CHARLES II Flashcards
Dates of Charles’ parliaments
- CAVALIER PARLIAMENT, 18 SESSIONS FROM 1661- JAN 1679
- Exclusion parliament 1, March-May 1679, included a house of commons determined to exclude James
- Exclusion parliament 2, Oct 1680 - January 1681
- Exclusion parliament 3, March 1681-March 1681, convened in Parliament, Charles dramatically dissolved and wouldn’t call another one.
Charles’ reign divided into 4 sections:
- 1660-7, politics dominated by Clarendon,
- 1667-78, emergence of Tory and Whig parties, CABAL from 67-74 and Danby from 74-79
- 1678-81, ecxlusion period, tumultuous
- 1681-85, stuart revenge, mild absolutism,
Quotes on Charles II as an unambitious King
- Lord Rochester: ‘he never said a foolish thing, nor did a wise one’
- Daniel Defoe: ‘lazy, long, lasivious reign’
How many illegitimate children did Charles have?
15 by 17 mistresses
had serious political consequences later on in his reign - Monmouth
spent A LOT on his mistresses and children, financial issues
Acts under the Clarendon code
- Corporation act 1661
- Act of uniformity 1662
- The coventicle act 1664
- Five Mile act 1665
When was the Act of indemnity and oblivion and what did it do?
29th Aug 1660
Pardoned those who had opposed the crown during the civil war and interregnum, being venegful was counterproductive
APART FROM A FEW REGICIDES
Interrgenum to be legally forgotten,
How much did the Convention parliament grant Charles in Sep 1660?
£1.2 mill a year
He didn’t actually get this amount until 1674
When was Thomas Harrison executed and significance?
3rd Oct, hung drawn and quartered, he had been a major general and leading regicide
what/when Worcestor House Declaration
Oct 1660
wanted no persecution against dissenters and independent sects
wanted toleration! and shows Charles’ commitment to a tolerant religious settlement
what/when Quaker’s declaration
- 1660
- affirmed their pacificism
- distanced them from any involvement or political upheaval which removd the threat to the King
- REMOVING QUAKER THREAT
when was Cromwell’s corpse dug up and with who else
Jan 1661
Corpses of Cromwell, Ireton and Bradshaw were dug up and exhumed
what/when Venner rising
6th Jan 1661
5th Monarchists led by Thomas Venner led a force attemptong to overthrow the restored monarchy
3 days long
Pushed Royalists in parliament to fear independency and made them want less toleration
When was Charles crowned in England
23rd April 1661
what/when Savoy House conference
April-July 1661
inytended to reach a compromise between Presbyterian and CofE
rejected CHarles’ settlement
Wanted to decide o revision of the book of common prayer
What/when Corporation act
Part of the Clarendon code,
1661
restricted members of governing bodies to those who conformed to Anglicanism
what/when Militia act 1661
1661
confirmed the monarch as the supreme commander of the army and navy
What/when Act of tumultuous petitioning
1661
aimed to prevent large petitions and the nunber of individuals presenting them to King and parliament
When was the 1641 Bishops exclusion act repealed
1661
this now allowed Bishops back into the House of Lords, this increased the amount of support for Charles in the Lords which let him have more power there
what/when, act for safety and preservation of his majesties person and government
1661
made it punishable to accuse the king of popery or to incite hatred of the monarch,
CAVALIER PARLIAMENT MORE THAN THE KING
when was the first meeting of the Cavalier parliameny
1661
meets every years apart from 1672 and 6, until 1679
When did Charles marry Catherine of Braganza
May 1662
Clarendon arranged this
what/when license act
1662
prevented the printing of pamphlets without a license
EFFECTIVELY CENSORSHIP
what/when Hearth tax
1661, was a progressive tax, the more hearths a home had - the ore tax they had to pay, CAUSED RESENTMENT FROM THE UPPER CLASSES THOUGH, additional income for the king BUT Charles spending still exceeded income.
what/when Act of uniformity
part of the clarendon code
enforced the new prayer book
decreed that all church ministers who refused to accept the restored Church were to leave their livings,
1909 minsters left the Church becuse of this
when was the selling of Dunkirk and to who
1662
sold to Louis XIV for £375,000
parliament very unhappy with this, and Clarendon had orchestrated it, opposition to him grew
what/when first declaration of indulgence
1662
showed charles’ opposition to the Clarendon code, wanted to extend toleration by suspending laws agiainst dissenters and allowing him to exempt certain people from the acts
HE CANCELLED THIS IN 1663
what/when quaker act
1662
harsh punishment for quakers
what/when triennial act
a weaker triennial act than that of 1641
said parliament SHOULD be called every 3 years but didn’t actually have to be
what/when conventicle act
part of the clarendon code
forbade worship conducted outside the church in meetings of 5 or more
what/when 5 mile act
part of the clarendon code
prevented expelled ministers and teachers from coming within 5 miles of any town
when did the second Anglo-Dutch war start
1665
When did the plague hit London
1665
when was the Great fire of London
1666
when did France and Denmark join the war against England
1666
when was Clarendon removed
1667
ocntributed to a major shift in power dynamics
dismissed because he was blamed for anglo-dutch war (which he ahd opposed) and the infertility of Catherine
who was Clarendon
had escpaed with Charles after the third civil war
he authored the declaration of Breda
was committed to good relations between crown and parliament
dates of the cabal
1667-73
Thomas Clifford
Henry Bennet
George Villiers
Anthony Ashley Cooper
John Maitland
had great influence and power over the King, politics and power from this time
what/when BATTLE OF MEDWAY
biggest English naval defeat
Happened in the Medway
Led to the end of the Anglo Dutch war and the Treaty of Breda
what/when conventicle act
reinforced persecution of dissenters and removed JP’s who were too leniant (some JP’s were dissenters)
CHarles was forced t pass this in order to get a subsidy for the Anglo-Dutch war
what/when treaty of dover
SECRET treaty between Louis XIV and Charles II
said Charles woudl declare himself a Catholic when thw time was right, would be more tolerant to Catholics, would join the war with France against the Dutch
IN RETURN Louis would give Charles £200,000 a year
