FEBRUARY 9, 2026 · 1 HOUR 19 MINUTES · HISTORY OF IDEAS CLUB · REVOLUTION OF THOUGHT
Why did conflict between monarchy and Parliament culminate in regicide, revolution and an unprecedented English experiment in republican government?
Episode summary
The English Civil War exposed deep disagreements about freedom, authority and the possibility of self-government. This seminar places the conflict within a longer constitutional story, from Tudor centralisation and religious reform to the Stuart defence of divine-right monarchy.
Parliament’s growing authority and the collapse of royal government led England to execute its king and attempt republican rule. The episode examines the ideological force of that rupture alongside the achievements, contradictions and limitations of the Commonwealth.
Episode guide
- Tudor centralisation and the changing place of Parliament
- Religious reform, consent and constitutional authority
- The Stuart monarchy and the Divine Right of Kings
- Regicide, republican thought and the Commonwealth experiment
Sources and further reading
- Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (1651).
- John Milton, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates (1649).
- James Harrington, The Commonwealth of Oceana (1656).
- Michael Braddick, God’s Fury, England’s Fire (2008).
Discuss this episode
When does political opposition become a challenge to the rules of government?
Bring one passage or example from your listening to the related Reading Club conversation, When Does Opposition Become Loyal?. Explain your view and what might make you reconsider it.
Transcript
A full transcript is in preparation. This page provides an accessible summary and episode guide in the meantime.
Continue the series
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Cite this episode
Chicago style: Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson, hosts, “History of Ideas Club: The English Civil War,” Beyond the Text, podcast audio, 1 hr., 19 min., February 9, 2026, https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/beyond-the-text-the-intellectual-historians-podcast/054e7d90-25bb-013c-f646-0acc26574db2/history-of-ideas-club-the-english-civil-war/3f9d0999-3da2-47a2-ab34-8517a3069fda.
