Fifth-Monarchy Men
Preserved but no longer current.
A sect of English fanatics of about 1654 to 1660, who maintained that Jesus Christ was about to come a second time to the earth, and establish the fifth universal monarchy. The four preceding monarchies were the Assyrian, the Persian, the Macedonian, and the Roman. In politics, the Fifth-Monarchy Men were zealous re- formers and levellers.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Fifth-Monarchy Men” mean?
A sect of English fanatics of about 1654 to 1660, who maintained that Jesus Christ was about to come a second time to the earth, and establish the fifth universal monarchy. The four preceding monarchies were the Assyrian, the Persian, the Macedonian, and the Roman. In politics, the Fifth-Monarchy Men were zealous re- formers and levellers.
Is “Fifth-Monarchy Men” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.