Charles II Flashcards
What was within the 4th April 1660 Declaration of Breda?
Charles II promised a general pardon for crimes committed during Civil War and Interregnum; said he would leave the problem of confiscated estates to Parliament; promised “liberty to tender consciences”.
What was the political makeup of the Convention Parliament, assembled on 25th April 1660? There had been a removal of restrictions on who could vote in elections that made it more representative of the PN.
Half were parliamentarians of different political and religious views, but mostly moderate Presbyterians. Disagreed on extent of limitations to be put on Charles. Also had some Royalists.
When did the Convention Parliament declare Charles as King Charles II?
8th May 1660
Why were the promises of the Declaration of Breda attractive to the majority of the Political Nation?
Conservatives felt alienated and fearful of the recent radicalism
How did the Convention Parliament (25th April - 29th December 1660) address indemnity?
30 men were excluded from the general pardon promised in the Declaration of Breda.
Indemnity Act was passed 29th August 1660 as a pragmatic necessity.
What did Charles need at the time of the Convention Parliament (25th April - 29th December 1660)?
The army to disband.
Money from the City of London.
Support from the political elite, many of whom were parliamentarians.
How did the Convention Parliament (25th April - 29th December 1660) address land settlement?
In 1649, lands of bishops, Royalists, Catholics and the Crown had been sold off. However, some of the purchasers were powerful and had helped bring about the Restoration.
Parliament failed to legislate a formal situation because of the situations complexity.
Church and Crown lands were reclaimed, and most of the substantial purchases had had their lands seized (excluded from Indemnity Act) - partly resolved
How did the Convention Parliament (25th April - 29th December 1660) address disbanding the army?
The arrears promised in Breda were voted by the Convention Parliament and therefore the army was peaceably disbanded
How did the Convention Parliament (25th April - 29th December 1660) address constitution?
Charles had no limitations imposed on him, and was even able to stall a Lords bill trying to confirm parliamentary privileges and fundamental laws. This bill would have confirmed Magna Carta, the 1641 legislation and (theoretically) all of the Long Parliament’s legislation.
How did the Convention Parliament (25th April - 29th December 1660) address finances?
Abolished feudal rights nay provided compensation:
1) Tonnage and poundage for life
2) Specified customs
3) £1.2 million a year for government costs in peacetime
How much of the £1.2 million that the Convention Parliament granted Charles was actually raised? What was introduced to bridge the gap?
£400,000.
May 1662 Hearth Tax but was still insufficient.
How did the Convention Parliament (25th April - 29th December 1660) address religion?
Breda’s promised ‘indulgence’ for Nonconformists did not materialise.
700/9000 minister were removed as Church of England was restored but not broadened.
How did the Convention Parliament (25th April - 29th December 1660) address the militia?
Didn’t pass any militia bills nor challenge Charles’ control of the militia. Lack of legislation led Charles to dissolve the Parliament on the 20th November.
What were the dates for the Cavalier Parliament?
8th May 1661 – 24th January 1679
What did MPs have to do to be members of the Cavalier Parliament?
Take the Sacrament of the Church of England
Which act cancelled all ordinances?
The Act for the Safety and Preservation of His Majesty’s Person and Government (1661)
Which 1641 legislation was to stand?
Abolition of Courts of Star Chamber and High Commission.
Abolition of ship money.
Triennial Act.
Which 1641 legislation was originally to stand but was ultimately repealed?
Exclusion of bishops from the Lords
What was wrong with the remodelled 1664 Triennial Act?
Removed the mechanism that would automatically call a Parliament if one hadn’t been called for three years. Therefore was more of a ‘hope’ the Charles would follow it.
Which two pieces of legislation did the Cavalier Parliament review before being stopped from proceeding by Charles?
Indemnity Act and land settlement from the Convention Parliament
In what act was censorship formalised?
1662 Licensing Act
Which parliament passed an act to prevent mass petitioning?
Cavalier
What did the two 1661 and 1662 Militia Acts give Charles?
Sole control of all armed forces. Latter act gave Charles the power to raise up to £70,000 for three years through a militia rate to support the forces raised.
Completely overturned March 1642 Militia Ordinance.
What did the Act for the Safety and Preservation of His Majesty’s Person and Government make punishable to accuse the king of?
Trying to bring in popery
How did the Cavalier Parliament strengthen Charles’ position in relation to how Parliament could legislation?
Parliament not able to legislate without the monarch
What was the 1661 Corporation’s Act?
Removed all local officials from positions of local government if they didn’t swear oaths of allegiance
What was the 1662 Act of Uniformity?
Forced all church ministers to swear to consent to a new prayer book that was offensive to most dissenters
What did Charles declare on the 26th December 1662?
That he’d ask Parliament to give exemptions to some individuals from penal laws
What period was Clarendon Charles’ principal advisor?
1660-67
When was Clarendon forced to resign?
August 1667
What were the weaknesses of Clarendon’s position?
Arrogant and dismissive of others; alienated the king; couldn’t build a political network; couldn’t get Privy Council on side; didn’t manage his relationship with Parliament proactively.
Who was in the CABAL?
Clifford, Sir Thomas: Treasurer of the Household
Ashley, Baron: Chancellor of the Exchequer
Buckingham
Arlington, Lord: Secretary of State
Lauderdale: Charles’ commissioner in Scotland
What was the 1664 Conventicle Act?
Prevented all assemblies not held in accordance with the Book of Common Prayer and attended by five or more adults who were not members of the household
Which two CABAL members were Catholic / crypto-Catholic?
Thomas Clifford and Henry Bennet
Who were the two CABAL ‘free thinkers’?
Anthony Ashley Cooper (Shaftesbury) and George Villiers (Buckingham)
Why did the CABAL have no coordinated policy?
The men had diverse outlooks and opinions.
Charles II had limited involvement in government.
Clarendon’s business-like approach to government was missed.
Which two Cabal members worked closely together to improve finances?
Thomas Clifford and Anthony Ashley Cooper (Shaftesbury)
Which two Cabal members hated each other?
Arlington and Buckingham
Which Cabal member did the most to shape policy through their hard work?
Arlington
What were the two general aims for the Cabal?
Extend religious toleration to Catholics and dissenters.
An alliance with France.
What were the dates for the Second Dutch War?
4th March 1665 - 31st July 1667
What were the dates for the Third Dutch War?
May 1672 - 1674
How many people died in the 1665 Great Plague?
70,000
How many ships, admirals and men did England lose in the Battle of the Channel 1st - 4th June 1666?
20 ships, 2 admirals, 8,000 men
How many houses and churches did the 2nd - 6th September Great Fire of London destroy? What were the costs incurred?
13,200 houses; 89 churches; costs of £3.5 million
What percent of the population did Catholics make up by the end of the 17th century, based on an ecclesiastical census?
1%
What was royal income in 1665 vs. in 1666-67?
£820,000 which fell to £647,000
When did the Commons begin to investigate navy accounts?
Late 1666
When did Parliament appoint commissioners to examine the public accounts after a £1.8 million grant in order to check spending?
February 1667
What did the Commons try and force Charles to issue when they refused to grant £300,000 in 1669?
A more rigid Conventicle Act, which was issued in 1670.
Which foreign policy failure ensured Clarendon’s fall, despite his refusal to support the Second Dutch War?
June 1667 - Raid on the Medway
What and when was the Triple Alliance?
1668 - anti-French. England joined with United Provinces and Sweden in aftermath of 2nd Anglo-Dutch War.
What were the terms of the 1670 Secret Treaty of Dover?
Alliance between Charles II and Louis XIV against the Dutch. Charles promised to convert to Catholicism at the earliest possible moment. Louis XIV offered £225,000 for the Dutch War, an additional £150,000 and pay for 6,000 troops
Which two Cabal members supported / helped secure the 1670 Secret Treaty of Dover?
Thomas Clifford and Henry Bennet (Arlington)
What were the three fundamental reasons that the 1672 parliamentary session was a watershed moment in Charles’ relationship with Parliament?
Anglo-French attack on the Dutch
Royal Declaration of Indulgence
Duke of York outed as a Catholic
When did Charles proclaim the ‘Stop of the Exchequer?
20th January 1672
In 1672, how much did Parliament grant Charles to fund the spring 1672 attack on the Dutch?
£1.2 million
When did Charles cancel his 1672 Declaration of Indulgence?
By 8th March 1673
When was the Test Act?
1673
Which two Cabal members were attacked in the Jan - Feb 1674 session of Parliament, and subsequently ‘fell’?
Arlington and Buckingham
When was the Treaty of Westminster, forced by Parliament refusing to vote for money for the Third Dutch War?
February 1674
What was the 1673 Test Act?
Excluded all non-Anglicans from public office. Outed James, the Duke of York.
What did Danby seek to pursue in his 1674-78 time in influence?
Unqualified support for Church of England.
Persecution of Protestants / Catholic dissenters.
Hostility to France.
How many MPs did Danby have receiving substantial Crown pensions by late 1675?
30
What did the proposed test bill in 1675 demand?
All office holders and MPs had to swear that the taking up of arms was unlawful and they should not seek to alter the government of the Church and state.
Who defeated the 1675 proposed test bill, and why?
Shaftesbury and Arlington who saw it as an attempt to impose absolute government.
When was the proposed 1675 test bill defeated?
April 1675
How much did Parliament vote for in November 1675 for the navy? What other financial clause did they add?
£300,000. Added a clause appropriating all customs revenues to support the navy rather than other areas of Crown expenses.
How had Danby improved Charles II’s financial situation?
Withdrawal from Third Dutch War.
Boom in trade.
Customs revenues.
What was the average annual royal income between 1674 and 1677?
£1.4 million
However, Charles’ spending couldn’t be controlled. How much did the Crown debt increase by between 1674 and 1679?
£750,000
How much did Louis XIV promise Charles in August 1675 and February 1676 secret treaties?
£112,000
Who was placed in the Tower for five months for claiming that, as Parliament hadn’t met for 15 months, new elections should be held?
Shaftesbury and Buckingham
How much did Parliament vote for the navy in the 1677 Cavalier Parliament?
£600,000
What did Parliament do in response to Charles agreeing to (forcefully) impose peace terms on Louis in the December 1677 Anglo-Dutch treaty?
January 1678 - voted to raise an army of 30,000 men and £1 million
How much of the £1 million voted by Parliament in January 1678 was actually raised?
£300,000
How had Danby supported his influence?
Worked with Charles’ mistresses for direct access to the king.
Used position as Lord Treasurer to use the king’s patronage to construct a ‘court’ party
When and by whom was evidence presented of Danby’s knowledge of Charles continuing relations Louis XIV, despite Parliament having given him money to fund an army to be used against them?
1678, MP Ralph Montagu
When did Charles dissolve the Cavalier Parliament?
24th January 1679
When was Danby dismissed and, and why was he then pardoned by Charles?
March 1679; to avoid a trial that would reveal his own role.
How did the Commons pursue Danby, who then surrended to the Lords to be committed to the Tower for five years?
Through a bill of attainder
Which two Cabal members were of the ‘country’ persuasion?
Buckingham and Shaftesbury
What was founded in 1674 that shows a more formal organisation of an ‘opposition’ grouping?
The Green Ribbon Club in the Kings Head Tavern
Why was the Green Ribbon Club called that?
The members wore green ribbons to identify each other.
Who were the key ‘Court’ figures?
Charles II Earl of Danby James Butler (Duke of Ormonde) Sir Orlando Bridgeman Sir Richard Belling Sir Robert Murray
Who were the key ‘Country’ figures?
William Coventry Sir Thomas Meres William Cavendish William Russell William Sacheverell Shaftesbury Buckingham
What did the November 1675 pamphlet ‘A Letter from a Person of Quality to his Friend in the Country’ say? Who was it probably written by?
Argued there was a conspiracy to impose absolutism by a ‘distinct party’ of ‘high episcopal’ men and ‘Cavalier’ men through a standing army. Probably written by Shaftesbury.
Which pamphlet argued that for some years there had been a ‘design’ to establish England ‘into an absolute tyranny, and to convert the established Protestant religion into downright popery’?
Andrew Marvell’s December 1677 ‘An Account of the Growth of Popery and Arbitrary Government’
Why does historian Tim Harris argue about the Crown from 1660-78?
“over the period 1660-78 the Crown experienced a considerable loss of prestige”
What was the 1661 Savoy House Conference?
attended by 12 Anglican bishops and 12 Puritan ministers in order to decide on revisions for The Book of Common Prayer
Which 1662 bill did Charles strongly support but failed in both the Lords and Commons due to the views of the general public?
Bill to repeal some anti-Catholic laws e.g. would allow Catholic priests to register with the Secretary of State.
What did the 1663 Northern Rising lead to?
1664 Conventicle Act
What religious policy did the Second Dutch War lead to?
1665 Five Mile Act
What was the 1665 Five Mile Act?
Any preacher or teacher who refused the compulsory oaths in the Act of Uniformity 1662 could not go within five miles of any corporate town or parish where they had taught.
What was the second Conventicle Act in 1670?
Reinforced the persecution of dissenters. Charles removed some JPs who were too lenient in acting against conventicles.
What was the 1661 Clarendon Code?
1661 Corporation Act
1662 Act of Uniformity
1664 Conventicle Act
1665 Five Mile Act
What was the 1661 Corporation Act?
Prevented any person holding office in a corporation (form of local government) unless they accepted the terms of the restored Church of England.
What was the name of the census ordered by Danby in 1676?
The Compton Census
How many (hard-line) dissenters did the Compton Census indicate there was out of the total adult population of 2.25 million?
100,000, but it was probably actually c. 200,000-300,000
Which act did Charles allow to expire in 1668?
1664 Conventicle Act
What was stated in the 15th March 1672 Declaration of Indulgence?
Charles state his suspending power in relation all the penal laws against Catholics and dissenters.
What is ‘suspending power’?
The prerogative to suspend operation of any law
What year was the Quaker Act?
1662
How many Quakers died in prison, or suffered some form of punishment (fines, imprisonment or transportation) under Charles?
450 Quakers died in prison; 15,000 suffered some form of punishment.
What was the height of dissenter persecutions?
Early 1670s and early 1680s - several thousand dissenters died
Who emerged as the new Quaker leader after the removal of James Nayler and the deaths of other leading Quakers?
George Fox
What did the Quakers issue in 1661?
Their first declaration of ‘absolute pacifism’ as a result of their disillusionment following the failure of their political action
Why did dissent have a limited appeal after the Restoration?
Needed a level of spiritual commitment only few could manage.
Emphasis on the Bible excluded the illiterate.
Sermons last hours, too long for ordinary people.
Dissenter divisions - not united
Why was Anglicanism less demanding, and more accessible?
Services had a physical element e.g. activity from congregation.
Repetitive nature was more accessible.
What was Latitudinarianism, developing post-1660-Restoration?
Belief that reason and personal judgement are more useful than Church doctrine
What were the main dissenter groups post-Restoration?
Presbyterians
Independents
Baptists
Quakers
Who was the first regicide to be brought to trial, and when?
11th October 1660 - Fifth Monarchist Major General Thomas Harrison
What were the circumstances around the 1662 high profile trial/execution of Henry Vane?
Vane refused to seek mercy so Charles II demanded his death. The jury was kept without food and water until they returned a guilty verdict.
Musicians played under the scaffold during the execution itself to drown out Vane’s last words.
How did John Lambert’s 1662 trial contrast to Vane’s?
Lambert requested mercy and (amid growing concern at the impact of continued elections) was imprisoned for the next 22 years until his 1684 death.
Who were the 6 leading Catholics at Charles’ court?
His mother Henrietta Maria His wife Catherine of Braganza His brother James, Duke of York George Digby, Earl of Bristol Thomas Clifford Arlington (sympathiser)
Who was Barbara Villiers?
Charles’ Catholic mistress, the Countess of Castlemaine (later Duchess of Cleveland) whom he had five acknowledged children with
Who was Louise de Keroualle?
Charles’ French Catholic mistress. Became Duchess of Portsmouth. Charles went through a mock wedding ceremony with her in 1671.
How did the aesthetic of Charles’ court reinforce the impression of Catholic influences?
Charles mimicked his cousin Louis XIV at Versaille with Baroque architecture, painting and music
What else is notable about Charles II’s court style?
Reassembled Charles I’s art collection that had been sold off in the Interregnum.
Number of courtiers were frequently drunk e.g. Earl of Rochester died aged 33 of alcoholism and syphilis.
When did James, Duke of York’s, Catholicism first become public knowledge?
1669
When did James, Duke of York, marry the fifteen year old Catholic princess Mary of Modena?
1673 - fears of Catholic succession
When did the Popish Plot emerge?
1678
What were the alleged details of the Popish Plot?
A Jesuit plan to assassinate Charles II to replace him with James. Would be supported by an invasion from France and a Catholic rebellion in Ireland.
By what margin did Parliament accept to exclude James from the 1678 extension of the Test Act?
158-156
Why was Oates a convincing witness?
Criticising the plot cast suspicion on the critic
Oates was a convincing witness as he appeared to have consistent recall and performed well under examination in front of the Privy Council
The Coleman papers, written by a former secretary of James of York appeared to substantiate the plot
How many people were executed due to the Popish Plot?
35
When was the First Exclusion Parliament / Habeas Corpus Parliament?
6th March - 12th July 1679
How much did the First Exclusion Parliament grant Charles to disband his standing army during peace time?
£200,000
What was the Habeas Corpus Amendment Act (May 1679)?
Reinforced the common law right where the cause of imprisonment had to be stated and a case brought to trial, normally within three days (with exceptions of treason or felony)
When did Edward Coleman’s correspondence become public?
27th April 1678
What did Charles had to promise on the 30th April 1679?
Limitations on a Catholic monarch of no church patronage, and Parliament to have power of appointment over civil. legal and military offices
When did one MP call for James’ impeachment on charges of high treason?
11th May 1679
When did the Exclusion Bill pass, and by how much?
21st May on its second reading by 207-128 (total 509 MPs)
When did Charles II become seriously ill, increasing calls for Exclusion?
August 1679
In what way did Charles remodel his Privy Council in autumn 1679?
Removed opponents: Shaftesbury, Essex and Russell
Replaced with younger advisors: the Earl of Sunderland, Sidney Godoplhin, Laurence Hyde
In what way did Charles remodel his Privy Council in autumn 1679?
Removed opponents: Shaftesbury, Essex and Russell
Replaced with younger advisors: the Earl of Sunderland, Sidney Godoplhin, Laurence Hyde
How many signatures dod the London Whig petition get?
16,000
How many Exclusionist pamphlets were produced from 1679 - 81 attacking James personally?
200
Why and when did Charles have the Middlesex Grand Jury dissolved?
In June 1680 - brought charges in an attempt to prosecute James as a recusant
What and when was the Abhorrence movement?
1682 - produced addresses stating abhorrence at Shaftesbury’s organisation of non-parliamentary pressure. Stated their hatred at perceived radicalism of the Exclusionists. Supported divine right, royal prerogative, rule of law and passive obedience.
How many copies of Royalist pamphleteer L’Estrange were in circulation in 1679?
64,000
What was the most significant detailed printed form of argument against Exclusion?
Robert Filmer’s 1680 work ‘Patriarcha’
What were the two Tory newspapers and when were they published?
L’Estrange’s ‘Observator’ 1681-7
London Gazette - government-controlled.
What did Charles’ April 1681 declaration attack?
Whigs/Shaftesbury’s organisation of non-parliamentary pressure.
How many propositions did Charles’s to delay the next opening of Parliament to October 1680 (a year late)?
Seven
What did Charles do to show visible support for James after a new Exclusion Bill passed through its three readings in the Commons in 1680?
Attended Lords sessions. Lords ultimately rejected the bill.
How did the Commons try and use finances to push for Exclusion in the Second Exclusion Parliament 21st October 1680 - 18th January 1681?
Offered Charles £600,000 for Exclusion.
Stated a refuse to grant any more money until Exclusion was granted.
How many dissenting voices were there when the Commons decided to introduce another Exclusion Bill on 26th March 1681?
Only 20
What were the contents of the March 1681 secret treaty with France?
£40,000 immediately; £115,000 annually for three years; agreed not to call another parliament for three years
When was the Oxford Parliament dissolved?
28th March 1681
What propaganda did Charles released in April 1681?
The ‘Declaration Touching the Reasons That Moved Him to Dissolve the Two Last Parliaments’
Why did Exclusion fail?
Charles' finances sorted Conservatism of Lords + Church Genuine popular support for Toryism Prerogative powers of prorogation and dissolution Loyalism resurged Radicalism of Exclusion Limits of Whig support Persecution Scotland
