This introduction covers Setting the Scene within The Exclusion Crisis for GCSE History. Revise The Exclusion Crisis in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 2 of 18 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

📖 Setting the Scene

Three times between 1679 and 1681, Parliament tried to pass a bill excluding James, Duke of York, from the succession. Three times they failed. The Exclusion Crisis was the greatest constitutional battle of Charles II's reign — a fight over whether Parliament could determine who would be king. On one side stood the "Whigs," convinced a Catholic king meant tyranny. On the other, the "Tories," who believed in divine right and hereditary succession. Charles, using all his political skill, defeated the Exclusionists without another civil war. But the crisis revealed how fragile the Restoration settlement really was.

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.

The Exclusion Crisis 1679-81

The Key Constitutional Question

Setting the Scene