2025 Issue №4

Using the example of Randal MacDonnell, Earl and Marquess of Antrim, the article ex­amines the specific features of the attitude of the English political establishment during the period of the Commonwealth and the Protectorate toward representatives of the Irish Catholic community. During the years of the First Civil War, this aristocrat was an ardent supporter of the monarchy and provided armed assistance to Charles I in his struggle against the Scot­tish Covenanters. He later sharply changed sides and began to support Cromwell during his campaign in Ireland. The study characterizes the reasons for Sir Randal’s defection to the side of the “enemies of Catholicism,” as well as the services he rendered to the new regime. In ad­dition, the article identifies the circle of patrons of the Catholic lord and analyzes the reasons why he ultimately failed to fully integrate into the established system of state power. The me­thodological framework of the study includes both general scientific methods of inquiry (his­torical-genetic, problem-chronological, historical-comparative, and methods of analysis and synthesis) and microhistorical analysis.

The article examines the problem of representing the history and culture of Old Believers in the journalistic writings of the recognized classics of anarchist thought—M. A. Bakunin, P. A. Kropotkin and L. N. Tolstoy. It is shown that representatives of the Russian anar­chist movement re­garded Old Believers as a potential support in the struggle against the tsar­ist government. According to the views of the revolutionaries, the mentality of Old Believers shared numerous similarities with the ethics of Russian socialists. Despite many fundamental ideological differ­ences, both groups gravitated toward collectivism, welcomed egalitarianism in social life, and demonstrated a pronounced distrust of representatives of the ruling authori­ties. It is noted that on a number of issues, anarchists’ views on Old Belief differed little from the perception of this religious movement held by thinkers of a state-protective orientation. In particular, both camps of theorists sought to identify in Old Belief a “natural” inclination toward anti-monarchical protest, revolutionary radicalism, and even readiness for armed re­bellion.