17. Charles II and the nature of Restored Monarchy; role through Parliament and Ministers, Clarendon, the Cabal and Danby

How can Charles II's reign as King be summarized?

He was pragmatic in response to problems, he formed short-term solutions, however he failed to initiate the reform that was really needed

How can Charles II's personality be described?

Charles II has been seen as a 'merry monarch' but also dishonest, reckless and inconsistent

When was the Declaration of Breda?

1660

What was the Declaration of Breda?

-Stated if restored, Charles II would act as a traditional monarch through Parliament
-Promised the army would be payed its arears and a pardon to most subjects

Why was the Convention Parliament more reflective of the Political Nation?

Because it was voted by on free elections

When was Charles II crowned King of England?

May 1660

What was the response to Charles II becoming King within the Political Nation?

Joy, Conservatives had alienated and were fearful of radicalism

What was significant about the political settlement of Charles II?

It was unwritten, no constitutional limits, meaning the monarchy had returned to pre-civil war norms

How could Parliament control Charles II?

Finance

What five main issues did the Convention Parliament face in 1660?

-Indemnity
-Land settlement
-Disbanding the army
-Finance
-Militia

How did the Convention Parliament, 1660, deal with the issue of Indemnity (security against legal liability)?

-The Indemnity Act 1660 was passed which disbanded the army and secured money from the city of London
-It gave indemnity to all but 30 men for their Parliamentary involvement in the Civil War

How did the Convention Parliament, 1660, deal with the issue of land settlement? Three points.

-Cromwell sold Church and Crown lands off from 1649
-Charles needed to not upset those who had bought the land so delegated the issue to Parliament
-Church and Crown lands were reclaimed through seizing theme, success

How did the Convention Parliament, 1660, deal with the issue of disbanding the army?

The indemnity act and arears voted by the Convention Parliament caused the Army to peacefully disband

How did the Convention Parliament, 1660, deal with the issue of finance? Three points.

-Charles II was granted with tonnage and poundage for life as well as customs. The king was expected to therefore 'live off his own'.
-Charles II was granted £1.2 million/year in peacetime for government costs. However, only £400,000 of this could actually be raised, restraining Charles II's finances
-Charles II was financially dependent on Parliament, causing him to call it every year between 1660-1681

How did the Convention Parliament, 1660, deal with the issue of militia?

-Charles II dissolved Parliament in November 1660 because he was frustrated with the lack of militia bills
-Charles II retained control of the United Kingdom's armed forces

When was the Cavalier Parliament?

1661-1679

What did MP's want at the beginning of the Cavalier Parliament and what was the outcome of this?

-MP's wanted to protect their own local interests as opposed to being part of government which they saw as the role of the monarch
-Local government was consequently restored to its pre-Cromwell self

When and what was the Act for Safety and Preservation of his Majesty's Persons and Government?

-1661, the beginning of the Cavalier Parliament
-It cancelled all ordinances which hadn't been passed without royal assent

When was the act removing bishops repealed and what did this mean for Charles II?

-It was repealed in 1661, at the beginning of the Cavalier Parliament
-Bishops returned to the Lords, giving crown an influential group of supporters

What four things do the Cavalier Parliament do to strengthen the position of Charles II?

-1662 Licensing Act, imposed press censorship
-Act passed to prevent mass petitioning
-1662 Militia Act gave Charles sole control over the armed forces
-Parliament couldn't legislate without the monarch

How can Clarendon (Edward Hyde) be described and what was his role in regard to Charles II?

-Clarendon dominated Charles II's governments
-He had a willingness to consider everything in detail
-He was seen to be arrogant and dismissive which alienated the King
-He was Lord Chancellor and Charles II's principal advisor

Who were opposed to Clarendon?

Charles II's privy council and Parliament

What happened to Clarendon?

-Charles didn't like Clarendon so scapegoated him for the disastrous Second Dutch War,1665-1667
-Clarendon was forced to resign and went into exile
-His presence would be missed however

When were the Cabal in government from and what was their role?

-1667-1674
-Clarendon's fall allowed the Cabal to be Charles II's new group of advisors

Who were the Cabal Members?

Clifford
Ashley
Buckingham
Arlington
Lauderdale

What was strange about the Cabal?

-They had no coordinated policy
-They all had different outlooks and opinions
-Arlington and Buckingham hated each other

What was clever about Charles II's use of the Cabal?

-As they all had different outlooks he had a variety of opinions
-He played them off against each other, strengthening his own position whilst the Cabal were aware of their dependence on the monarch

What were the two main aims of the Cabal?

-Extended religious toleration of Catholics and dissenters
-An alliance with France

How many members of the Cabal were Catholic?

2, this caused tension

What four disasters happened around the time of the Cabal?

-The Second Dutch War, 1665-2667
-The Third Dutch War, 1672-1674
-The Great Plague, 1665
-The Great Fire of London, 1666

What was royal income in 1665? And what had it become by 1667?

-1665 - £820,000
-1667 - £647,000

Why did the Cavalier want to restrict Charles II's finance?

So Charles II couldn't impose greater religious toleration

The commons refused to grant Charles II £300,000 in 1669, what was the consequence of this?

Charles was forced to introduce a far more rigid Conventicle Act in 1670, which fined those who attended unlawful religious meetings, to get Parliament onside

What happened to Charles II's relationship with Parliament in 1672?

It was a turning points towards division

What caused division between Charles II and Parliament in 1672?

-The Anglo-French attack on the Dutch
-The Royal Declaration of Indulgence
-The Duke of York, Charles II's brother, being Catholic

When and what was the Royal Declaration of Indulgence?

-1672
-It was Charles II's attempt to extend religious freedom to Catholics and non-conformists by suspending penal laws which punished those who didn't attend Church

How did Parliament respond to the Royal Declaration of Indulgence?

In 1673, Parliament declared that only it could suspend penal laws. This became a constitutional issue. Parliament declared that the Charles had 'no such power' to suspend penal laws

What was the Test Act, 1673? And why was it introduced?

-Charles withdrew the Declaration of Indulgence and introduced the Test Act, which required anyone attending English Church services to deny Catholic doctrines and take Anglican Communion
-Charles was forced to introduce it to get money from Parliament

What was the Treaty of Westminster?

It ended the Third Dutch War in 1674

Why was there religious division between Charles II and Parliament?

Because Charles II wanted toleration where as Parliament were Conservative

How did Danby build on a Royalist 'court' in the commons?

Crown patronage, the power of the monarch or leading Crown ministers to bestow jobs as a means of binding the recipient as a loyal client

When was the Earl of Danby a key advisor?

1674-76

Why did MP's initially support Danby?

Because he wanted no religious tolerance and an anti-French, pro-Dutch foreign policy

How many substantial Crown Pensions did Danby hand out before 1676?

30

What did Danby do before Parliamentary sessions?

Wrote personalized letters to MP's telling them to support the King

Why was there an attempt to impeach Danby in 1675?

Because of a test bill which enforced all MP's to swear that seeking to alter the government of Church was unlawful. The bill was defeated by Shaftesbury as it was seen as 'absolutist'

How did Danby help with Charles II's finance?

He was Lord Treasurer and:
-Withdrew from the Dutch war
-He increased trade which cut costs and raised income
-Between 1674-1677, royal income was £1.4million/year

What did Charles II's spending cause?

Crown debt to increase by £750,000 between 1674-1679

When was Danby impeached?

1679

Why was Danby impeached?

-Montagu presented evidence that Danby knew of Charles' relationship with Louis XIV of France, despite money from Parliament being used against Louis
-Parliament was dissolved in January 1679 and Danby was dismissed in March
-Parliament imposed a bill of attainer against Danby and he spent five years in the Tower of London

What did the impeachment of Danby lead to?

The Exclusion Crisis

What did the Exclusion Bill aim to do?

Sought to exclude Charles' brother James, Duke of York, from the throne because he was Catholic