The Royalist Republic : Literature, Politics, and Religion in the Anglo-Dutch Public Sphere, 1639–1660

The execution of Charles I led to an explosion of pro-Stuart propaganda in the Dutch Republic. In gripping detail, The Royalist Republic examines how a wide variety of spies, spin doctors, and religious enthusiasts influenced public opinion in the first modern republic to support a royalist cause.

In 1649, Charles I was executed before Whitehall Palace in London. This event had a major impact not only in the British Isles, but also on the continent, where British exiles, diplomats and agents waged propaganda battles to conquer the minds of foreign audiences. In the Dutch Republic, above all, their efforts had a significant impact on public opinion, and succeeded in triggering violent debate. This is the first book-length study devoted to the continental backlash of the English Civil Wars. Interdisciplinary in scope and drawing on a wide range of sources, from pamphlets to paintings, Helmer Helmers shows how the royalist cause managed to triumph in one of the most unlikely places in early modern Europe. In doing so, Helmers transforms our understanding of both British and Dutch political culture, and provides new contexts for major literary works by Milton, Marvell, Huygens, and many others.