Background of the Puritan Revolution

In 1603, James I succeeded Elizabeth I and put great pressure on the Puritans to surrender to the king. As a result, the Puritans of Scrooby fled to Holland in 1608, where they could enjoy religious freedom. However, after a while, the Dutch's attitude towards religious tolerance and low moral requirements made these Puritans very uneasy, so they decided to leave Europe and move to North America to start a new life. These Puritans were allowed to settle in Virginia, the British colony of thirteen states in North America.

In September 1620, the Puritans took the "Mayflower" to North America. There were about 100 adults and children on board at the time. They sailed for two months in the rough North Atlantic before reaching Cape Cod, which is still hundreds of kilometers away from northern Virginia. Here they made the Mayflower Compact, which stated their willingness to establish communities in the New World and submit to its laws.

On December 21, 1620, they settled in nearby Plymouth, built a chapel with wood, and held meetings every Sunday morning. When the harsh winter arrives, no one can bear it. Moreover, because there was no heating in the house, believers and missionaries were very troubled. Not only were they troubled by religion, but their lives were also very difficult. Within a few months, more than half of the immigrants were killed or injured.

In the spring of 1621, they began to build houses and learn how to grow crops from the Native American Indians. In the autumn of 1621, this group of Puritans had a bumper harvest, so they specially chose a day to thank their benefactors and benefactors who helped them. This is the origin of Thanksgiving in the United States and other countries. Later, more and more immigrants arrived, and in just 15 years, Plymouth's population exceeded 2,000. At the same time, some English Puritans, like the Secessionists, believed they would find their "Promised Land" on the other side of the Atlantic. In 1630, a group of Puritans arrived north of Plymouth and established the Massachusetts Bay Puritan Community there. In 1640, approximately 20,000 English immigrants lived in New England. After the Puritan community of Massachusetts Bay merged with the community of Plymouth in 1691, the Puritans had a large number of people and were no longer a separatist group. In fact, most of the people living in New England were Puritans, who exerted a great influence on the religion at that time, and Boston became their worship center.

Beginning in the 16th century, the enclosure movement occurred in England, and capitalism developed rapidly. However, this inevitably conflicted with the conservative forces at that time, so in the 1560s, the Puritan movement emerged in England to attack the church. By the beginning of the 17th century, opposition had formed in Parliament under the Stuart dynasties James I and Charles I. In 1628 Parliament passed a Petition of Rights limiting the power of the Crown. The following year, Charles I dissolved Parliament and did not convene again for the next 11 years. There was a Scottish rebellion in the late 1630s. In order to raise military expenses, Charles I convened Parliament on April 13, 1640. However, because the members refused the king's request, Charles I dissolved Parliament on May 5. Historically known as the Short Parliament. With another large-scale attack by the Scottish rebels, Charles I was forced to reopen Parliament on November 3. Parliament existed until April 20, 1653, and was known as the Long Parliament in history. The convening of this parliament is generally regarded as a sign of the beginning of the revolution. After the Long Parliament of the First Civil War was convened, Parliament executed Wentworth, Earl of Stratford, the king's favorite; passed the "Three Years Act", stipulating that Parliament should be convened regularly and could not be dissolved without the consent of Parliament; abolished Star Chamber Court. After many struggles, Charles I had no choice but to leave London in January 1642 for Yorkshire in northern England. In August, the royal flag was raised in Nottingham, announcing an attack on Parliament and provoking a civil war. At the Battle of Naseby in June 1645, the Parliamentary army led by Cromwell defeated the King's army and achieved a decisive victory. In June 1646, they captured Oxford, the king's stronghold. The first civil war ended with the victory of Parliament, and the king became a prisoner of Parliament.