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Restoration England 1660-1685Exam Focus

Exam Technique: Explain Why...

Part of Religious Settlement — GCSE History

This exam focus covers Exam Technique: Explain Why... within Religious Settlement for GCSE History. Revise Religious Settlement in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 6 of 15 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.

Topic position

Section 6 of 15

Practice

8 questions

Recall

4 flashcards

📝 Exam Technique: Explain Why...

Example: "Explain why there was religious tension during Charles II's reign." (8 marks)

Structure (3 developed points):

1. Memory of Civil War: Many Anglicans blamed Puritans for the chaos of Civil War and execution of Charles I. The Cavalier Parliament wanted revenge, leading to the harsh Clarendon Code which ejected 2,000 ministers in 1662...

2. Fear of Catholicism: England had been Protestant for over 100 years. Catholics were associated with foreign powers (France, Spain), tyranny, and plots. When James was revealed as Catholic by the Test Act 1673, it seemed the Crown itself was threatened...

3. Charles's policies: The King's attempts at tolerance (1662, 1672 Declarations of Indulgence) were seen as favouring Catholics. His French alliance and secret Treaty of Dover increased suspicions...

Always link reasons together: Parliament's fear of Catholicism was worsened by Charles's suspicious behaviour.

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Religious Settlement. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Charles's Attempts at ToleranceWhy Was the Clarendon Code So Harsh? — The Chain of CausesReligious Groups in Restoration EnglandSetting the Scene

Practice Questions for Religious Settlement

Approximately how many ministers were ejected from the Church of England by the Act of Uniformity 1662?

  • A. About 200
  • B. About 2,000
  • C. About 20,000
  • D. About 200,000
1 markfoundation

What did the Conventicle Act 1664 ban?

  • A. Catholics from holding any public office in England
  • B. Ejected ministers from living within 5 miles of a town
  • C. Religious meetings of five or more people outside the Church of England
  • D. Town officials from taking the sacrament in any but Anglican churches
1 markfoundation

Quick Recall Flashcards

What was the Clarendon Code?
Four Acts (1661-65) persecuting Protestant Dissenters — Corporation Act (1661), Act of Uniformity (1662), Conventicle Act (1664), Five Mile Act (1665). Parliament's initiative, not Charles's — he actually tried twice to suspend it.
Who was John Bunyan?
Baptist preacher imprisoned 1660-72 for illegal preaching under the Clarendon Code. Wrote Pilgrim's Progress in prison — one of the most widely read books in English history. Symbol of Dissenting perseverance.

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Charles's Attempts at Tolerance

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Why Was the Clarendon Code So Harsh? — The Chain of Causes