John Lilburne Figure in the English bourgeois revolution of the 17th century Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of John Lilburne
2. Early Life and Imprisonment
3. Active Participation in the Civil War
4. Imprisonment and Advocacy
5. Exile and Return

Biography of John Lilburne

John Lilburne, an English bourgeois revolutionary figure of the 17th century, was born in Greenwich around 1614. He played a significant role in the English bourgeois revolution as the leader and ideologue of the Levellers.

Early Life and Imprisonment

Lilburne was the youngest son of a minor gentry and was sent to apprentice with a London cloth merchant in 1630. He joined one of the Puritan sects and was imprisoned in 1638. He was released by the Long Parliament in 1641.

Active Participation in the Civil War

During the first civil war from 1642 to 1646, Lilburne actively participated and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1645, he refused to acknowledge the "Covenant" and resigned in protest against the Presbyterian policies. He advocated for bourgeois-democratic ideas about popular sovereignty and natural human rights in a series of pamphlets. Lilburne prioritized political reform and opposed monarchical forms of government and the existence of the House of Lords. He advocated for a republic and equality before the law, defending religious freedom and the inviolability of personal rights and property. These demands aimed at the complete destruction of the feudalistic system and the establishment of the foundations of a bourgeois-democratic republic.

Imprisonment and Advocacy

In 1646, Lilburne was imprisoned again by order of the House of Lords. Together with his comrades, he drafted the "Agreement of the People" in 1647, which became the programmatic document of the Levellers party. He was released in 1648 but sharply criticized the positions of the Independents, who came to power in 1649 and rejected plans for democratic reforms.

In March 1649, Lilburne was arrested again and imprisoned in the Tower of London, yet he continued his struggle. In the spring of 1649, he and his supporters published the "Manifesto" and the "Agreement of the Free People of England," which outlined Lilburne's political and socio-economic views as well as those of the Levellers party. His trial in October 1649 turned into a triumph for him and ended with an acquittal.

Exile and Return

However, in 1652, Lilburne was expelled from England. He returned to his homeland in 1653 but was arrested once again. Despite the court's acquittal, Lilburne remained practically imprisoned until his death. Despite his limitations as a petty-bourgeois democrat, Lilburne played a crucial role in the English revolution as one of the most prominent representatives of the democratic movement.