Biographical Report on William Davenant

            In looking back at theatre history we can see strong religious ideologies that helped shape the nature of theatrical productions. Before 1642 theater was widely celebrated by royalty with the backing and support of King Charles I, who was extremely supportive of theater as an art form. Around 1642 England began a bloody civil war that would last until 1648. In the early part of the war royalists defeated the parliamentarians. Later, military leader and protectorate Oliver Cromwell built his own army and was victorious in winning the Battle of Nasbey against the royalist forces. In 1648 the war had ended and Charles I was captured by the Scottish and taken to Cromwell. Charles was then beheaded Oliver Cromwell took over leadership power in England. This was the first time in history that England was governed by someone outside of the monarchy. Under Cromwell, theatre was outlawed because it was associated with the monarchy and considered immoral, possessing non-Puritan values. He saw an unequal balance of power in the parliament and in 1653 dissolved the parliament and designated himself as Lord Protectorate. When Cromwell summoned Parliament again in 1656, he found that they were not supportive. They instead, wanted to return to the traditional constitutional rule of king, lords, and commons. They created a new House of Lords, and offered Cromwell the title of king. He rejected the offer maybe from fear that his deputies would eventually try to over throw him. In the early part of 1660 this happened when one of his commanders seized London and summoned a special parliament to invite Charles II the son the dead Charles I to return to the throne. .
             The Restoration theatre period began around 1660 in Britain under the rule of Charles II. Charles fully restored the monarchy upon taking the throne. During Cromwell's rule Charles II had been in France during in the court of Louis XIV, who possessed a strong love of theatre.