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What does 'entered upon his idiocy' mean? And what is the difference between 'upon' and 'on' given after 'enter'?
To the west somber gray cliffs, known locally as Ware Cleeves, rose steeply from the shingled beach where Monmouth entered upon his idiocy.
THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN by John Fowles
The 1st Duke of Monmouth landed with his ship at Monmouth Beach, Lyme Regis, during his attempt to take the crown from King James II. He started a rebellion which failed. Many people were hanged right there on the beach and he himself was beheaded for treason. Some say the execution was pretty gruesome as it took a few blows to sever the head from his body. This is a story the guides at the Tower of London love telling.
The Duke's plan to take the throne from his uncle, was an idiotic idea. There at the beach the Duke met his doom which was the result of his own idiocy.
to enter upon something means …
...to begin or set out on something
We have entered upon a challenging period in our lives.
...to enter a place when something is happening
We entered upon a heated dispute when we arrived at our friend's house.
upon is a more formal term for on
I'm no historian, but since no one else sees fit to answer your question:
This apparently is a reference to the so called "Monmouth Rebellion" named after the Duke of Monmouth, who is somewhat hard to "Google", since his name is not Monmouth, but (I think) James Scott (Duke of Monmouth). The narrator in your novel seems to consider the Rebellion to be "idiotic". Judging from the comments to your question, I gather this is still a controversial subject.
Anyway, good luck with Mr. Fowles' prose!
