This key facts covers The Regicide Trials: Revenge and Restraint within The Restoration for GCSE History. Revise The Restoration in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 5 of 15 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📌 The Regicide Trials: Revenge and Restraint
Charles promised a general pardon but excluded those directly responsible for his father's execution. The regicides were those who signed Charles I's death warrant in 1649 — 59 men in total.
| Outcome | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Executed | 13 | Hanged, drawn and quartered. Included Thomas Harrison. |
| Imprisoned for life | 25 | Confined to the Tower or other prisons. |
| Pardoned or fled | Many | Charles was relatively merciful to avoid stoking resentment. |
| Posthumous executions | 3 | Bodies of Cromwell, Ireton, and Bradshaw exhumed and "executed" at Tyburn in 1661. |
The symbolic humiliation of Cromwell's corpse — dug up, hanged, and then beheaded — demonstrated that the Restoration was also an act of revenge, even if a limited one.
Practice questions for The Restoration
On what date did Charles II ride into London to restore the monarchy?
Why was Richard Cromwell nicknamed 'Tumbledown Dick'?