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Post by Tamrin on Jul 22, 2008 19:30:50 GMT 10
Antecedent to the rise of the premier grand lodge and its revolution of Freemasonry were the Levellers, many of whose opinions appear to have been shared by the founders of Modern Freemasonry. LevellersFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Excerpt) The Levellers were members of a mid 17th century English political movement, who came to prominence during the English Civil Wars. They were not a political party in the modern sense of the word, and did not all conform to any specific manifesto. Nevertheless, they are remembered for their beliefs in popular sovereignty, an extended franchise, equality before the law, and religious toleration, all of which were expressed in the Agreement of the People. They were also pioneers in the use of petitions and pamphleteering to political ends.
Leveller views and support were to be found in the populace of the City of London and in some regiments in the New Model Army. The Levellers came to prominence at the end of the First English Civil War and were most influential before the start of the Second Civil War. After Pride's Purge and the execution of Charles I, power lay in the hands of the Grandees in the Army, (and to a lesser extent with the Rump Parliament). The Levellers, along with all other opposition groups, were marginalized by those in power and their influence waned. By 1650 they were no longer a serious threat to the established order.
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Post by jmd on Jul 22, 2008 20:23:29 GMT 10
The term certainly does seem, to our eyes, have Masonic implications - yet given the context and its history, I wonder if that is a fair relation.
I accept that some of their political aspirations and viewpoints have similarity to those that seem to be reflected in Freemasonry, and that, of course, one of the three dominant tools, the Level, can be seen to be implied by a similarity of name (I realise, Bro. Tamrin, that you are not stating this).
Much of the 17th century has a wealth of political and social transformations across Europe that bears upon its fledging societies and fraternities (including Freemasonry). And in this sense, knowing about this movement adds to our overall wealth of informed view of the times!
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