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The Rota Club refers to a debate society, composed of learned gentlemen, who debated republican ideology in London between November 1659 and February 1660. The Club was founded and dominated by James Harrington. It began during the English Interregnum (1649–1660) and lasted until the early months of the Restoration (1660). == Origins == The Rota Club owes its creation to James Harrington. This aristocratic author had been using English Coffee houses since as early as 1656 to promote his works of republican political philosophy, such as ''The Commonwealth of Oceana'' (which was released in 1656), and was well received in these venues.〔Downs, Michael, ''James Harrington'', Boston: G. K. Hall & Co. 1977, p. 129.〕 In the summer of 1659 however a more serious and organized kind of discussion was instituted in the Bower Street Club.〔Brian, W. Cowan, ''Social Life of Coffee : The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse'', Yale University Press. 2005 pp. 96.〕 This club met at John Wildman's tavern and was frequented by Harrington's close friends and followers. Their discussion revolved around the republican politics of its members and how to propagate their ideas into the public. This club was short lived and in October or November 1659 Harrington made the decision to form the Rota Club to further advertise his republican ideas.〔Charles Blitzer, ''An Immortal Commonwealth: The Political Thought of James Harrington'', New Haven; Yale University Press, 1960. p. 56.〕 The Rota Club met at Miles' Coffeehouse at the Turk's Head in the Palace Yard.〔''The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth'', edited with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary by Evert Mordecai Clark (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1915).〕 Its location in one of these new establishments is of some importance. The English coffeehouse was gaining in popularity at this time as it provided a place of sobriety to stage enlightening conversations and debates.〔Cowan, 2005, pp. 44,45,96.〕 As a result Harrington saw moving the Rota Club into the coffeehouse as hugely beneficial. In the past such assemblies of men had met in taverns, but the introduction of the exotic coffee in England allowed for a different sort of meeting based on moderation and conversation. Harrington may have based the Rota Club after the Italian Academies he had seen on his travels through Europe. Such an organization would have been interesting to the Virtuosi, a class of men in England at this time, were a conscious replication of a similar Italian class of gentleman.〔Cowan, 2005, pp. 10-12.〕 They certainly were interested in the exotic new coffee house and were frequenters of this club (and the Bower Street Club). The Rota Club was named after Harrington's obsession with political rotation, though the specific form of political rotation seems to have had one of two origins. The first possibility is that the name 'Rota' came from the rotation of ministers in seats of government which figured prominently in Harrington's Utopian work ''Oceana'' as a means to ensure experienced members were always present while at the same time ministers were switched out to prevent a consolidation of unbalanced power.〔Charles Blitzer, ''An Immortal Commonwealth: The Political Thought of James Harrington'', New Haven; Yale University Press, 1960. p. 235.〕 Another possibility is that the Rota Club derived its name from the revolving contrivances used for ballot voting in papal elections, and the ballot box used in the Rota Club itself. Either way the name 'Rota' referred to a republican or more democratic method of governance than monarchy. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rota Club」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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