Sir Henry Vane is imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle

Historical Context Note

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Domains

Politics

Dates

Date of occurrence 1656-09-04

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Resources

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Sir Henry Vane had been a leading Parliamentarian during the First Civil War, opposed to Charles I's Laudian religious policies. However, he opposed any radical overhaul in the system of government, and objected to the King's execution. He remained an important part of the Commonwealth and Protectorate governments, but in

A Healing Question

, he suggested that England needed to draw up a written constitution (rather as the United States of America would a century later). The criticisms of Cromwell's government that this tract implied led to him being imprisoned, in Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight. As a result, he was prevented from standing for Parliament in the elections for the Second Protectorate Parliament in the summer of 1656. He was released from imprisonment on 31 December…

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