Chapter 17: Charles II; Clarendon, the Cabal and Danby

• When did Charles II issue the Declaration of Breda?

  4th April 1660
• Who did the Declaration of Breda appeal to?

  Those who sought stability
• What did the Declaration of Breda promise?

  • the army its pay in arrears
  • a pardon to all his subjects apart from a few individuals
  • even ‘liberty to tender conscience’
• • When was the Convention Parliament established?

  25th April 1660
• What was the effect of ‘free elections’ that formed the Convention Parliament?

  it was a body of MPs that was more representative of the Political Nation - essentially conservative and royalist. 
• Evidence of Royalism in the Convention Parliament

  • Half made up of parliamentarians of different political and religious views, if mostly moderate Presbyterians.
  • Royalists who had got into the Convention Parliament gradually though disputed elections were naturally opposed to limitations on the returning monarch.
• When was Charles II officially declared King of England?


  8th May 1660
• Why did Charles return without any serious restrictions of his powers?


  Political Nation were desperate for a return to normalcy. so they restored him based on the promises he made in the Declaration of Breda.
• Who decided on the Restoration Settlement?

  The Convention and Cavalier Parliaments. 
• What issues did the Convention Parliament (1660) have to address?

  • Land settlement: Church and Crown lands were reclaimed
  • Disbanding the army: peacefully disbanded as their arrears were voted for by the Convention Parliament.
  • Constitution: a bill to confirm parliamentary privileges and fundamental laws stalled in the House of Lords through Charles’ influence
  • Religion: Declaration of Breda’s promise of ‘indulgence’ for nonconformists was not materialised
  • Militia: Convention Parliament did not pass a militia bill in 1660 and did not challenge Charles’ control of the militia.
• Why was indemnity an issue to address for the Convention Parliament?

  • Indemnity:
  • Declaration of Breda had promised a general pardon for those who had sided with Parliament during the Civil War; Parliament decided who should be excluded.
  • 30 men were excluded in the end.
  • The Indemnity Act (29th August 1660) - pragmatic for Charles as he needed:
  • the army to disband
  • money from the City of London
  • support of the political elite, many of whom were parliamentarians
  • However: even with Indemnity, anyone seen as a a threat to the reimposition of monarchy was persecuted
• Why was finance an issue to address for the Convention Parliament?

  • In the hands of the Convention Parliament
  • Abolished feudal rights
  • Compensation granted to Charles for abolition of feudal rights:
  • tonnage and poundage for life as well as customs specified in a parliamentary bill - the means as to which the king should ‘live off his own’.
  • granted £1.2 million a year for costs of running government in peacetime
  • Hearth Tax (1662): introduced to try and bridge the gap of Charles’ funds; a tax on hearths and windows.
• Consequence of the limits of the Crown’s finance


  Charles II was dependent on parliamentary grants and had to call Parliament every year between 1660 and 1681.
• Why did Charles dissolve the Convention Parliament 20th November?


  their annoyance at their lack of legislation with regard to the militia and problems with the religious settlement.
• Why was the Cavalier Parliament (May 1661) elected?

  Royalist backlash
• How long did the Cavalier Parliament last?

  1661-79
• What was the Act for the Safety and Preservation of His Majesty’s Person and Government?

  cancelled all ordinances (acts of Parliament which had not received royal assent). However, some legislation from 1641 did stand. 
• What 1641 legislation that limited the Crown’s power stood?

  • abolition of Star Chamber
  • abolition of High Commission
  • abolition of ship money
  • the Triennial Act
  • exclusion of bishops from Lords (however was repealed)
• 1644 remodelled Triennial Act wanted Crown to call Parliament at least every three years. 
• How did the Cavalier Parliament strengthen the position of Charles II?

  • press: 1662 Licensing Act formalised censorship of the press
  • petitioning: an act was passed to prevent mass petitioning
  • armed forces: 1661-1662 two Militia Acts gave Charles sole control of all armed forces
  • popery: Act for the Safety and Preservation of His Majesty’s Person and Government made it punishable of accusing the king of bringing in popery.
  • parliament: could not legislate without the monarch.
• Cavalier Parliament realised their real power over the monarch was through finances. 
• Historian David Farr on the Restoration settlement


  “The failures of the Restoration settlement were the basis for continuing problems in Charles’ attempts to consolidate his rule up to 1667."
• Charles’ royal government was underpinned by his desire to not be exiled once more. 
• Who was Charles II’s principal adviser between 1660 and 1667?


  Edward Hyde, the Earl of Clarendon (also Lord Chancellor). 
• Clarendon’s weaknesses

  • personality: arrogant and dismissive of others; alienated the king
  • privy council: not fully on his side
  • parliament: didn’t manage his relationship with them properly; allowed opposition to develop.
• Why did Charles use Clarendon as a scapegoat?

  didn’t like him so he scapegoated him when the Second Dutch War (1665-67) turned disastrous
• August 1667: Clarendon was forced to resign and went into self-imposed exile in France. 
• Importance of Clarendon

  • addressed tensions caused by anti-Catholicism
  • managed tensions between differing groups (later known as ‘court’ and ‘country’).
• Historian Seaward on Clarendon's dismissal

  the dismissal of Clarendon marked “the end of an administration and of a policy.” 
• Clarendon’s downfall led to rise of new advisers - the Cabal.
• Why did the Cabal had no coordinated policy?

  • government was in the hands of men with diverse outlooks and opinions
  • Charles II’s limited involvement in government
  • the elimination of the dominance of Clarendon and his business-like approach to government
• How did Charles strengthen his position during the Cabal?


  played the differences of his ministers against each other. 
• What were the aims of the Cabal?

  • extend religious toleration to Catholics and dissenters
  • alliance with France
• The influence of the Cabal led to the viewpoints behind the ‘court’ and ‘country’ parties. 
• What were the main issues Parliament looked at between 1667-74?:

  • Second and Third Dutch Wars (1665-67; 1672-74)
  • the plague (1665)
  • the Great Fire of London (1666)
• Why was finance an issue between Crown and Parliament up to 1674?

  • 1666-67: royal income fell to £647,000 - MPs thought this was due to Crown mismanagement.
  • Parliament tried to use finance to try to restrict greater religious freedom that Charles wanted to bring in
  • i.e. 1669: the Commons’ refusal to grant £300,000 forced Charles to issue a much more rigid Conventicle Act in 1670
• 1670: (secret) Treaty of Dover with France
• The parliamentary session in 1672 marked a watershed in Charles’ relationship with Parliament. 
• What did the rest of Charles II’s reign from 1672 focus on?

  the threat of popery and arbitrary government
• What factors were fundamental to the issues in 1672-74?

  • the Anglo-French attack on the Dutch
  • the Royal Declaration of Indulgence (attempt to extend religious liberty)
  • the Duke of York being Catholic