Bullet Point 4: The Restoration Flashcards
Reasons why the King was restored in 1660
- The Role of the Quakers
- The Role of Monck
- The Role of Charles II
- The Role of Richard Cromwell
- The Role of Oliver Cromwell
- The Role of the Rump
- The Role of the Army
The Role of the Quakers
Goldsmith’s began moving out of the capital: shops shut, trade stopped - exacerbated by series of poor harvest after 1657
This encourages growth of religious radicals - Quakers numbered 60,000 in 1659 - naked preaching and refusal to pay tithes, take oaths or use titles made them alarming to propertied members of society.
Induced a ‘conservative reaction’ and fomented a popular demand for monarchy - Graham Seel.
The Role of Monck
George Mock reacted to Haselrig’s appeal and declared for the Rump in late October 1659 - moving his forces to the border.
Worsened breakdown of law and order, Council of Officer’s sent Lambert to Newcastle - on the brink of another Civil war.
This encouraged the navy to declare for the Rump - Fleetwood could not stand the pressure and restored the Rump in December 1659.
Monck concluded that the Rump was not providing Stable government - February 1660 effected a reversal of Pride’s Purge, on condition that readmitted MPs voted to dissolve the Long Parliament and organize fresh elections - return of Charles thereafter inevitable
The Role Of Charles II
Charles, acting on Monck’s advice, relocated his court from the hated Spanish Netherlands to the Protestant port of Breda - more ‘Palatable’ - Seel.
Declaration of Breda persuaded MPs that the imposition of conditions for the restoration settlement was unnecessary - an ‘irresistible package’
Graham Seel: ‘That it should be the Stuart monarchy [that was restored] was because it had only recently been deposed and there was an adult king available in the person of Charles II’
The Role of Richard Cromwell
Inherited a regime that rested on narrow basis of support:
- Royalists who could never reconcile themselves to republican regime
- Civilian republicans
Only positive support - ‘Civilian Cromwellians’
Regime based on ‘passive acquiescence’ and could change fatally if Richard was forced to make unpopular decisions
Regime could only be held together by army - which would require heavy tax and further alienate support
‘Commonwealthsmen’ or Civilian Republicans
Thought government should be a single chamber parliament and resented Oliver’s betrayal of the ‘good old cause’
‘Civilian Cromwellians’
Only positive support for Richard in 1657 - responsible for sponsoring the Humble petition and Advice
Humble Petition and Advice
to do later
The Role of Oliver Cromwell
He introduced Richard to politics and the army too late - he was not ‘one of us’ to the army’
The Role of Economic Factors
At the end of 1658 the protectorate was nearly 2.5 million in debt - in order to secure more revenue Richard obliged to call third Protectorate parliament in January 1659
This provided a platform to the Commonwealthsmen who refused to recognize Richard as lord protector and called for the repeal of the Humble Petition and Advice
The Role of the Army
‘Riven by various factions’ (Seel) - Fleetwood wanted continuation of protectorate but forced by rank and file to restore Rump
Failed to implement a stable government after forcing Richard to resign - civilian and military republicans failed to work together:
- May 1659 - Rump recalled
- October 1659 - Replaced with Committee of Safety
- December 1659 - Rump recalled again
Alliance with them and the ‘Commonwealthsmen’ after MPs voted to restrict the Army’s involvement in politics and began debating settling army as militia.
The Role of the Rump
Restored Rumpers picked up where they had left off in 1653 and began a series of actions that indicated that they saw the protectorate as a meaningless interval forced upon them. - Army devised constitution, created animosity e.g. Haselrig and Lambert
G. E Alymer
‘No one defeated the English republicans; they destroyed themselves’
