| Summary |
The purpose of this study is to tie Monmouth's 1685 uprising more closely to the Glorious Revolution of 1688. In this thesis the questions of the Duke of Monmouth's illegitimacy, his rebellion, the retribution of his followers, and the deportation of the rebels to the Caribbean as indentured servants is discussed. The first chapter explores Monmouth's involvement in politics before the rebellion, his standing at court, and challenges modem revisionists who have refuted the traditional interpretation of his illegitimacy. In order to fully explore the 1685 uprising, the rebellion has been placed on equal footing with King William Ill's "Glorious Revolution" and Monmouth's Declaration is evaluated in order to demonstrate the similar objectives between the two uprisings. The failure of the 1685 revolution resulted in a harsh wave of retribution primarily aimed at the non-aristocratic rebels; Whig propagandists such as Gilbert Burnet and John Tutchin would later use these events to defend the Glorious Revolution and the political settlement which resulted. While explorations of the Monmouth Rebellion have traditionally ended either with the rebel defeat at Sedgemoor or the conclusion of the assizes, the final section of this study carries the history of the rebels to their deportation to the Caribbean. |
