The godly utopia of the Fifth Monarchy Men

A large number of the sects that formed during the Civil War and Interregnum era were apocalyptic. They expected Christ to return and the world to end during their time. What would follow was a paradise on earth, a utopia of plenty and goodwill for all.

Some of these sects and movements didn’t settle for passively waiting for the end times to begin. They tried to actively work towards Christ’s return. Despite the Christian framework of these groups, some of them had more secular means to achieving their end. Some of them were very radical too.

One of these groups was the Fifth Monarchy Men that formed around 1649. It consisted mostly of craftsmen, journeymen, and apprentices, but some powerful men belonged to it, too, and it had some political power. For a brief time, they even had Oliver Cromwell’s ear.

For the Fifth Monarchists, Millennium was first and foremost a political and social issue. Their aim was to make England a godly nation. Its apocalyptic nature came from the belief that the timing of the Interregnum was significant, because the year 1666 – the year of the Beast – was so near. According to them, four monarchies had already reigned, as prophesied by Daniel in the Old Testament, and now it had come time for the fifth and the last.

The godly rule was a hierarchy based on the piety of people and the Mosaic Law. The good, who were called Saints or Free Men, would rule, and the bad would be their slaves. The poor would be forced to work, and they would be provided for with what the government mines earned.

The supporters of the Fifth Monarchy movement believed that it was their duty to help God to bring about the new world order – with violence, if necessary. After the Restoration, they were kept a strict eye on, as they were thought to be a threat. Indeed, in January 1661, fifty Fifth Monarchists tried to take London in the name of "King Jesus," only to be caught, hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason. Some members planned to assassinate Charles II in 1666, but that come to nothing.

The Fifth Monarchists’ failure to take London tightened the laws against all sects, making it more difficult for them to operate. Although some events like the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London made it possible for the members to still believe that the end was near, they didn’t achieve anything visible that would have supported their faith. The passionate movement eventually wore itself out, and disappeared in the 1680s.