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The Reign of Charles II

The coronation of Charles II in 1660 was surely a sight to behold. Samuel Pepysrecorded the event in his diary, describing the crowd of “10,000people,” who watched the king with “his scepter in his hand—under acanopy borne up by six silver staves, carried by Barons of the CinquePorts—and little bells at every end.” This grand celebration signaled thebeginning of a new era in England: the Restoration.

Sophisticated SocietyTurning its back on the grim era of Puritan rule, England entered a lively period in which the glittering Stuart court of Charles II set the tone for upper-class social and political life. Charles had spent much of his long exile in France, and upon his return, he tried to emulate the sophistication and splendor he’d observed at the court of Louis XIV. As a result, the lords and ladies of his court dressed in silks and lace, elaborate wigs and sparkling jewels. They held elegant balls and flocked to London’s newly reopened theaters, where they proved their sophistication by attending comedies of manners,plays that poked fun at the glamorous but artificial society of the royal court. Like Louis XIV, Charles was a patron of the arts and sciences, appointing John DrydenEngland’s first official poet laureate and chartering the scientific organization known as the Royal Society. In addition, Charles re-established Anglicanism as England’s state religion.

Political History Parliament Parliament began as a group of noble advisers to the king. With the signing of the Magna Carta by King John in 1215, a 400-year power struggle began between Parliament and the monarch. The struggle was resolved in 1689 with passage of the Bill of Rights, which stated that laws could be made or repealed only by Parliament. The king could not act alone.

Restoration PoliticsWith the restoration, however, came a realization that monarchs would have to share their authority with Parliament, whose influence had increased substantially. An astute politician, Charles at first won widespread support in Parliament, weathering a series of disasters that included the Great Plagueof 1665 and the Great Fire of Londona year later. Soon, however, old political rivalries resurfaced in two factions that became the nation’s chief political parties: the Toriesand the Whigs.The Whigs, who wanted to limit royal authority, included wealthy merchants, financiers, and some nobles. They favored leniency toward Protestant dissenters and sought to curb French expansion in Europe and North America, which they saw as a threat to England’s commercial interests. The Tories—supporters of royal authority—consisted mainly of land-owning aristocrats and conservative Anglicans, who had little tolerance for Protestant dissenters and no desire for war with France.