New Religious Movements
The Fifth Monarchists
Apocalyptic Movements
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Origin 1651 to 1661
The Fifth Monarchists were an English Puritan sect active during the Commonwealth period of the 1650s, taking their name from a reading of the book of Daniel that identified four past world empires to be followed by a fifth, everlasting monarchy of Christ, which they believed was imminent and which they were called to help establish, by force if necessary. Their political influence collapsed after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and the movement effectively ended after Thomas Venner led a failed armed uprising in London in January 1661 to hasten the promised fifth monarchy.
Facts
Origins
Origin PeriodThe movement is dated from December 1651, when radical preachers meeting in London gave the Fifth Monarchist current an organized identity distinct from the wider millenarian sentiment already circulating since the execution of Charles the First in 1649, to January 1661, when Thomas Venner's failed London uprising ended its political viability. Origin Period1650s to 1661 (Venner's Rising) 1 Place of OriginEngland, organized in London during the Commonwealth 1 FounderNo single founder; organized collectively in December 1651 by radical preachers meeting in London, among them Christopher Feake and Vavasor Powell. 1 Status
Status TodayHistorical; not practised continuously 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
London, Cities This source names London directly: "Venner led a failed armed uprising in London in January 1661 to hasten the promised fifth monarchy."
Objects and Practices of This Tradition
An academically-edited history podcast episode devoted to a leading Fifth Monarchist figure, produced independently of the movement rather than by any successor body.
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