On 3rd September 1658,
Oliver Cromwell died. A few months
previously, Cromwell had announced that he wanted his son, Richard
Cromwell, to replace him as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth.
The English army was unhappy with this decision. While they respected
Oliver as a skillful military commander, Richard was just a country
farmer. In May 1659, the generals forced Richard to retire from government.
Parliament and the leaders
of the army now began arguing amongst themselves about how England
should be ruled. General George Monck,
the officer in charge of the English army based in Scotland, decided
to take action, and in 1660 he marched his army to London.
When Monck arrived he reinstated
the House of Lords and the Parliament of
1640. Royalists were now in control of Parliament. Monk
now contacted Charles
II, who was living
in Holland. Charles agreed that if he was made king he would pardon
all members of the parliamentary army and would continue with the
Commonwealth's policy of religious toleration. Charles also accepted
that he would share power with Parliament and would not rule as an
'absolute' monarch as his father had
tried to do in the 1630s.
This information was passed
to Parliament and it was eventually agreed to abolish the Commonwealth
and bring back the monarchy. Parliament raised nearly £1 million
and with this money soldiers in the army were paid off and sent home.
At the same time Charles was granted permission to form two permanent
regiments for himself, the Royal Scots and the Coldstream Guards.
In August 1660, Charles
II and Parliament
agreed to pass the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion. This resulted in
the granting of a free pardon to anyone who had supported the Commonwealth
government. However, the king retained the right to punish those people
who had participated in the trial and execution of Charles
I. A special
court was appointed and in October 1660 those Regicides
who were still alive and living in Britain were brought to trial.
Ten were found guilty and were sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered.
This included Thomas Harrison, John
Jones and Hugh Peters.
General George
Monck became one of the king's most important ministers. Many
of the men who had fought as Cavaliers against the Roundheads also
became ministers and advisers.
Some of these men wanted revenge against those who had killed their
king. A large number of the people responsible were now dead. However,
many of those who were still alive were punished. Eleven members of
the House of Commons who had signed Charles
I's death warrant were hanged, drawn and quartered. Royalists even
dug up the body of Oliver Cromwell
and displayed it at Tyburn.
Charles
II and his pro-Royalist
Parliament now attempted to deal with the Puritans.
A new Act of Uniformity was passed that made Puritan acts of worship
illegal. Those that refused to obey this law became known as non-conformists
or dissenters. Large numbers of nonconformists went to prison because
they were unwilling to give up their religious beliefs.
Men who had been Anglicans
before the Civil War were appointed
to senior posts in the church. Bishops once again became members of
the House of Lords.
Puritans
also lost their power in
politics. In future Puritans would no longer be allowed to become
members of the House of Commons or local
counsellors. They were also excluded from universities and from teaching
in schools. Strict censorship was also imposed on books. All books
dealing with history, science or philosophy had to be checked by the
government and the leaders of the church before they were published.
Newspapers were also put
under the control of the government. Coffee-houses, where people often
discussed politics, were also closed down.
(1)
Letter
sent by a man living in London to one of Charles II's advisers
(1659)
You cannot imagine how
all people here are affected with joy at the hope of having a King
again. His (Charles) picture is hung up in many places in the streets...
there was a man yesterday who said that he had seen him lately and
that he was not so handsome as that picture, at which the people were
so angry that they fell upon the man and beat him soundly.
(2)
In his diary, John
Evelyn described Charles II entering London. (29 May 1660)
There were 20,000 soldiers...
shouting with joy; the streets covered with flowers, the bells ringing,
fountains running with wine.
(3)
Samuel
Pepys,
diary entry (13th October, 1660)
I went out to Charing Cross,
to see Major-General Harrison, hanged, drawn, and quartered... he
looked as cheerful as any man could do in that condition. He was presently
cut down, and his head and heart shown to the people, at which there
were great shouts of joy... Harrison's head has been set up (on a
pole) on the other side of Westminster Hall.
(4)
Mercurius Publicus, newsbook (17th October, 1660)
John Jones chose to marry
Oliver Cromwell's sister... and had his hand in the murder of the
king. This morning Thomas Scot, Gregory Clement, Adrian Scroop and
John Jones were executed at Charing Cross.... Jones, the last to be
executed... lifted up his hands as he was drawn upon the hurdle and
at the place of execution... to gain the peoples' prayers.
(5)
John
Evelyn, diary entry
(17 October, 1660)
The traitors executed were
Scroop, Cook and Jones. I did not see their execution, but met their
quarters mangled and cut and reeking as they were brought from the
gallows in baskets.
(6)
When
Charles dissolved parliament in 1678 he made the following remarks
to his friend Thomas Bruce.
I feel better now... It
is better to have one king than five hundred.
(7)
Andrew
Marvell, Account of the
Growth of Popery and Arbitrary Government in England (1678)
Whatsoever casual good
hath been wrought at any time by the assimilation of ambitious, factious,
and disappointed members, to the little, but solid, and unbiased party,
the more frequent ill effects, and consequences of so unequal a mixture,
so long continued, are demonstrable and apparent. For while scarce
any man comes thither with respect to the public service, but in design
to make and raise his fortune, it is not to be expressed, the debauchery
and lewdness, which, upon occasion of election to Parliaments, are
now grown habitual throw the nation. So that the vice, and the expense,
are risen to such a prodigious height, that few sober men can endure
to stand to be chosen on such conditions. From whence also arise feuds,
and perpetual animosities, over most of the counties and corporations,
while gentlemen of worth, spirit and ancient estates and dependences,
see themselves over-powered in their own neighbourhood by the drunkness
and bribery of their competitors. But if nevertheless any worthy person
chance to carry
the election, some mercenary or corrupt sheriff makes a double return,
and so the cause is handed to the Committee of elections, who ask
no better, but are ready to adopt his adversary into the House if
he be not legitimate. And if the gentleman aggrieved seek his remedy
against the sheriff of Westminster Hall, and the proofs be so palpable,
that the
King's Bench cannot invent how to do him injustice, yet the major
part of the twelve judges shall upon better consideration vacate the
sheriff's fine, and reverse the judgement; but those of them that
dare dissent from their brethren are in danger to be turned off the
bench without any cause assigned. While men therefore care not thus
how they get into the House of Commons, neither can it be expected
that they should make any conscience of what they do there, but they
are only intent how to reimburse themselves (if their elections were
at their own charge) or how to bargain their votes for a place or
a pension. They list themselves straightway s into some Court faction,
and it is as well known among them, to what Lord each of them retain,
as when formerly they wore coats and badges. By this long haunting
so together they are grown too so familiar among themselves, that
all reverence of their own Assembly is lost, that they live together
not like Parliament men, but like so many good fellows met together
in a public house to make merry. And which is yet worse, by being
so thoroughly acquainted, they understand their number and party,
so that the use of so public a counsel is frustrated, there is no
place for deliberation, no persuading by reason, but they can see
one another's votes through both throats and cravats before they hear
them.
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