Restoration England 1660-1685Topic Summary
Topic Summary: The Restoration, 1660
Part of The Restoration — GCSE History
This topic summary covers Topic Summary: The Restoration, 1660 within The Restoration for GCSE History. Revise The Restoration in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 15 of 15 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 15 of 15
Practice
8 questions
Recall
5 flashcards
Topic Summary: The Restoration, 1660
Key Terms
- Declaration of Breda: Charles's four promises before returning — pardon, religious tolerance, land settlement, army pay — left to Parliament to implement
- Regicide: Killer of a king; the 59 men who signed Charles I's death warrant in 1649
- Restoration Settlement: The political and legal arrangements of 1660 — limited monarchy, Parliament kept tax power, prerogative courts stayed abolished
- Cavalier Parliament: The strongly Royalist and Anglican Parliament elected 1661, which passed the Clarendon Code
- Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660: Gave legal pardon to most who fought against Charles I; excluded regicides
Key Dates
- 1649: Charles I executed; Republic declared
- 1658: Oliver Cromwell dies; Richard Cromwell becomes Protector
- May 1659: Richard Cromwell resigns — political chaos begins
- January 1660: General Monck marches south from Scotland
- April 1660: Declaration of Breda issued by Charles in exile
- 29 May 1660: Charles II enters London — his 30th birthday
- 1661: Cromwell's corpse exhumed and "executed" at Tyburn
Key People
- Charles II: Returned as king 29 May 1660; balanced revenge with reconciliation
- General Monck (Duke of Albemarle): Army commander whose march south made Restoration possible
- Richard Cromwell: "Tumbledown Dick" — resigned as Protector after 8 months, triggering the political crisis
- Earl of Clarendon (Edward Hyde): Chief minister who designed the Restoration Settlement
- Thomas Harrison: First regicide executed — hanged, drawn and quartered in October 1660
Must-Know Facts
- Charles II returned on 29 May 1660 — his 30th birthday, "Oak Apple Day"
- Declaration of Breda: four promises (PRLA) — Pardon, Religious tolerance, Land, Army pay
- 13 regicides executed; bodies of Cromwell, Ireton, Bradshaw exhumed and symbolically executed
- Restoration Settlement: Parliament kept control of taxation; prerogative courts stayed abolished
- Charles's annual income set at £1.2 million — often not enough in practice
- Religious tolerance promise BROKEN by Cavalier Parliament's Clarendon Code (1661-65)
- General Monck was the decisive military figure who made restoration practically possible
Cross-Topic Links
- → Charles's Court (Topic 50): The Restoration created the political framework Charles operated within — his court, ministers and financial constraints all flow from the 1660 settlement.
- → Religious Settlement (Topic 51): Charles's Declaration of Breda promised religious tolerance, but Parliament's Clarendon Code 1661-65 immediately broke that promise, making religion the dominant source of tension.
- → Dutch Wars (Topic 52): The Restoration Settlement gave Charles a fixed income of £1.2 million — chronically insufficient, which is why he needed war profits and foreign subsidies.
- → Charles's Legacy (Topic 61): The Restoration's constitutional settlement (Parliament kept tax power) directly explains why Charles could not govern autocratically — it set the limits he spent 25 years navigating.
- → Catholics & Dissenters (Topic 60): The Cavalier Parliament elected in 1661 was the same body that imposed the Clarendon Code — understanding the Restoration Parliament is essential for understanding religious persecution.