The Restoration of Charles II Flashcards
1
Q
Reasons for Richard Cromwell’s calling of Parliament
A
- Relationships were still uncertain, Richard Cromwell needed to be accepted by the MPs
- £900,000 of debt was owed to the Army
2
Q
The First Parliament of Richard Cromwell
A
- January to April 1659
- Radicals wanted the Protectorate to be destroyed and the return of the Commonwealth
- Army background MPs wanted to bring Richard under their influence to protect the status quo
- The country gentry wanted less religious toleration and a stronger upper house
- The army MPs called for a dissolution of Parliament in April, when Richard seemed reluctant troops were brought in
3
Q
Bishop Gilbert Burnet
A
- 17 at the restoration
- His family were Royalists with links to Scottish Covenanters
- He was very much part of the political establishment under Charles II the post Glorious Reformation so his account could be questioned as both being uninformed by experience and influenced very much my the political situation of his writing
4
Q
Situation in the army in the first months of Richard Cromwell
A
- The whole army, both the commanders and the men were moving against Richard who they saw as no relation to the army
- The men of the army were also becoming disassociated with commanders like Fleetwood fearing they were betraying the good old cause
5
Q
Decline of Richard Cromwell
A
- After having been force to close the Parliament in April 1659, Cromwell’s position was a degrading one
- The Army called the Rump parliament back without Richard Cromwell in May 1659, options had run out and this was the only legally elected Parliament they could summon at the time
- Richard Cromwell resigns in May leaving Whitehall by June
6
Q
Richard Cromwell
A
- Oldest son of Oliver Cromwell
- Unlike his father and brother Henry, Richard was not an army man, nor was he a particular active MP
- He instead lived the life of a country esquire until his fathers deaths in September 1658
- He escaped England at the restoration, fearing persecution
7
Q
General George Monck
A
- He fought for the Royalist forces drawing the war
- After taking an Oath of Loyalty in November 1646 he became a prominent army officer
- He was commander of the Scottish forces and was well respected, he insured uniformity be purging 100 officers out of his army who he saw as not in line with his moderate Presbyterianism
- By 1659 he had 10,000 loyal and disciplined troops under his command
- After the restoration he was a key member of Charles II’s establishment
8
Q
Royalist rebellion
A
- In the summer of 1649 a nation wide Royalist revolt was planned in this leaderless period
- Only Sir George Booth successfully revolted with 4,000 troops taking Chester and marching of Manchester in August 1659
- Lambert crushed the rebellion
9
Q
The role of the Army post Richard Cromwell
A
- The unproductive Rump was closed in October 1659
- In October Fleetwood and Lambert set up the Committee of Safety, effectively marshal rule
- Seeing the threat of Monck and his 10,000 men lambert marched north in December however his army which was not fully paid and riddled with divisions melted away
- The Rump calls itself back in December upon the threat of anarchy in London
10
Q
The march of Monck
A
- Monck was named Commander in Chief of England and Scotland in January crossing the River Tweed
- By February 1660 he arrived in London, calling back all surviving pre prides purge MPs to officially dissolve in March and lay the foundations for a new Parliament in April
- At this point Monck was engaged in correspondence with Charles II
11
Q
Allan Broderick
A
- A member of the Convention Parliament
12
Q
Edward Hyde 1st Earl of Clarendon
A
- Part of Charles II privy council whilst he was in exile, Edward Hyde was instrumental in drawing up the Declaration of Breda
13
Q
The Convention Parliament
A
- Sitting from April to December 1660
- 100 new MPs were known Royalists, thus balancing out the Presbyterians
- On 8th May 1660 Parliament announces that Charles II was king since January 1649
- All legislation of the Protectorate and Common Wealth was declared null other than some key points such as the navigation acts 1651 passed under the Rump
14
Q
The Declaration of Breda
A
- As per Monck’s advice Charles moved from the Catholic Spanish Netherlands to Breda in the Protestant United Providences to make the Declaration
- In April 1660 the Declaration of Breda was issued
- All but the regicides and a select few all those who fought against Charles were pardoned
- Establishing general religious tolerance but this was under the desecration of Parliament
- Land disputes would be sorted out by Parliament
15
Q
Return of Charles
A
- After the Declaration of Breda many MPs and hopefuls for Royal Office travelled to the Netherlands, among them was Pepys
- He landed in Dover on the 25th of May to be greeted by Monck and celebration
- He slowly made his way to London, taking mass and greeting his Privy Council in Canterbury and inspecting the army on Blackheath
- On Charles’ 30th Birthday he enter London on 29th May on horseback where he was addressed by the speakers both both houses
