Liberalism: Difference between revisions

==Origins==

Although traditionally John Locke is named as the founder of Liberalism, the roots of Locke's philosophy and political beliefs can be traced back to Niccolò Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) and the spread of Republicanism within Great Britain. This connection hinges on a pro-Republican interpretation of Machiavelli that was accidentally spread by the Anti-Machiavellian English scholar Reginald Pole. When in Florence, Pole reported rumors from their mutual acquaintances that ''The Prince'' was written to cause the overthrow of the Medici family.<ref>Rahe, P. A. (2010). the english commonwealthmen. In Machiavelli’s liberal Republican legacy (pp. 1–4). essay, Cambridge University Press.</ref> He was also informed, by the English chief minister Thomas Cromwell, that Henry VIII's decision to break with Rome, declare himself head of the church, and seize the property of the English monasteries, was inspired by ''The Prince''.{{Citation needed}}There is evidence elsewhere that Queen Elizabeth I read ''The Prince'' and that it influenced her speeches.<ref>https://ianchadwick.com/machiavelli/machiavelli-and-the-elizabethans/</ref> During the Elizabethan Era and the English Renaissance, Elizabeth I, with the help of John Dee, would go on to found the British Empire. John Dee was an Occultist who believed that angels were telling him to share his wife with other men.  

===Human Nature===