The Exclusion Crisis

Why did Whig MPs attempt to pass the Exclusion Bills between 1679 and 1681?

• A. They wanted to give Parliament the power to raise its own taxes without royal consent
• B. They feared that James, Duke of York, as a Catholic, would threaten Protestant liberties if he became king
• C. They believed Charles II had broken the terms of the Restoration Settlement by tolerating Dissenters
• D. They wanted to replace James with Charles II's illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, who was already widely popular

What did Charles II do at the Oxford Parliament in March 1681?

• A. He agreed to limit James's powers as king once he succeeded to the throne
• B. He called a general election to seek a more favourable Parliament before the bill could be voted on
• C. He dissolved Parliament after just one week, before a third Exclusion Bill could be passed, and called no more Parliaments for the rest of his reign
• D. He accepted a compromise that placed regency powers with a Protestant council during any future Catholic reign