Why did people welcome back Charles II?
What happened on 30th January 1649? (+ give me one detail about this event)
Charles I was executed
Who was Samuel Pepys? Give me one detail about his life (it can't be about cheese!)
How did the Restoration Settlement deal with the army?
Charles and his parliament paid off the soldiers’ unpaid wages and made laws that helped ex-soldiers find work by helping them train in skilled professions. The soldiers were ordered by Parliament to disband (break up) in August 1660.
If you were walking around London in 1665, what might be one thing you would SEE?
- Highway traffic as people empty themselves into the countryside.
- Door shut up with the inscription "Lord have mercy upon us"
- Red crosses on the front doors of houses of plague victims.
- People carrying the coffins of loved ones.
What was the name of the architect Charles II selected to redesign St Paul's Cathedral?
Sir Christopher Wren
What is the significance of an Oak tree in Boscobel Wood?
The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. Charles told Samuel Pepys in 1680 that while he was hiding in the tree, a Parliamentarian soldier passed directly below it. The story was popular after the Restoration!
Give me two examples of how Charles II was a merry monarch.
- Ordinary people often went to watch the King eat for entertainment. Charles dined publicly for their entertainment three times a week. An observer on one occasion recorded the crowd stealing so much food the king had to leave the table.
- Some of Charles’ mistresses became high profile figures. These included actress Nell Gwyn and Louise de Keroualle. One mistress, Lady Castlemaine, is said to have held so much sway that she was known as the ‘uncrowned queen’.
- Charles’ public appearances were relaxed and informal. It could be said that he was the very first celebrity!
- Charles fathered at least 20 children with his many mistresses. He chose not to hide them, and instead gave them titles and government roles.
How did the Restoration Settlement ensure the King's power was limited?
The King could not raise taxes without parliament’s permission nor demand loans. He also was not to use the Star Chamber (a court used by his father used for persecuting Puritans and other enemies).
If you were walking around London in 1665, what might be two things you would SMELL?
- Open mass graves
- Roses and sweet flowers (nosegays) to prevent disease
What were the coffee houses?
Coffee houses served as both social spaces and places of business. Perhaps because coffee was seen to “clear the head”, it became popular with those working in stocks, law, politics and trade.
Coffee houses for a short while were associated with radical ideas and religious dissenters (Puritans) and were seen by some as dangerous. The owners would often stock up on news sheets and pamphlets. This meant they became places where discussions and debates took place. Some members of the upper classes felt uneasy at the idea that ordinary people could become informed and actively engaged in debate with those of a higher status.
What was issued on 4th April 1660 and what were three promises made?
The Declaration of Breda promised...
•Peace for the kingdom
•A promise to listen to the advice of Parliament
•A promise of indemnity- people will not be persecuted for the actions of the Civil Wars, except for those who took part in the execution of Charles I or who resist the king’s return, the details of which will be settled by Parliament
•Settlement of disputes over land, to be decided by Parliament. This land related to the land taken from Royalists after the Civil War ended.
•Payment of the army’s wages
•‘Liberty to tender consciences’- toleration for peaceful religious beliefs, the details of which were to be decided by Parliament
Give me three examples of how Charles was a serious monarch.
- In 1682 Charles founded the Royal Hospital Chelsea for returned soldiers.
- Charles founded the Royal Observatory and was a major supporter of the Royal Society (a important scientific organisation).
- Charles took an interest in theatre and architecture, acting as a patron to the famous architect Christopher Wren.
- Charles was visited by the sick suffering with scrofula (tuberculosis) hoping to be cured by the King’s touch. He was visited by 4,000 people a year.
Charles appointed Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon as his Chief Minister. The group of advisers and ministers Clarendon led became known as the Clarendon Ministry.
What were three measures taken to deal with the plague?
How did women exercise power and influence in Charles's court?
- Could be actresses
- Encouraged to live hedonistic lives and take lovers
- Status would not deplete with marriage etc.
What type of Christianity did England practice under Charles II?
Anglicanism
- As the reign progressed, fashions for women had become more elaborate and fitted, with more lace detail on the sleeves and collars, while men’s collars and cuffs again began to grow. Wigs grew so large that hats became accessories that were carried rather than worn. These reflected the French fashions.
- French influence can also be seen in the Baroque decoration at court – Baroque was a style of architecture popular in France which used lots of carved wooden panelling and columns, and brightly coloured velvets. The expensive French furniture and plate which decorated Keroualle’s rooms at court became famous, while the walls were decked out with French tapestries depicting hunting scenes and French palaces.
Tell me about a law passed under the Clarendon Code.
The Corporation Act (1661)- required all government officials to take Anglican communion (and therefore excluded non-conformists from public office)
Act of Uniformity (1662)- It made the Book of Common Prayer (an Anglican book which outlined what should be said in church services) compulsory in religious services. Those who refused to do so were forced to resign. This resulted in 1000 priests losing their positions (around a third in London).
The licensing of the Press Act (1662)- Limited the freedom of to publish anything that challenged the Church of England.
Conventicles Act (1664)- Made it illegal for 5 or more people from different households to meet for unauthorised worship.
Five Mile Act (1665) – made it illegal for non-conformist clergy (e.g. priests) to come within 5 miles of any town they had previously been a priest in (it was designed to stop them preaching non-conformist ideas to their old congregations).
Tell me at least three things Early Modern People believed caused the plague (remember...they didn't know about bacteria or germs)
What series of unpopular (and costly) wars was Charles fighting during the Clarendon years?
Anglo-Dutch wars
‘There was rejoicing on the streets of the capital as the King rode into London. Not only royalists but all except the most diehard enemies of the monarchy welcomed the return of the monarchy, and they were not to be disappointed. The new king showed himself anxious to calm his former enemies as well as to reward his friends. They were given important positions at court and in government; and the protection of the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion was extended to everyone except those few who had signed Charles I’s death warrant.’
Give me two reasons why this is a convincing account of the Restoration.
- Declaration of Breda showed Charles II was willing to co-operate with parliament.
- The procession took seven hours and thousands of people came to see the king's return etc.
- Any other valid points welcome!
What was founded in 1662 and why was it so important?
Royal Society
- Charles was a patron
- Society also witnessed some significant new inventions. Boyle and Hooke’s pneumatic pump was created to see the effect of the vacuum on barometers, fire and even animals.
- Society went on to publish Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica (1687) a seminal book that describes the actions of gravity.
How many regicides were put on trial after the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion was passed and how many were executed?
The Act of Indemnity and Oblivion passed by parliament set out that only 33 regicides (people who killed the king) should be on trial. 13 were eventually tried and executed (hung, drawn and quartered) in front of a bloodthirsty crowd.
What was the impact of the Great Plague? Give me at least three details.
- Approximately 130,000 people died across England – 100,000 of these in London.
In towns and cities, the poor were much more likely to catch the plague than the wealthy; this was partly because the wealthy could afford to leave to avoid the plague, and partly because the poor lived in places where rats and fleas thrived.
-mThe plague affected the economy. Goods could not be loaded in or out of the port in London. Inns and pubs were empty. Farmers kept away from markets. In some places industry collapsed; Colchester saw a two-thirds drop in the amount of cloth it produced in 1666.
- Customs taxes were hit by the steep drop in trade, causing a tax shortfall of almost £400,000. This was especially a problem for the government since England needed money to pay for the war against the Dutch. Special taxes voted for by Parliament were only able to raise just over half of what was expected.
- The normal rules of society temporarily broke down. Many of the clergy had run away from London. The Bishop of London had to threaten to sack priests who had fled. In many churches and parishes the dissenting priests, who had been sacked under the laws in the 1662 Act of Uniformity (see previous notes), reoccupied the churches and took the places of the Anglicans who had fled. Things went back to normal in 1667.
What are three key differences between Protestantism and Catholicism?
- Robes, beliefs, pilgrimages, etc.