Chapter 20: The Exclusion Crisis

• Why was 1681 a key year for Charles?

  He overcame pressure from the Whigs to exclude his brother, James II, from the line of succession, and established himself as a more independent monarch
• How was James II's Catholicism apparent?

  He refused to agree to the Test Act in 1673
• Why was James II's Catholicism problematic?

  As Charles II had no children, James II was next in line to the throne. His first two daughters, Mary and Anne, were both raised as Protestants, but James' remarriage to the Catholic Mary of Modena raised a serious threat of a Catholic line of succession
• The Popish Plot of 1678?

  Originated by Titus Oates. Stated that Jesuits, with the help of the French and the Irish, were attempting to assassinate Charles II in order to put James II on the throne. The conspiracy spread due to England's rampant anti-Catholicism, which was only encouraged by Louis XIV's expansion in Europe
• The second Test Act?

  Charles was forced to accept this in 1678. It excluded all Catholics from Parliament, and an exception for James II only passed narrowly
• Edward Coleman?

  James II's ex-secretary. He was executed after searches of his house found correspondence with Jesuits
• Why did Charles call the First Exclusion Parliament only two months after the dissolution of the previous Parliament?

  He needed money from Parliament
• Habeas Corpus?

  The document that brought a person before court
• How did the First Exclusion Parliament try to secure its rights?

  It granted £200,000 to Charles to dissolve his standing army, and reinforced the Habeas Corpus Act
• Ratio of exclusion MPs to non-exclusion MPs in the First Exclusion Parliament?

  There were 2 exclusion MPs for every MP who was against exclusion
• How did Charles attempt to diffuse tension before the start of the First Exclusion Parliament?

  He sent James to Brussels
• What limitations did Charles promise he would place on a Catholic monarch?

  They would receive no church patronage, and Parliament would be able to make appointments to civil, legal and military offices. These measures appeased some moderate MPs, but many remained unsatisfied
• The second reading of the Exclusion Bill?

  Read by Shaftesbury in May 1679. The bill passed with a sizeable majority, but 174 MPs abstained from voting, which meant Charles had a large group of undecided voters he could take advantage of. Charles prorogued Parliament shortly after the bill passed
• The Duke of Monmouth?

  Charles II's eldest illegitimate son. He was the captain of England's land forces and was popular with the people. He worked with Shaftesbury to secure himself in the line of succession, but he was removed from office and sent into exile in 1679. He was executed in 1685 after an unsuccessful attempt at overthrowing James II
• How did Charles take advantage of the Peace of Nijmegen?

  Both the French and the Dutch sought to secure an alliance with England in case the war resumed, so Charles tried to ring money out of them
• How did Charles diffuse tension in September 1679?

  He exiled the Duke of Monmouth to the Netherlands, and sent James to Scotland
• James II in Scotland in 1679?

  He was the ambassador for Charles' new policy of repressing dissention in Scotland
• Charles' remodelling of his Privy Council in 1679?

  He removed pro-exclusion opponents, like Shaftesbury, and replaced them with younger advisers like Godolphin and Hyde
• Where did politics move after Parliament was prorogued?

  The streets
• Shaftesbury's petition?

  Called for Parliament to meet without a prorogation. The petition received 16,000 signatures, but Charles claimed it had no validity
• Why were there so many exclusionist pamphlets?

  The Licensing Act of 1662 lapsed in 1679, which allowed more freedom for publishers
• Two Treatises of Government?

  John Locke's book on the contractual theory of government. It wasn't published until after the Glorious Revolution, so Henry Neville's work was more significant
• Which procession promoted Whig ideas?

  Every November, a procession was held in London to celebrate Elizabeth's ascension and the failure of the Gunpowder Plot. During the Exclusion Crisis, the ceremony had a focus on anti-Catholicism, with effigies of the Pope being burned
• Impact of the Popish Plot?

  It resulted in 35 men being executed and more being imprisoned. By 1684, belief in the plot had collapsed, and Oates was arrested for criticising James
• The Abhorrence Movement of 1682?

  A group of moderates who were appalled by Shaftesbury's radicalism during the Exclusion Crisis
• Key aspects of Tory beliefs?

  Supported divine right and royal prerogative, the rule of law and passive obedience
• Roger L'Estrange?

  A royalist pamphleteer whose tracts were in heavy circulation during the Exclusion Crisis. He also published the Tory newspaper "Observator", which was full of Exclusion Crisis propaganda
• Were Tories in support of an absolute monarchy?

  No. They argued that the monarch still had to obey the laws and support the interests of his people, else the monarch become a tyrant
• The London Gazette?

  A government-ran newspaper that was against exclusion
• Miscellaneous methods of Tory propaganda?

  Poems, playing cards, the pulpit and the playhouse
• The Marquess of Halifax?

  A member of the House of Lords and the Privy Council. A trimmer who, eventually, did not support exclusion
• The Second Exclusion Parliament?

  Opened after a year of delays in 1680. When the Exclusion Bill was read in the House of Lords, Charles sat in on the sessions to attempt to sway opinion, and Halifax frequently promoted compromise. This was successful and the Lords rejected the bill
• The Common's response to the Exclusion Bill's rejection by the Lords?

  They offered Charles £600,000 to accept the bill, and then refused to grant Charles any money until exclusion was confirmed. This made Charles dissolve Parliament in January 1681
• Where was the 1681 Parliament held?

  Oxford, a royalist area, rather than London. This meant that Charles was able to take advantage of moderates, and was a turning point in favour of Charles during the Exclusion Crisis
• Why could Charles dissolve the Oxford Parliament?

  He had secured £385,000 over the next 3 years from the French in a secret treaty. This meant that Charles did not need parliamentary subsidies in the short term
• The Declaration Touching the Reasons That Moved Him to Dissolve the Two Last Parliaments?

  Charles' justification for dissolving the previous two Parliaments. It was read from every pulpit in the country
• Who was Charles financially dependant on after the Exclusion Crisis?

  The French
• Reasons that the Exclusion Crisis failed?

  Charles' financial independence meant he was able to dissolve Parliament, and the conservative House of Lords were unlikely to pass the radical Exclusion Bill. Toryism and being loyal to the Crown were popular ideas with the public, and people were generally cautious not to repeat the extremity of the Interregnum
• What did the Exclusion Crisis reflect?

  Parliament's anti-Catholicism, and their distrust of James and Charles
• Final years of Charles II's reign?

  The most powerful Charles had ever been. Some believe he would have imposed absolutism if he lived longer. The strength of the Stuart monarchy combined with Tory support left James II in a strong position