detailed notes
,Theme 1: KQ3
The Restoration Settlement
- The Declaration of Breda in 1660 allowed King Charles II to return to the throne without
any set conditions from Parliament.
- This meant that the details of his return had to be decided after he was back, by
Parliaments that could be influenced by the king and public opinion.
- The Convention Parliament began the work of figuring out the settlement, but it was
dissolved in December 1660, and new elections were held.
- After a failed rebellion in London in 1661, there were fears of radical groups, which
shaped the political climate.
- The new elections resulted in a Parliament with a large royalist majority, called the
Cavalier Parliament.
- Unlike the previous Parliament, this one wasn’t interested in reconciliation but in seeking
revenge.
- As a result, the settlement didn’t resolve the key issues that had caused the English Civil
War and the earlier revolution
The Cavalier Parliament weakened the restrictions on the king's power that had been set by
the earlier Convention Parliament. This caused confusion and left important issues
unresolved.
In 1660, the legislation had created some clear limits on the king’s power:
● The 1641 Triennial Act (which required Parliament to meet at least every three years).
● Parliamentary control over the militia (armed forces).
● The abolition of prerogative courts (royal courts controlled by the king).
These actions protected Parliament's power and the common law by limiting the king's
ability to act alone.
However, the Cavalier Parliament reversed some of these protections, leaving grey areas
that caused uncertainty and conflict in the years ahead.
For instance:
● The Militia Act of 1661 gave the king complete control over the armed forces,
undermining Parliament’s earlier role.
● The revised Triennial Act of 1664 didn’t actually provide any real way to enforce the law
requiring Parliament to meet every three year
- The cavalier parliament also had the effect of renewing the religious conflicts that had
undermined effective political development since 1625
- The convention parliament had restored the anglican church and the bishops, but the
details of organisation were to be left to a meeting of the clergy to be held at the Savoy
palace in London
- In broad terms, those who attended the savoy meeting fell into 3 categories
, 1. At one end of the spectrum were the presbyterian royalists, who sought a reformed
church that would allow moderate puritans to remain within it
2. At the other end were the high church party led by Gilbert Sheldon, Bishop of London,
who sought the restoration of the Laudian system
3. Between them were a number of clergy who can be labelled as Latitudinarians
- When the meeting began in April 1661, the impact of Venner’s rising and the election of
a vengeful parliament had greatly strengthened the number and determination of the
High church party
- By the summer of 1661, the opportunity for genuine reconciliation had disappeared and,
in religious terms at least, the royalists had their revenge
- The act of uniformity, passed in 1662, restored the Laudian church and set conditions so
stringent that around 1800 ministers were unable to conform and were expelled from
their livings
- Having created these dissenters, the high church party, with the aid of the parliament,
set about driving them out of existence
- In nov 1661, an act had been passed to ensure that only those who took anglican
communion could be chosen to sit on borough corporations that governed many ports
and market towns, which had shown themselves to be puritan strongholds
- Now the act of uniformity ensure that few puritans would qualify
- This was followed up when sheldon, now archbishop of canterbury, secured a
conventicle act ensuring harsh punishment for those who tried to conduct a religious life
in separate congregations meeting outside the church
- Ironically, this attempt to destroy puritanism, did much to ensure its survival
- The congregationalists, baptists, and quakers who made up the bulk of the separatists
were relatively few in number and had limited contacts and influence
- Left to suffer alone, their isolation and weakness would have made them vulnerable, but
by driving the much larger number of presbyterians and their contacts among the gentry
and merchant classes into the same category, the legislation made dissent a significant
religious and political influence
- The impact would be seen in the political conflicts of the next 3 decades
Charles II and finance
- The convention parliament had already offered Charles less money than he needed and,
although the cavalier parliament granted him some funds, he needed to raise regular
taxation
- The abolition of feudal tenures had ended the monarch’s right to feudal taxes, such as
forced loans and to restore taxes such as ship money was unthinkable
- Charles was compensated with regular income from customs duties and excise tax, at
around £1.2 million per year
- The Hearth tax was authorised by parliament in nov 1661 and levied in 1662, and was
assessed based on the number of hearths in each house
,Theme 1: KQ3
The Restoration Settlement
- The Declaration of Breda in 1660 allowed King Charles II to return to the throne without
any set conditions from Parliament.
- This meant that the details of his return had to be decided after he was back, by
Parliaments that could be influenced by the king and public opinion.
- The Convention Parliament began the work of figuring out the settlement, but it was
dissolved in December 1660, and new elections were held.
- After a failed rebellion in London in 1661, there were fears of radical groups, which
shaped the political climate.
- The new elections resulted in a Parliament with a large royalist majority, called the
Cavalier Parliament.
- Unlike the previous Parliament, this one wasn’t interested in reconciliation but in seeking
revenge.
- As a result, the settlement didn’t resolve the key issues that had caused the English Civil
War and the earlier revolution
The Cavalier Parliament weakened the restrictions on the king's power that had been set by
the earlier Convention Parliament. This caused confusion and left important issues
unresolved.
In 1660, the legislation had created some clear limits on the king’s power:
● The 1641 Triennial Act (which required Parliament to meet at least every three years).
● Parliamentary control over the militia (armed forces).
● The abolition of prerogative courts (royal courts controlled by the king).
These actions protected Parliament's power and the common law by limiting the king's
ability to act alone.
However, the Cavalier Parliament reversed some of these protections, leaving grey areas
that caused uncertainty and conflict in the years ahead.
For instance:
● The Militia Act of 1661 gave the king complete control over the armed forces,
undermining Parliament’s earlier role.
● The revised Triennial Act of 1664 didn’t actually provide any real way to enforce the law
requiring Parliament to meet every three year
- The cavalier parliament also had the effect of renewing the religious conflicts that had
undermined effective political development since 1625
- The convention parliament had restored the anglican church and the bishops, but the
details of organisation were to be left to a meeting of the clergy to be held at the Savoy
palace in London
- In broad terms, those who attended the savoy meeting fell into 3 categories
, 1. At one end of the spectrum were the presbyterian royalists, who sought a reformed
church that would allow moderate puritans to remain within it
2. At the other end were the high church party led by Gilbert Sheldon, Bishop of London,
who sought the restoration of the Laudian system
3. Between them were a number of clergy who can be labelled as Latitudinarians
- When the meeting began in April 1661, the impact of Venner’s rising and the election of
a vengeful parliament had greatly strengthened the number and determination of the
High church party
- By the summer of 1661, the opportunity for genuine reconciliation had disappeared and,
in religious terms at least, the royalists had their revenge
- The act of uniformity, passed in 1662, restored the Laudian church and set conditions so
stringent that around 1800 ministers were unable to conform and were expelled from
their livings
- Having created these dissenters, the high church party, with the aid of the parliament,
set about driving them out of existence
- In nov 1661, an act had been passed to ensure that only those who took anglican
communion could be chosen to sit on borough corporations that governed many ports
and market towns, which had shown themselves to be puritan strongholds
- Now the act of uniformity ensure that few puritans would qualify
- This was followed up when sheldon, now archbishop of canterbury, secured a
conventicle act ensuring harsh punishment for those who tried to conduct a religious life
in separate congregations meeting outside the church
- Ironically, this attempt to destroy puritanism, did much to ensure its survival
- The congregationalists, baptists, and quakers who made up the bulk of the separatists
were relatively few in number and had limited contacts and influence
- Left to suffer alone, their isolation and weakness would have made them vulnerable, but
by driving the much larger number of presbyterians and their contacts among the gentry
and merchant classes into the same category, the legislation made dissent a significant
religious and political influence
- The impact would be seen in the political conflicts of the next 3 decades
Charles II and finance
- The convention parliament had already offered Charles less money than he needed and,
although the cavalier parliament granted him some funds, he needed to raise regular
taxation
- The abolition of feudal tenures had ended the monarch’s right to feudal taxes, such as
forced loans and to restore taxes such as ship money was unthinkable
- Charles was compensated with regular income from customs duties and excise tax, at
around £1.2 million per year
- The Hearth tax was authorised by parliament in nov 1661 and levied in 1662, and was
assessed based on the number of hearths in each house
