Editing Republic (section)

=== Calvinist republics ===
{{see also|European wars of religion}}
While the classical writers had been the primary ideological source for the republics of Italy, in Northern Europe, the [[Protestant Reformation]] would be used as justification for establishing new republics.{{sfn|Finer|1999|p=1020}} Most important was [[Calvinist]] theology, which developed in the Swiss Confederacy, one of the largest and most powerful of the medieval republics. [[John Calvin]] did not call for the abolition of monarchy, but he advanced the doctrine that the faithful had the duty to overthrow irreligious monarchs.<ref>"Republicanism". ''Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment'' p. 435</ref> Advocacy for republics appeared in the writings of the [[Huguenots]] during the [[French Wars of Religion]].<ref>"Introduction". ''Republicanism: a Shared European Heritage''. By Martin van Gelderen and Quentin Skinner. Cambridge University Press, 2002 p. 1</ref>

Calvinism played an important role in the republican revolts in England and the Netherlands. Like the city-states of Italy and the Hanseatic League, both were important trading centres, with a large merchant class prospering from the trade with the New World. Large parts of the population of both areas also embraced Calvinism. During the [[Dutch Revolt]] (beginning in 1566), the [[Dutch Republic]] emerged from rejection of [[Habsburg Spain|Spanish Habsburg]] rule. However, the country did not adopt the republican form of government immediately: in the formal declaration of independence ([[Act of Abjuration]], 1581), the throne of [[Philip II of Spain|king Philip]] was only declared vacant, and the Dutch magistrates asked the [[Francis, Duke of Anjou|Duke of Anjou]], queen [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth of England]] and prince [[William the Silent|William of Orange]], one after another, to replace Philip. It took until 1588 before the [[The Estates|Estates]] (the ''Staten'', the representative assembly at the time) decided to vest the sovereignty of the country in themselves.

In 1641 the [[English Civil War]] began. Spearheaded by the [[Puritans]] and funded by the merchants of London, the revolt was a success, and [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] was executed. In England [[James Harrington (author)|James Harrington]], [[Algernon Sidney]], and [[John Milton]] became some of the first writers to argue for rejecting monarchy and embracing a republican form of government. The [[English Commonwealth]] was short-lived, and the monarchy was soon restored. The Dutch Republic continued in name until 1795, but by the mid-18th century the [[stadtholder]] had become a ''de facto'' monarch. Calvinists were also some of the earliest settlers of the British and Dutch colonies of North America.