The Restoration Settlement, 1660-64 Flashcards
What did Charles II issue before he returned to England?
The Declaration of Breda. He promised:
- to listen to the advice of parliament
- an indemnity - only those who took part in the execution of Charles I or who resisted the king’s return would be persecute
- ‘liberty to tender consciences’ - toleration for peaceful religious beliefs religious beliefs, the details of which were to be settled by parliament
- Settlement of disputes over land would be decided by parliament
- Payment of the army’s wages
How did Charles II and the Convention Parliament attempt to ensure political stability in 1660?
- The Act of Indemnity and Oblivion granted a general pardon to supporters of the republican regimes, apart from those who had condemned Charles I to death
- Land confiscated during the republican period was restored to its original owners
- The Convention oversaw the peaceful disbanding of the New Model Army
- The Anglican Church was restored, along with the bishops
Charles II had promised…
religious toleration, but the ultra-royalist Cavalier Parliament, elected in 1661, was determined to restore the Anglican Church and to persecute non-conformists
How did the Cavalier parliament attempt to restore the Anglican Church, and reduce toleration?
1661: The Corporation Act allowed only Anglicans to hold office in local corporations. Many corporations were Puritan strongholds, and the Act Beverly weakened Puritan power and influence
1662: The Quaker Act imposed severe financial penalties on Quakers
1662: The Act of Uniformity required all clergymen to accept Anglican doctrines and rituals. As a result, hundreds of parish priests were driven from their livings
1664: The Conventicle Act forbade dissenting assemblies of more than five people
During his reign Charles II tried to change some of the harsher aspects of the…
religious settlement, but his actions only caused conflict between crown and parliament.
What was Parliaments most influential form of power?
Finance - to limit Charles.
What, in terms of finance, did Charles II receive?
- £1.2 million a year and a new Hearth Tax, a tax on every fireplace and stove in the kingdom, was introduced in 1662
Did parliaments financial contributions to Charles II put him in a better position than early Stuart monarchs?
Yes - but it wasn’t enough to make him independent - he was therefore always reliant on further parliamentary finance, for which he would need the consent of MPs.
In 1664 the Cavalier Parliament replaced the…
Triennial Act of 1641 with a much weaker version - which didn’t establish a procedure to be followed if the king failed to call a parliament.
