Charles II, 1660-7 Flashcards
How did Clarendon fall from power?
Charles made him into a scapegoats
Forced to resign and went into exile in France
Blamed for: no heir to the throne, sale of Dunkirk, Clarendon code(religion), jealousy, daughter’s marriage to Charles brother (exploiting influence to maintain power) and the Dutch war(tried to prevent it but blamed for its failure)
Earl of Clarendon’s personality
Considered everything in detail
Business like approach - arrogant and dismissive of others
Never widely popular - even Charles didn’t like him
Prominent figure that provoked jealously but passive enough to be made into a scapegoat
When did the trial of the regicides happen and what occurred?
October 1660
Major-General Thomas Harrison first trialled - hung, drawn and quartered
Non- regicides persecuted e.g. Henry Vane and John Lambert
Jury kept without food and water until a guilty verdict was returned
Charles’ relations with France
Positive
Charles wished to emulate Louis XIV
after 1670, merely became a client of Louis XIV
Domestic consequences - France was the main absolutist Catholic threat, relationship seen as a sign of Charles’ drift to Catholicism and absolutism
What were the reasons for increasing tensions between England and the Netherlands?
1660 navigation act - only English ships couldn’t carry certain listed goods, goods from colonies had to be imported one English ships
1663 staple act - colonists had to import European goods from England on English ships
Anglican royalists - Dutch Republic was the antithesis of everything they believed
Charles believed the war could be profitable
The Second Dutch War
Victory off Lowestoft in June 1665 and in the mouth of the Thames in July 1666 outweighed by several failures e.g. Four Days Battle in June 1666 and France and Denmark entering the war against England
Trading companies complained of the economic losses
What was the reaction to the Dutch war and how was this exacerbated?
The loss was seen as evidence of divine displeasure
£3.75 granted for the war in 1665 but admiralty had mismanaged the war and was in chaos
1665 - the plague
Charles and his court moved to Oxford but on 2 September 1666 the great fire of London happened
All this was seen as gods judgement on Charles’ rule
Religious policies of Charles II
Wished to establish a broad, ‘comprehensive’ church with generous measure of toleration - the Cavalier Parliament enforced a rigid church
What 4 acts made up the Clarendon Code and what did they do?
Corporation act 1661 - excluded for, borough corporations all those who would not swear oaths of allegiance and non-resistance, renounce the Solemn League and Covenant and take the Anglican sacraments
Act of uniformity - requires all ministers of religion to declare their consent to everything in the new Prayer Book and its use made compulsory
Conventicle act 1664 - all meetings of five or more people with in the intent of religion made illegal
Five mile act - any minister who refused the act of uniformity were not allowed within 5 miles of their for,erm parish, or of any city or borough
Failure of opposition to Charles - Lambert’s rising
Lambert escaped from the Tower in April 1660
Only chance of success was with army support but this did not happen
Force disintegrated when faced by government forces
Lambert was recaptured before he could use the discontent of the army to his advantage
Failure of opposition to Charles - New Model Army
Officers did not want a military rule but had no natural allies by 1659-60
Believed ultimate authority lay in parliament
Every parliament treated them with suspicion
Unable to form a united front before it became clear Monck was paving the way for a Restoration
Defensive in position in the late 1650s
Failure of opposition to Charles - Venner’s rising
Rising of 50 in London in January 1660
Took 3 days to suppress
700 cavalry dispatched against 50 men
Venner hung, drawn and quartered
Failure of opposition to Charles - northern/Yorkshire plot 1663
Gathered across Yorkshire
Plans to co ordinate with rebels in Scotland and Ireland
Lack of immediate success prevented others joining
Charles exaggerated threat to “rally support for his increasingly unpopular rule” HUTTON
