- Born:
- c. 1598
- Died:
- Dec. 31, 1673
- Title / Office:
- Short Parliament (1640-1640)
- Political Affiliation:
- Roundhead
Oliver Saint John
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Who was Oliver Saint John?
Oliver Saint John (c. 1598â1673) was a prominent English politician who led the Parliamentary opposition to King Charles I.
Educated at Queensâ College, Cambridge, he was called to the bar at Lincolnâs Inn in 1626. His marriage to Elizabeth Cromwell, a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, in 1638, led to a close friendship between the two men. As a member of Parliament for Totnes, he allied with reformist yet moderate members and attacked Charlesâs misuse of his discretionary powers of taxation. Although Charles appointed him solicitor general in 1641, Saint John continued to promote opposition bills.
During the English Civil Wars, he became a leader of the Independents. After the Commonwealth was declared, St. John advocated for an alliance between England and the Dutch republics, but he supported the First Anglo-Dutch War when the Dutch declined. Following the Restoration of Charles II, he was excluded from public office and eventually retired to the European continent.
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What role did Oliver Saint John have in English politics?
Oliver Saint John (c. 1598â1673) was a prominent English politician who opposed King Charles I. As a member of Parliament for Totnes, he allied with reformist yet moderate members, leading the charge against Charles's misuse of taxation powers. Although Charles I appointed him solicitor general in 1641, Saint John's views remained unchanged, and he actively promoted the impeachment of Thomas Wentworth. During the English Civil Wars, he became a leader of the Independents. After the Commonwealth was declared, St. John advocated for an alliance between the English and Dutch republics, but he supported the First Anglo-Dutch War when the Dutch declined. Following the Restoration of Charles II, he was excluded from public office.
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During which important time period did Oliver Saint John serve?
Oliver Saint John, born around 1598, was an English politician who served during the tumultuous period of the 17th century. He was a leader in the Parliamentary opposition to King Charles I.
Saint John was a Member of Parliament for Totnes, Devon, in both the Short and Long Parliaments. He allied with reformist yet moderate members of Parliament. He led the charge against Charles's misuse of discretionary taxation and sought a new basis for royal revenue grounded in Parliamentary consent.
During the English Civil Wars, he became a leader of the Independents. After the Commonwealth was declared, Saint John advocated for a close alliance between the English and Dutch republics. He later supported the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652â54) after the Dutch rejected his advances.
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What position did Oliver Saint John hold in government?
Oliver Saint John was an English politician who opposed King Charles I. In January 1641, Charles I appointed him solicitor general in an attempt to win his support, but St. John's political views remained unchanged.
During the English Civil Wars, St. John became a leader of the Independents. In October 1648, he was appointed chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas. After the Commonwealth was declared, St. John advocated for an alliance between the English and Dutch republics. In 1652, he became a commissioner responsible for the union between England and Scotland.
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How did Oliver Saint John influence major events or decisions in England?
Oliver Saint John (c. 1598â1673) was a key English politician who opposed King Charles I. As a member of Parliament, he attacked Charles's use of discretionary taxation and sought Parliamentary consent for royal revenue. Despite being appointed solicitor general by Charles in 1641, St. John's views remained unchanged. He helped impeach Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, and create bills like the Militia Bill. During the English Civil Wars, he led the Independents and backed the army against Parliament. After the Commonwealth was declared, St. John advocated for alliance with the Dutch Republic. When this failed, he supported the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652â54). He also helped unite England and Scotland in 1652 and urged Cromwell to become king in 1657.
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What is Oliver Saint John mainly remembered for in English history?
Oliver Saint John (c. 1598â1673) is mainly remembered as a leader of the Parliamentary opposition to King Charles I of England. A member of Parliament, he allied with reformers and led the charge against Charles's misuse of discretionary taxation, advocating for increased royal revenue based on Parliamentary consent. Although Charles I appointed him solicitor general in 1641, Saint John remained unchanged in his political views. During the English Civil Wars, he became a leader of the Independents. After the Restoration, St. John's only punishment was exclusion from holding public office.
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Oliver Saint John (born c. 1598âdied Dec. 31, 1673) was an English politician and one of the leaders of the Parliamentary opposition to King Charles I of England.
Born into a family of Bedfordshire gentry, St. John was educated at Queensâ College, Cambridge, and was called to the bar at Lincolnâs Inn in 1626. He was brought before the Star Chamber in 1630, together with the Earl of Bedford, charged with the publication of a seditious libel concerning the âbridling of Parliaments.â He was threatened with torture but was released from prison, and the case was dismissed. He was a member of the company formed to colonize Providence Island (now Providencia) in the Caribbean Sea in 1630. In 1638 his marriage to his second wife, Elizabeth Cromwell, a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, led to an intimate friendship with Cromwell.
A member of Parliament for Totnes, Devon, in both the Short and the Long Parliaments, St. John was closely allied with Bedford, John Pym, and John Hampden in what became known as the âmiddle groupââmembers of Parliament who were reformist yet moderate. St. John led the attack on Charlesâs misuse of his discretionary powers of taxation in previous years and worked to find a new basis for a substantially increased royal revenue grounded in Parliamentary consent. In an attempt to win St. Johnâs support, Charles appointed him solicitor general in January 1641. St. Johnâs political views, however, remained unchanged, and in the same year he took an active and savage part in promoting the impeachment and attainder of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, and helped in preparing other bills, such as the Militia Bill, for the opposition. He also played a prominent role in attacks on recent religious innovation. He especially opposed the attempt by the clergy to regain much of the wealth and jurisdiction stripped away from them during and since the Reformation.
During the English Civil Wars, St. John became a recognized leader of the Independents and supported the army in its quarrel with Parliament in 1647. He was appointed chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas in October 1648. He retained his seat for Totnes, but his legal office debarred him from sitting in the Commons, and he took no part in the debates and refused to act as a commissioner at the kingâs trial (1649). After the Commonwealth was declared, St. John was a leading advocate of a close allianceâeven a confederationâof the English and Dutch republics; however, when the Dutch spurned his advances, he turned on them and supported the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652â54). In 1652 he was one of the commissioners responsible for bringing about the union between England and Scotland, and he was among those who pressed Cromwell to take the title of king in 1657.
After the Restoration of Charles II, he published in 1660 a defense of his past conduct, The Case of Oliver St. John, and his only punishment was exclusion from holding public office. He retired to Northamptonshire until 1662, when he went to the European continent. The place of his death is not known.