4 Charles II and the restoration (1660 - 1685)

What was the Act of Indulgence?

What was the popish plot?

What was the test act?

What was the Stop of the Exchequer?

What was the exclusion crisis

What was the restoration settlement?

What was the Declaration of Breda?

What was the Clarendon code?

What was the secret treaty of dover?

‘The Restoration Settlement was a failure.’ 

Assess the validity of this view of the years 1660 to 1685.

What was the restoration settlement?

• Followed after the return of charles II to the throne in 1660, sought to resolved the political, religious and financial crises that had culminated in the CW, execution of charles I and over a decade of republican rule

• Initial years saw an improvement in stability but was limited in long term effectiveness 

How successful was the political settlement?

• Early cooperation but failed long term

• Declaration of Breda 1660 paved the way for Charles IIs peaceful return

• Unclear balance of power

• Crown reliance on parl for finance (now controlled taxation)

• Exclusion crisis 1679-81

• 11 years rule

• Never made peace with the people who had supported the interregnum - these republicans and political radicals were alienated 

• Used Cabal as scapegoats, good short term but ignored underlying issues

How successful was the religious settlement?

• Church of england was restored as the national church

• But no attempt to accommodate the religious diversity that had developed during the interregnum 

• Declaration of breda promised religious toleration but this was not seen

• Clarendon code 1661-65, a harsh series of laws (eg act of uniformity, five mile act) targeting dissenters, reinforcing anglican supremacy 

• Charles’ own religious leanings also contributed to instability (worsened due to james ii and his wife)

• Introduced declaration of indulgence 1672 = toleration for catholics and dissenters

• parl made him withdraw and accept the test act 1673 which excluded catholics from holding office 

• These catholic leanings led to the exclusion crisis and popish plot 1678

How successful was the financial settlement?

• Parl promised Chalres an annual income of around £1.2m but was rarely ever given this

• Failed to reform the outdated system of fiscal feudalism and the crown remained financially weak and dependent on parl particularly in times of war

• This inadequacy came clear during the anglo dutch war 1672-74 

• Relied on the stop of the exchequer 1672 where he stopped repaying debts for a year - but in reality most creditors were never fully repaid 

• Led to charles accepting the secret treaty of dover 1670, which damaged relations and furthered the fear of catholicism

Did the restoration settlement fail?

Yes, left unresolved tensions that led to future conflicts

To what extent did religious issues weaken royal authority in the years 1660 to 1681?

• The Restoration of Charles II in 1660 brought renewed hopes for religious stability, but instead it exposed deep divisions within the Political Nation over how to handle religious nonconformity.

• While religious conflict such as the fear of Catholic absolutism and the persecution of dissenters undoubtedly strained the king's relationship with Parliament and the public, it was not the sole factor

Religious issues

• Presence and influence of catholicism at court contributed heavily to public distrust, weakening charles’ authority 

• Prominent figures close to charles like his mother henrietta maria, his wife and his mistress all raised concerns about catholic influence within gov

• Close with Louis XIV, supported france in wars against the protestant dutch which worried many protestants in england

• Secret treaty of dover 1670 fuelled fears that he was going to reintroduce catholic absolutism 

• James II became openly catholic in 1669 and refused to follow the church of england, leading to the exclusion crisis (1678-81)

• Act of uniformity (1662), quaker act (1662) and the five mile act (1665) were all harsh laws imposed by parl which created opposition to charles and alienated key supporters

Relationship with parliament

• Promoted religious toleration which created resistance from anglican MPs. 

• Clarendon code 1660s shows how parl took control and ignored charles wishes (not fully in control), also turned many supporters away

• Further seen by his declaration of indulgence 1672 which was strongly opposed and withdrawn, made to accept test act 1673

• Tensions within his own gov - the cabal contained catholics and dissenters (such as shaftesbury) and collapsed in 1673 after the test act showing growing power of anglicans 

• Popish plot 1678 grew parls suspicions of a catholic conspiracy, giving momentum to the exclusion crisis

• Whilst exclusion failed and charles shut down the exclusion parls, ruling without them, this led to increased authoritarianism and suspicion

Finance

• Charles dependent on parl for money, giving them significant power

• Seen when they pressed for anti-catholic legislation and opposition to indulgence policies (clarendon code and declaration of indulgence) 

• Pushed his towards secret treaty of dover which damaged his reputation because of its catholic links but also showed his willingness to bypass parl 

• Crown bankrupt in 1672 showing his poor financial planning = looks weak

To what extent was it religious issues?

• Religious issues clearly weakened charles II’s authority especially through growing anti-catholic fears

• Also other factors like bad relationship with parl and his poor financial position

‘Charles II’s successes, in the years 1660 to 1681, were due to his own political skills rather than the work of his ministers.’

Assess the validity of this view

• Charles II achieved a number of political successes; restoration of the monarchy, relative internal stability, and the avoidance of major conflict despite religious and political tensions.

• However had help of Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, and later the Cabal and the Earl of Danby.

Parliament - his own skills

• Pragmatic approach allowing him to work with parl to settle issues of the NMA, accept the indemnity act (pardoned all past treason against the crown) and restore the monarchy with limited retaliation

• His ability to appear moderate reassured the PN and helped stability

• Proved ruthless when needed; sacrificed clarendon in 1667 when parl became critical, adapting his court in a way that enabled them to feel engaged with the crown

• Political skills essential in managing the exclusion crisis where he used his royal prerogative

• Dissolved parl and played off divisions between W + T showing his ability to protect the monarchy and manage parl when they sought to limit his power

Parliament - his ministers skills

• Clarendon was central to early success, shaping the restoration settlement and managing the difficult transition from the interregnum rule 

• Cabal also helped him navigate parl, foreign policy and religious tensions. 

• Their collective approach allowed for flexibility and deflected criticism away from charles

Finance - his own skills

• Charles showed political adaptability such as accepting the test act 1673 when parl linked it to funding (he needed money to continue fighting in the anglo-dutch war)

• Secured income through the secret treaty of dover 1670 showing independence and strategic thinking to avoid over reliance on parl

Finance - his minsters skills

• Danby played a key role in improving crown finances

• Introduced taxes; customs duties on imported and exported goods and subsidy taxes on land owners

• Better management of crown revenues helping to stabilise finances 

• Cabal also helped manage wartime expenses and financial negotiations

Religion - his own skills

• Wanted religious toleration (particularly for catholics and protestants) as seen by the declaration of indulgence 1672

• But when parl opposition was seen he withdrew this and accepted the test act in order to maintain relations

Religion - his ministers skills

• Clarendon helped bring about the clarendon code which established the supremacy of the anglican church and suppressed dissenters

• While charles wanted toleration he couldn't ignore the popularity of this religion so had to do so to limit opposition

• Cabal helped influence his decisions balancing his desire for toleration and the reality

To what extent was it his own skills?

• His pragmatic approach to parl, finance and religion allowed him to navigate a period of political instability 

• However his ministers played a pivotal role on implementing policies and managing day to day governance helping with the success of his reign

To what extent was Charles II personally responsible for the success of the Restored Monarchy in the years 1660 to 1681?