacturing. The Glorious Revolution in the late 17th century solidified the power of parliament and led to the establishment of England's first constitutional monarchy. England became a pioneer in constitutional liberalism compared to absolutistic regimes in continental Europe. The origins of liberalism remain relevant today. Feasts are the Conquest Chronicles, the podcast on England's road to power from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Welcome to today's episode of the Conquest Chronicles. I'm Gabriel, and today we are going to uncover the historical journey of English liberalism. We'll explore that religious division in England from the 16th century onwards fostered liberalism's growth, leading to internal conflicts, with liberalism prevailing and consolidating itself in the end. But before we dive deep into the topic, we first need to know what this term stands for in the first place. The Oxford Dictionary defines liberalism as a political ideology centered upon the individual possessing rights against the government, including rights of due process under the law, equality of respect, freedom of expression, and from religious and ideological constraint. The term liberal had long been used to describe certain generously aristocratic and tolerant behaviors and only reached its status as a distinctive sociopolitical movement in the early 19th century. Nevertheless, the roots of English liberal thinking go way back to the Middle Ages, with the Magna Carta Libertatum, the Great Charter of Freedoms, being issued in 1215. From then on, it slowly emerged, reaching its first peak in the 17th century. In that, John Locke, who is commonly known to be the father of liberalism, played a key role. His support for reciprocal tolerance highlights how English liberalism developed mainly through the religious conflict in England in the 17th century. But how did these conflicting religious views emerge in the first place? The Act of Supremacy of 1534, issued by King Henry VIII, did not only centralize England, as Julia explained in her episode, it also created a fierce religious division within England's English society. England's most common characteristics, the division of powers, the separation between church and state, and freedom of speech and press freedoms, were, in fact, brought about through the necessity to manage and tolerate these conflicting religious views. So, although not their intention, we can say that advocates of the Protestant Reformation paved the way for liberalism. Furthermore, Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church consolidated national economy, reduced still further the power of the nobility, and aided the commercial and financial classes. The emergence of liberalism and Britain's rise to power in commerce and manufacturing did not coincide by chance. Both were intrinsically linked as the demands of the rising economic classes compelled the to adopt a more constitutionally liberal agenda. Throughout the seventeenth century, the religious division within England sustained, but the manner in which these conflicts were conducted changed. As atrocious the civil war had been, as bloodless and peaceful was the glorious revolution in the years to come, glorious because it concluded a debate ongoing since the Magna Carta over who should hold state power, the monarch or parliament? The answer was parliament, whose rights were manifested in the Bill of Rights of 1689, which is still in force today. By the end of the seventeenth century, England had become what was Europe's first constitutional monarchy, a liberal state whose main function was to guarantee the rights and liberties of the individual. Constitutional thinkers like Locke claim that a state so constructed can be strong but constrained, strong because constrained. When it comes to constitutional liberalism, the insular England was a pioneering exception to the absolutistic regimes in continental Europe. In 1943, the historian Shapiro wrote, and I quote, Liberalism in England is not an acquired characteristic as it was among the nations on the continent. It was born in England, and there it has been carefully and steadily applied from age to age, from class to class, from problem to problem, end quote, and that since the Middle Ages until today. This makes exploring the origins of liberalism more relevant than ever. Don't forget to subscribe to listen to the Congress Chronicles wherever you find your podcast. Next time, I'll be reunited with my colleagues once more. Until then, I hope you'll tune in for our next and final episode. Bye bye.