Speaker: Alice Hunt

Topic: Britain’s Revolutionary Republic

Venue: Vinson Lecture Theatre

Time: 14.00-15.00 Friday 13 September

Talk Summary:

Following the execution of Charles I in January 1649 and the dismissal of the House of Lords, Britain entered a period of profound change that sent shock waves across Europe. Previously unthinkable ideas about sovereignty and liberty were not only debated but sometimes implemented. The Quakers, a religious sect, challenged convention and were widely feared. Jews lived and worshipped freely. Philosophers and freethinkers promoted radical ideas in the newly established coffee houses. Though short-lived, this extraordinary and unique period in British history continues to resonate in the country’s political and institutional life, and we can still ask where it went wrong – and what it got right.