The ascension of Scottish Stuarts to the English throne triggered an intriguing clash between three incompatible political ideologies: the divine right of kings (espoused by the Stuarts), a rising theocracy (the Calvinist Puritans) and a growing constitutionalism (the British Parliament).

This course examines the conflict between the Stuarts’ medieval expectations and Parliament’s modern practice, complicated by lingering religious differences from England’s Reformation. It analyzes the reasons England’s abolition of the monarchy could not last—yet—and indicates the effects these events had on the colonization of America.

Mr. Lewis shows how Dr. Peikoff’s DIM Hypothesis can be applied to explain the political turmoil of the age. (The course does not assume prior familiarity with The DIM Hypothesis.)

This course also lays the foundations for a future discussion of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the beginning of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. Students need not have taken previous courses in this sequence to enjoy this course.

Part 1 was delivered at OCON 2005. Part 2 was delivered at OCON 2006, Part 3 was delivered at OCON 2007, and Part 4 was delivered at OCON 2012