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Restoration England 1660-1685Key Facts

Aftermath: The Tory Reaction (1681-85)

Part of The Exclusion Crisis — GCSE History

This key facts covers Aftermath: The Tory Reaction (1681-85) within The Exclusion Crisis for GCSE History. Revise The Exclusion Crisis in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 8 of 18 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 8 of 18

Practice

8 questions

Recall

4 flashcards

📌 Aftermath: The Tory Reaction (1681-85)

  • No more Parliaments: Charles ruled without Parliament from 1681 to his death in 1685 — funded by French subsidies and careful spending. Showed a king could manage without Parliament when financially independent.
  • Persecution of Whigs: Shaftesbury fled to Holland and died there in 1683. Town charters were remodelled to remove Whig councillors. Leading Whigs were prosecuted.
  • Rye House Plot (1683): Alleged Whig plot to assassinate Charles and James as they passed Rye House in Hertfordshire. Several Whig leaders were executed. Whether the plot was real or fabricated by the government remains debated.
  • James succeeds peacefully (1685): When Charles died, James became king without any significant opposition. The crisis appeared to be over — but James threw it all away within three years.

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    Why Did Charles Win?Exam Technique: "How far do you agree?"The Exclusion Crisis 1679-81Setting the Scene

    Practice Questions for 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
    1 markfoundation

    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
    1 markfoundation

    Quick Recall Flashcards

    What was the Exclusion Crisis?
    1679-81: three successive Parliaments tried to pass Exclusion Bills to bar Catholic James, Duke of York, from succeeding to the throne. Charles dissolved all three Parliaments rather than allow the bills to pass. This was the most serious constitutional crisis of his reign.
    Who led the Whigs?
    Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury — nicknamed 'Little Sincerity' by his enemies. Led the campaign to exclude James from the succession. After the Oxford Parliament's dissolution (1681) he fled to Holland, where he died in 1683.

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    Exam Technique: "How far do you agree?"