Absalom and Achitophel

The biblical subject matter of “Absalom and Achitophel” is an allegory for the events of 1679-1681, which became known as the Exclusion Crisis. King Charles II’s brother James, the Duke of York, was next in line to the throne. When James converted to Roman Catholicism, his conversion provoked heated opposition amongst certain members of Parliament, who believed Catholicism threatened England’s established Anglican Church and national Protestant identity. The Earl of Shaftesbury, Anthony Cooper, became the leader of the opposing faction, and he introduced a bill in Parliament to exclude James from the succession in favour of James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth, who was one of Charles’s illegitimate sons and a Protestant. The members of Parliament involved in the pro-exclusion faction became known as the Whig Party, while the King’s supporters became known as the Tory Party.

Although the Duke of Monmouth had always enjoyed his father’s favor, the king showed no willingness to legitimize him. Instead, King Charles repeatedly rejected the Whigs’ attempts to exclude his Catholic brother from the succession. The Duke of Monmouth, for his part, actively participated in the schemes to legitimize his heirdom, which eventually led to a permanent estrangement from his father.