Charles II - The Cabal, Political Parties & Earl of Danby

• Two wars dominated this period - The Second Dutch War (1665-67) and the Third Dutch War (1672-74)
• There were two disasters also in this period - the Great Plague (1665) and the Great Fire of London (1666)
• MP's blamed the negative financial system on crown mismanagement rather than structural problems with the financial system. They felt it was corruption.
• The Commons investigated Navy accounts. In February 1667 they appointed commissioners to examine the public accounts when it gave a parliamentary grant of £1.8 million so this grant could be checked
• Parliament made it clear they wouldn't grant him funds in he tried to broaden the church. In 1669 commons refused to grant £300,000 which forced Charles to issue a more rigid Conventicle Act in 1670.
• The CABAL Ministry was a private group of high councillors of Charles II that existed between 1667 and 1674. It was formed after the dismissal of Edward Hyde.
• The CABAL consisted of Tom Clifford (Lord Of Chudleigh), Henry Bennet (Earl of Arlington), George Villiers II (Duke of Buckingham), Ashley Cooper (Lord Ashley), and John Maitland (Earl of Lauderdale)
• George Villiers II was a friend of Charles I and was initially responsible for the CABAL's power. He was an adviser to the king and had positions on important committees.
• The CABAL had no coordinated policy as they had diverse opinions and Charles was very uninvolved in Government. They also lacked Hyde's business-like approach to governing.
• Only Clifford and Cooper worked well together. Lauderdale was based in Scotland. Arlington and Buckingham hated each other. However, Arlington did do a lot to shape policy.
• Charles played the members of the CABAL against each other in order to increase his own power
• The CABAL wanted to allow for more religious toleration, especially between the Catholics and dissenters. They also wanted an alliance with France.
• In 1672 and 1673 there was a lot of focus on the threat of popery and arbitrary government. There was little trust between the country (parliament) and court (the King)
• The Duke of York, Charles' brother James, was a Catholic and parliament was worried that he would be the heir
• In 1672, Charles ordered 'Stop the Exchequer', suspending loan repayments so he could fund an attack on the Dutch. This made it difficult to get more loans so parliament gave £1.2 million for the attack.
• There was an attempt to pass the Royal Declaration of Indulgence in 1672. This was Charles' attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant non-conformist and Catholics by suspending laws for those refusing to go to church services.
• Charles withdrew the declaration of Indulgence in 1672 and issued the Test Act in 1673 requiring anyone entering public service to deny Catholic Doctrine and take Anglican communion.
• As a result of the Test Act Parliament voted Charles a large sum and Parliament ended on the 29 March 1673
• Buckingham was removed from office / the CABAL in 1674.
• Parliament refused to vote for money which forced Charles to end the Third Dutch War with the Treaty of Westminster in February 1674