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The Restoration Settlement, 1660 - 64 (The religious settlement, 1661 - 66…
The Restoration Settlement, 1660 - 64
The Declaration of Breda, 1660
Before he returned to England, Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda.
- to listen to the advice of parliament
- an indemnity - people would not be persecuted for the actions they took during the civil wars, except for those who took part in the execution of Charles I or who resisted the king's return, the details of which were to be settled by parliament
- 'liberty to tender consciences' - toleration for peaceful religious beliefs, the details of which were to be settled by parliamen
- settlement of disputes over land would be decided by parliament
- payment of the army's wages
The search for stability, 1660
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The religious settlement, 1661 - 66
Charles had promised religious toleration, but the ultra-royalist Cavalier Parliament, elected in 1661, was determined to restore the Anglican Church and to persecute non-conformists.
- 1661: The Corporation Act allowed only Anglicans to hold office in local corporations. Many corporations were Puritan strongholds, and the Act severely weakened Puritan power and influence
- 1662: The Quaker Act imposed severe financial penalties on Quakers
- 1662: The Act of Uniformity required all clergymen to accept Anglican doctrines and rituals. As a result, hundreds of parish priests were driven from their livings
- 1664: The Conventicle Act forbade dissenting assemblies of more than five people
During his reign Charles tried to change some of the harsher aspects of the religious settlement, but his actions only caused conflict between crown and parliament
The settlement of government and finance, 1660 - 64
Parliament used its most influential form of power - finance - to limit Charles. On the surface, Charles received a generous settlement of £1.2 million a year and a new Heath Tax, a tax on every fireplace and stove in the kingdom, was introduced in 1662. While putting Charles in a better position than early Stuart monarchs, it was not enough to make him independent. Charles was therefore always reliant on further parliamentary finance, for which he would need the consent of Mps.
In 1664 the Cavalier Parliament replaced the Triennial Act of 1641 with a much weaker version. The new Act did not established a procedure to be followed if the king failed to call a parliament.