Stuart Restoration
Richard Cromwell stepped down as Lord Protector in 1659, leaving a power vacuum that military leaders rushed to fill. Charles Fleetwood and John Lambert seized control of the government for nearly a year after Richard's resignation. On the 20th of October 1659, George Monck marched his army south from Scotland to challenge the dominance of Fleetwood and Lambert. Lambert's forces began to abandon him during this confrontation, forcing him back to London almost alone while Monck advanced unopposed. The Presbyterian members who had been excluded since Pride's Purge of 1648 were recalled to Parliament on the 24th of December. This restored Long Parliament then stripped Fleetwood of his command and ordered him to answer for his conduct before the assembly.
Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda on the 4th of April 1660, making promises about reclaiming the crown of England. Monck organized the Convention Parliament which met for its first session on the 25th of April. On the 8th of May, this body proclaimed that King Charles II had been the lawful monarch since the execution of Charles I on the 30th of January 1649. Charles left The Hague on the 23rd of May and landed at Dover on the 25th of May. He entered London on the 29th of May 1660, coinciding with his 30th birthday. To celebrate his return, the 29th of May became a public holiday known as Oak Apple Day. His coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on the 23rd of April 1661.
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act became law on the 29th of August 1660, pardoning past treason but excluding those involved in Charles I's trial and execution. Thirty-one of the 59 commissioners who signed the death warrant in 1649 were still alive when the Restoration occurred. Thomas Harrison became the first person found guilty of regicide during these proceedings. In October 1660, ten men including John Jones, Adrian Scrope, and Hugh Peters were publicly hanged, drawn and quartered at Charing Cross or Tyburn in London. Oliver Cromwell, Henry Ireton, Judge Thomas Pride, and Judge John Bradshaw received posthumous attainders for high treason. Their corpses were exhumed from Westminster Abbey in January 1661 and hanged in chains at Tyburn.
Barbados had held for Charles II under Lord Willoughby until defeated by George Ayscue during the Commonwealth period. When news reached Barbados of the King's restoration, Thomas Modyford declared the island for the King in July 1660. Jamaica became a British colony in 1661 after Charles II chose not to restore it to Spain. The Colony of New Haven provided refuge for Regicides Edward Whalley, William Goffe, and John Dixwell before merging into Connecticut in 1662. Virginia remained the most loyal dominion, with William Berkeley elected governor in 1660 by the House of Burgesses. He promptly declared for the King and restored the Anglican Church as the established church.
Theatres reopened after having been closed during the protectorship, allowing women to perform on stage as professional actresses for the first time. Bawdy comedy flourished with sexually explicit language encouraged personally by the king and his court. Aphra Behn emerged as the first professional female playwright during this period. The Dutch Republic presented Charles with the Dutch Gift, including old master paintings, classical sculptures, furniture, and a yacht. Restoration literature encompassed extremes from Paradise Lost to John Wilmot's Sodom, while Locke's Treatises of Government appeared alongside Robert Boyle's experiments. The return of the king replaced Puritan severity with taste for magnificence and opulence, introducing Dutch and French artistic influences.
William III of Orange-Nassau led an invasion of England with a Dutch fleet and army in November 1688. James II lost his nerve when William arrived on the 5th of November 1688, declining to attack and attempting to flee to France instead. He was captured in Kent but later released under Dutch protective guard before escaping on the 23rd of December. A group of seven Protestant nobles had invited the Prince of Orange to come to England with an army back in June 1688. William convened a Convention Parliament which declared that James had effectively abdicated the throne after fleeing to France. His daughter Mary was declared Queen to rule jointly with her husband William, who became King William III of England.
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Common questions
When did Charles II enter London to restore the monarchy?
Charles II entered London on the 29th of May 1660. This date coincided with his 30th birthday and became a public holiday known as Oak Apple Day.
What happened to Oliver Cromwell after the Stuart Restoration in 1660?
Oliver Cromwell received a posthumous attainder for high treason following the restoration. His corpse was exhumed from Westminster Abbey in January 1661 and hanged in chains at Tyburn alongside Henry Ireton, Judge Thomas Pride, and Judge John Bradshaw.
How many regicides were executed during the Stuart Restoration period?
Ten men including John Jones, Adrian Scrope, and Hugh Peters were publicly hanged, drawn and quartered at Charing Cross or Tyburn in October 1660. Thirty-one of the 59 commissioners who signed the death warrant in 1649 were still alive when the Stuart Restoration occurred.
Which colony remained loyal to King Charles II during the Stuart Restoration?
Virginia remained the most loyal dominion under William Berkeley elected governor in 1660 by the House of Burgesses. He promptly declared for the King and restored the Anglican Church as the established church.
When did James II lose his nerve during the Glorious Revolution?
James II lost his nerve on the 5th of November 1688 when William III of Orange-Nassau arrived with a Dutch fleet and army. He declined to attack and attempted to flee to France instead before being captured in Kent.