'No King but Jesus': The Fifth Monarchist's idea of a Christian Commonwealth

The fields of intellectual history and religious thought have conventionally been pursued separately. Intellectual historians following the Cambridge School methodology dominated by the influence of secularisation theory have dismissed the influence of religious beliefs and the impact of religion within the early modern period. Similarly, religious history has prioritised theological arguments and sources over secular ones. Using the Fifth Monarchists (a millenarian sect that was active during the English Revolution) as a case study, this project will demonstrate that both theological and secular arguments were equally important in shaping their political ideas and reinforcing their argument for a Christian commonwealth.