The Consequences of the Loss of Bacon
Among the notable deaths in 1605 during the Conflagration was Francis Bacon, a notable in Elizabeth I's court. The works for which he is known, are thusly:
For a long time after his death, Bacon's works fell into ignominy, Charles' focussing his reign first on conquest and then on religion. It was this religious phase of his reign as well as Cromwell's policy of reconstruction that brought the first of these works back to the light. The ideas of the Meditationes Sacrae caught on like wildfire especially in the aspiring radical thinkers which had emerged in the Midlands since the days of the Communes. Its principles of thinking through actions, listening closely to the words of preachers lest they beguile you, and its doctrine of tolerance to atheists and education to heretics, annoyed many churchmen. However the new Britannic Church caught on to many of its ideals, particularly the involvement of the congregation in the reading of Scripture, and its proselytising message.
With the Meditationes Sacrae proving popular, his other works soon caught on too. His ideas set out to James I in the year of his death were particularly seized upon, as that year was still fresh in many men's minds. The fact that the two men would soon be dead so soon after its writing caused it to be a highly fashionable book to buy, and its expense made it a status symbol. Its principles of establishing some sort of scientific order by the state became rapidly popular, and while Cromwell was loathe to spend the state's money on an entirely new ministry the powerful Midlands Lobby in Parliament forced his hand. The Ministry of Science and Learning was established in 1640, and lead to universities being constructed in most of Britain's major cities. This proliferation of universities allowed Cromwell to boot out the university constitutencies which had remained despite the respective towns of Cambridge and Oxford having suffered in the extreme during the Triplicate Wars. The symbol of the Ministry was the Roman fasces adopted due to Bacon's quote comparing man's accumulated knowledge to a bundle of sticks bound together.
Alongside the establishment of new universities, the Imperial Society of Natural Philosophy was set up, for the purpose of studying science and the natural world, and was headed by the Minister for Science and Learning. In the rebuilding of the cities of England, libraries were constructed, and statues of great thinkers erected. Bacon's talk of apotheosis of the genius was considered heretical by some, and here the Britannic Church drew a line, but so long as the statues were of local men and in the vicinity of the libraries, then the Church was willing to halt its criticism.
The nascent witch-hunts which had emerged in the Fenlands were crushed, their judgements proved false. Superstition and violent religious acts were condemned as Papist, and many would be witch-hunters fled to the New World where they brought their version of religious intolerance with them.
Most importantly, the study of medicine was rigorously encouraged with the dissection of bodies legalised. Many people had come out of the war horribly injured and attempts to fix them with traditional or ad hoc cures had proven to be a poor substitute for the study of the human body which began now in the universities of Britain.
Gardens and parks were also built in the new cities of England, leading to many towns sprawling outwards to a greater extent than they may have done otherwise. On the other hand, much more of these cities were preserved in their natural state due to the construction of the parks and the encouragement of greenery.
The final work of Bacon were his Ten Essays. These encouraged the culture of frugality and worthwhile spending that Cromwell had already begun, and the new cities were built in a plain style that spoke of utility and functionality, their only commitment to decoration being plantlife. The frugality of British life from the increased taxation under Cromwell was elevated by the words of Bacon, who posthumously legitimised the Lord High Commissioner's policies. Just as healthy and careful living was encouraged so healthy and careful learning on the part of individuals was encouraged.
Bacon also seemed to be on the side of the Emperor. Charles was greatly intrigued by the writings of a man who was not only close to his father, but had died at his side. In particular, his idea that the monarch should be above political squabbling, and that his word should be the deciding blow in any war amongst political factions clung to Charles' mind and his strong belief in his divine right to rule.
Bacon undoubtedly dramatically changed Britain even if he didn't know it. However, his work was primarily applied in the home, and by politicians, his ideals of science and religion proving less hardy, though they would be taken up by others in due time. On the other hand, the changes enacted in Britain, the reforms to the Church, and the building of the 'garden-cities' and their accompanying libraries, universities and reverence for learning, made Britain a very attractive destination to scholars, scientists, philosophers, artists and simple immigrants from all over Europe. York in particular benefitted enormously, and grew stupendously, the new House of Parliament built in the new simplistic style. A visitor from the United Provinces described the building, with its hanging plants and its large accompanying park as a 'new Garden of Babylon, well-befitting the reign of the new Emperor'.
Among the notable deaths in 1605 during the Conflagration was Francis Bacon, a notable in Elizabeth I's court. The works for which he is known, are thusly:
- Mediationes sacrae
- Essays
- The Advancement of Learning
For a long time after his death, Bacon's works fell into ignominy, Charles' focussing his reign first on conquest and then on religion. It was this religious phase of his reign as well as Cromwell's policy of reconstruction that brought the first of these works back to the light. The ideas of the Meditationes Sacrae caught on like wildfire especially in the aspiring radical thinkers which had emerged in the Midlands since the days of the Communes. Its principles of thinking through actions, listening closely to the words of preachers lest they beguile you, and its doctrine of tolerance to atheists and education to heretics, annoyed many churchmen. However the new Britannic Church caught on to many of its ideals, particularly the involvement of the congregation in the reading of Scripture, and its proselytising message.
With the Meditationes Sacrae proving popular, his other works soon caught on too. His ideas set out to James I in the year of his death were particularly seized upon, as that year was still fresh in many men's minds. The fact that the two men would soon be dead so soon after its writing caused it to be a highly fashionable book to buy, and its expense made it a status symbol. Its principles of establishing some sort of scientific order by the state became rapidly popular, and while Cromwell was loathe to spend the state's money on an entirely new ministry the powerful Midlands Lobby in Parliament forced his hand. The Ministry of Science and Learning was established in 1640, and lead to universities being constructed in most of Britain's major cities. This proliferation of universities allowed Cromwell to boot out the university constitutencies which had remained despite the respective towns of Cambridge and Oxford having suffered in the extreme during the Triplicate Wars. The symbol of the Ministry was the Roman fasces adopted due to Bacon's quote comparing man's accumulated knowledge to a bundle of sticks bound together.
Alongside the establishment of new universities, the Imperial Society of Natural Philosophy was set up, for the purpose of studying science and the natural world, and was headed by the Minister for Science and Learning. In the rebuilding of the cities of England, libraries were constructed, and statues of great thinkers erected. Bacon's talk of apotheosis of the genius was considered heretical by some, and here the Britannic Church drew a line, but so long as the statues were of local men and in the vicinity of the libraries, then the Church was willing to halt its criticism.
The nascent witch-hunts which had emerged in the Fenlands were crushed, their judgements proved false. Superstition and violent religious acts were condemned as Papist, and many would be witch-hunters fled to the New World where they brought their version of religious intolerance with them.
Most importantly, the study of medicine was rigorously encouraged with the dissection of bodies legalised. Many people had come out of the war horribly injured and attempts to fix them with traditional or ad hoc cures had proven to be a poor substitute for the study of the human body which began now in the universities of Britain.
Gardens and parks were also built in the new cities of England, leading to many towns sprawling outwards to a greater extent than they may have done otherwise. On the other hand, much more of these cities were preserved in their natural state due to the construction of the parks and the encouragement of greenery.
The final work of Bacon were his Ten Essays. These encouraged the culture of frugality and worthwhile spending that Cromwell had already begun, and the new cities were built in a plain style that spoke of utility and functionality, their only commitment to decoration being plantlife. The frugality of British life from the increased taxation under Cromwell was elevated by the words of Bacon, who posthumously legitimised the Lord High Commissioner's policies. Just as healthy and careful living was encouraged so healthy and careful learning on the part of individuals was encouraged.
Bacon also seemed to be on the side of the Emperor. Charles was greatly intrigued by the writings of a man who was not only close to his father, but had died at his side. In particular, his idea that the monarch should be above political squabbling, and that his word should be the deciding blow in any war amongst political factions clung to Charles' mind and his strong belief in his divine right to rule.
Bacon undoubtedly dramatically changed Britain even if he didn't know it. However, his work was primarily applied in the home, and by politicians, his ideals of science and religion proving less hardy, though they would be taken up by others in due time. On the other hand, the changes enacted in Britain, the reforms to the Church, and the building of the 'garden-cities' and their accompanying libraries, universities and reverence for learning, made Britain a very attractive destination to scholars, scientists, philosophers, artists and simple immigrants from all over Europe. York in particular benefitted enormously, and grew stupendously, the new House of Parliament built in the new simplistic style. A visitor from the United Provinces described the building, with its hanging plants and its large accompanying park as a 'new Garden of Babylon, well-befitting the reign of the new Emperor'.
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