charles II and restoration

What was the Restoration of 1660?

• Convention parliament declared government by King

Why was restoration needed?

• no effective gov after Cromwell, son of Cromwell was not skilled at balancing demands of Parliament and Army

• Rump was recalled but they refused to address the grievances of soldiers, so Army surrounded Parliament

• PN saw return of monarchy as only hope of security + prevent collapse of society

• fear of Quaker influence, by late 1650s there are 60,000

• General George Monck was given petitions to restore the monarchy

Declaration of Breda

• Charles promised free and general pardon to those who worked with Republican regimes

• restoration of estates to Royalists

• religious freedom to an extent ‘liberty to tender conscience’

Who helped to conduct the Restoration Settlement?

• Convention Parliament and Cavalier Parliament (newly elected)

• between 1660-1664

How much was solved? : indemnity, army and land

• indemnity act granted general pardon, with few exceptions to 30 closely involved

• army was paid and disbanded

• land confiscated from Crown, Church and some Royalists was returned

what remained a problem? : indemnity, army and land

• royalists resented Indemnity Act

• royalists who sold land to aid the monarchy did not have it returned

How much was solved? : Constitutional Settlement

• Ship Money + Knighthood fines remained illegal

• Parliament controlling Army was abandoned

• Triennial Act was weakened, King could not be forced to call Parliament every 3 years

• Press censorship restored

what remained a problem? : Constitutional Settlement

• King could still rule without Parliament

• authority over the army was split, Parliament could raise but King controlled

• MPs only granted increased power to Charles as wanted to secure order

How much was solved? : Religious Settlement

• church land restored + Book of Common Prayer

• bishops readmitted to HOL

• Claredon Code established a narrow and rigid church which attacked dissenters

• Act of Uniformity - all clergy to swear to use New Book of Common Prayer

• Corporation Act - dissenters were prevented from holding town offices

• Conventicle Act - religious assemblies of five or more not using new prayer book were made illegal

• Five-Mile Act - preachers who did not accept the restored church could not come within five miles of a town or city

what remained a problem? : Religious Settlement

• Charles wanted a broader Church, and tried to ensure Presbyterians had a role in the new Church

• tried to introduce Declaration of Indulgence 1662 - to suspend penal laws against Catholics and Dissenters

• But Parliament rejected the proposals

• Dissenters were somewhat supported, JPs were reluctant to persecute Dissenters other than extremists like Quakers

• some Bishops also sheltered moderate dissenters (Presbyterians), hoping they would be accepted into Church

How much was solved? : Financial Settlement

• Charles granted T and P for life

• promised an income of £1.2 million per year

• Hearth Tax introduced (tax on the number of fireplaces)

what remained a problem? : Financial Settlement

• the financial settlement left Charles with an annual deficit of £120,000 as aimed to keep him dependent on Parliamentary income

Who was Clarendon?

• advisor to King from 1660-1667

• he was disliked since he arranged Charles’ childless marriage

• Downfall was when Charles blamed him for the failures of the Second Anglo-Dutch war

Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1667)

• Parliament put pressure on Charles to go to war, ended up being a disaster for England

• loss of 4250 men and 10 English Ships sinks

• Claredon was used as a scapegoat for failures. 1667 was forced to resign and went into self-imposed exile in France

Who was the Cabal?

• group of advisors to the King during 1667-1674

• diverse group, Clifford was a Catholic and Shaftesbury was a Protestant

• goal was to extend religious toleration and ally with France

Increased Catholic Influence leading to tensions?

• Parliament felt distrust of Charles

• His wife and mother were both Catholic

• His mistresses (Barbara Palmer and Louise De Keroualle)

• 1673, Duke of York - James, announced he had converted to Catholicism

Second Conventicle Act (1670)

• Charles was forced to renew and enforce a more rigid act, to be granted £300,000 from Parliament

• more strict on dissenters, fine on those who attended illegal religious assemblies

Declaration of Indulgence (1672)

• Charles attempts to suspend penal laws

• Parliament stated only they had the power to do so

• Charles was forced to issue the Test Act (1673) those wanting to hold office to swear an oath on King and Church

Anglo-French attack on Dutch

• Parliament granted funds but refused to grant further funding

• Charles announced the end of Crown repayments of loans (Stop of the Exchequer) to fund as Crown income had fallen

• Charles forced to withdraw from war in 1674

• marked end of Cabal

Who was Danby?

• strengthened P relations as stood for politics in tune with MPs

• wanted rigid Church with no toleration

• anti-French, pro-Dutch policy

Ango-Dutch Treaty (1677)

• if Charles allied against French, P would fund him

• P granted him £300,000 and an army of £30,000

• But, Charles refused to take further action against France + kept £30,000 army as a standing army - increased fears of absolutism

Catholic Monarch Concessions (1678)

• Charles promised future Catholic monarchs would not have the right of Church patronage, P have the right of appointments to offices

• Charles vetoed P’s bill further limiting rights

Impeachment of Danby (1678)

• MP Montagu revealed that Danby was aware of Charles relations with Louis XIV despite P granting Charles money to fight France

• Charles dismissed Parliament when they tried to impeach him

• Charles dismissed Danby and pardoned him to avoid a trial that would expose himself as well