{"id":4703,"canonical_url":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/events/1649ce-feb-13--4703","name":"1649 CE, February 13","year":1649,"era":"CE","month":2,"day":13,"url":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/events/1649ce-feb-13--4703","iso-date":"1649-02-13","precision":"year-month-day","description":"\u003cp\u003eJohn Milton, English poet and polemicist, publishes his first political treatise, \"The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates\" on February 13, 1649, arguing that a king's power comes from the people, not divine right, and that he is accountable to them and stating the right of the people to depose and execute a tyrannical ruler. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","additional_details":"\u003cp\u003eHis treatise was written in the aftermath of King Charles I's execution. arguing for popular sovereignty and the rule of law. His work justifies the English revolutionaries' actions by asserting that a ruler who violates the law and oppresses his people forfeits his right to rule.  A second, expanded edition was published on February 15, 1650.\u003c/p\u003e","photo":"https://k365fs.imgix.net/hUV3eJTbWXPAhMMOs2w2_John_Milton_(5254798)-%20PD-R.jpg?auto=format,compress\u0026fit=clip\u0026max-w=1600","photo_width":1058,"photo_height":918,"created_at":"2026-02-13T15:55:50-08:00","updated_at":"2026-02-13T21:52:32-08:00","breadcrumbs":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"February History","item":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/february"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"February 13","item":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/february-13"}]},"schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Thing","@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/events/1649ce-feb-13--4703#eventK365","name":"1649 CE, February 13","headline":"John Milton, English poet and polemicist, publishes his first political treatise, \u0026quot;The Tenure of Kings and... - 1649 CE","description":"John Milton, English poet and polemicist, publishes his first political treatise, \"The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates\" on February 13, 1649, arguing that a...","url":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/events/1649ce-feb-13--4703","additionalType":"HistoricalEvent","inLanguage":"en","datePublished":"2026-02-13T15:55:50-08:00","dateModified":"2026-02-13T21:52:32-08:00","publisher":{"@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/#organizationK365"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://k365fs.imgix.net/hUV3eJTbWXPAhMMOs2w2_John_Milton_(5254798)-%20PD-R.jpg?auto=format,compress\u0026fit=clip\u0026max-w=1600","width":1058,"height":918},"temporalCoverage":"1649-02-13","isPartOf":[{"@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/#websiteK365"},{"@type":"CollectionPage","@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/february","name":"What Happened in February History"},{"@type":"CollectionPage","@id":"https://www.kudos365.com/today-in-history/february-13#pageK365","name":"What Happened on February 13"}]}}