Unsolved Mysteries of World History (Illustrated Version)

Author: Li Yewei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: The sun never sets on the British Empire, which was able to dominate the European continent for centuries amidst fierce competition, was largely due to the bloody bourgeois revolutions and uprisings. The arrogant and tyrannical Charles I was also overthrown in the 17th-century democratic revolution. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the emerging bourgeoisie in Britain fought against the feudal monarchy through Parliament. After 1603, the Stuart dynasty, seeking to consolidate absolute monarchy, repeatedly dissolved Parliament, intensifying the struggle between Parliament and absolutism. This also drove the anti-feudal revolutionary movement forward. To implement absolute personal rule, Charles I began dissolving Parliament in 1629 and continued for 11 years, gradually deepening the contradictions within Britain. This led the Scottish people to launch an uprising in 1637, invading British territory. To suppress the Scottish rebellion, Charles I was forced to call Parliament back. This Parliament, which met intermittently from 1640 to 1653, came to be known as the "Long Parliament." Supported by the people, the Long Parliament launched a fierce attack on absolutism and refused to approve the king's tax bills. To gain parliamentary support, Charles I made significant concessions. However, Charles I was unwilling to give up power. In 1642, he fled London to the northwest of Britain and allied with the royalist forces there, launching a civil war against Parliament. From then on, the revolution entered the stage of war. At first, the parliamentary army, led by the Presbyterians, was timid and made endless concessions, resulting in consecutive defeats. In 1644, the Independents, led by Cromwell, took over the leadership. Upon taking office, Cromwell reorganized the army and established the "New Model Army." This army, composed mainly of peasants and artisans, was disciplined and brave, continuously defeating the main royalist forces and changing the situation. In June 1645, the Battle of Naseby saw the royalist army suffer a decisive defeat, and the parliamentary army won the victory in the civil war. After the victory, the revolutionary camp was divided into three factions: the Presbyterians, representing the interests of the upper aristocracy and big bourgeoisie; the Independents, representing the interests of the middle aristocracy and bourgeoisie; and the Levellers, representing the interests of peasants and artisans. These three factions were riddled with contradictions and engaged in complex political struggles. The Independents, controlling the army, were more powerful and first drove the reactionary Presbyterian faction out of Parliament, then began suppressing the influential Levellers, seizing control of the state. Taking advantage of the infighting among the three factions, in the spring of 1648, Charles I gathered royalist forces to launch a second civil war. Facing a formidable enemy, the Independents and Levellers made peace and fought together against the royalist army, defeating them within just a few months and capturing Charles I again. On January 2, 1649, the House of Commons decided to organize a high court to try Charles I, who was sentenced to death. Charles I's execution marked the official replacement of feudal rule by capitalism in Britain, and the entire Europe turned a new page. But soon after, someone claimed to have seen a man dressed in farmer's clothes and wearing a straw hat in a remote villa on the border of England and France...