Introduction
The English Revolution (1640–1660) prompted new thinking about legal and constitutional matters, but also about political institutions and practices. The execution of King Charles I on 30 January 1649, and the subsequent establishment of the “Commonwealth and Free State,” forced thinkers in England and beyond to reassess commonly accepted notions, such as the divine right of kings, the ancient English constitution, and the location of sovereign power. Various thinkers developed theories to explain the situation, offered justifications for the new regime, and even proposed novel institutions of their own.
James Harrington (1611–1677) was particularly influential in this regard. His major work – The Commonwealth of Oceana(1656) – explained why a commonwealth was theoretically the best form of government; demonstrated why that form was the most appropriate for England in the mid-1650s – and, in doing so, offered an historical explanation for the outbreak of the Civil War;...
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References
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Hammersley, R. (2019). Harrington James. In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_426-1
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