See Levellers (disambiguation) for alternative meanings.

The Levellers were a mid 17th century English political party, who came to prominence during the English Civil Wars. Their manifesto involved a remodelling of the English political process along the lines of a more egalitarian, less class-driven regime. They had a large following within the ranks of the New Model Army.

Brief history

Origin of name

They were labelled 'Levellers' by their enemies, who claimed that they were intent on bringing all down to the lowest common level. This was a charge that they vehemently denied, but they adopted the name because it was how they were known to the majority of people.

Leaders

The most vocal of the Leveller leaders was John Lilburne. Other leaders included William Walwyn , Thomas Prince , and Richard Overton . "Freeborn" John Lilburne regarded the term “Levellers” to be pejorative. Lilburne called his supporters "Levellers so-called" and preferred to refer to the Levellers as "Agitators".

English Civil Wars

The Levellers were one of the largest factions on the Parliamentarian side during the English Civil Wars. They were organised at the national level, with offices in a number of London inns and taverns. The Levellers published a newspaper (The Moderate ), and they identified themselves by sea-green ribbons worn on their clothing. The Levellers were extremely well-supported from within the ranks of the New Model Army.

Political ambitions

The Levellers' political ambitions involved a remodelling of the English political process along the lines of a more egalitarian, less class-driven regime. They held (in the words of Richard Overton) that "by natural birth all men are equally and alike borne to like propriety, liberty and freedom", and that government should be a contract between equal citizens. Their manifesto included: universal suffrage for all adult males, biannual or annual elections, complete religious freedom, an end to the censorship of books and newspapers, the abolition of the monarchy and the House of Lords, trial by jury, an end to taxation of people earning less than £30 a year, and a maximum interest rate of six percent.

Secular foundation

The basis of Leveller politics was original in that it was not founded on religious doctrine. What the Levellers sought was a secular republic, without religious direction from the state. In common with later liberals they called for the abolition of tithes, the feudal fee charged to pay for the state church. They argued for complete religious tolerance, a position which was markedly radical for the time.

Their views were in stark contrast to those of groups such as the Diggers, led by Gerrard Winstanley, who called themselves True Levellers. They called for the total destruction of the existing order, and its replacement by a communistic and agrarian lifestyle based on a doctrine which they derived from the Book of Acts.

Time Line

In July 1645 John Lilburne was imprisoned for denouncing Members of Parliament who lived in comfort while the common soldiers fought and died for the Parliamentary cause. His offence was slandering William Lenthall, the Speaker of the House of Commons, whom he accused of corresponding with Royalists. He was freed in October after a petition requesting his release, and signed by over two thousand leading London citizens, was presented to the House of Commons.

In July 1646, Lilburne was imprisoned again, this time in the Tower of London, for denouncing his former army commander the Earl of Manchester as a Royalist sympathiser, because he had protected an officer who had been charged with treason. It was the campaigns to free Lilburne from prison which spawned the movement known as the Levellers.

The Levellers in the New Model Army elected Agitators from each regiment to represent them. It was agreed by the Agitators and senior officers in the Army, (nicknamed "Grandees") to hold some debates on the issues which divided them. These debates are known as the Putney Debates, and they were held in St Mary's Church, Putney, in the county of Surrey, between October 28 and November 11 1647. The Agitators were assisted by some civilians, and the Grandees were represented by Henry Ireton (son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell), Oliver Cromwell, and some others. Each party put forward a pamphlet to lay out their position. The Levellers' pamphlet, written by civilians, was entitled Agreement of the People ^{Selected works of the Levellers}

• John Lilburne and the Levellers
• BBC: The Levellers (17th century)
• A Time-line for the Levellers
• The Levellers: Overton, Walwyn and Lilburne Note 1 in this link includes an explanation of the origins of the word Levellers.

Footnotes

see Wikipedia:Footnote3

1. The Putney Debates
2. ⇧ The Agreement of the People as presented to the Council of the Army October 1647
3. ⇧The Heads of the Proposals offered by the Army
4. ⇧Agreement of the People, as presented to Parliament in January 1649
5. ⇧Agreement of the Free People, extended version from the imprisonment of the Leveller leaders, May 1649
6. ⇧The testimony of the Burford Levellers