Commonwealth and the Restoration:
in Stuart England
One of the most significant events that occurred in England in the mid 17th century was the establishment of the Commonwealth and the subsequent restoration of the monarchy as headed by King Charles II.
The rule of the Commonwealth of England covered the period from 1649 to 1660. At this time by all appearances, Parliament was seemingly in control. In truth however, Oliver Cromwell and the army held the real governing power. It was just as well for Parliament at least, that the army was still in power because Charles (who was the son of Charles I) had himself declared King as Charles II upon his arrival in Scotland. He then set out to plan the invasion of England. Unfortunately for him, he was no match for Oliver Cromwell's armies who defeated him in Worcester in 1650. Embarrassingly, Charles II was reduced to seeking refuge in a tree to avoid being captured by Cromwell's forces. After this defeat, Charles went on to seek refuge in France.
Meanwhile, the conflict that had been building up between Oliver Cromwell and Parliament for many years previous came to a head and Cromwell set about establishing the Protectorate and pronounced himself the leader of this governing body. The Protectorate was merely another name for a new form of monarchy and its rule lasted for about five years, from 1653 to 1658. The Protectorate rule was a time of great strife in England and was marked by rigid social and religious laws based on a radical form of Protestant doctrine.
During this period, Oliver Cromwell's government passed measures that essentially divided the country into 11 distinct districts, each under the command of an appointed major general. These major generals were tasked with the collection of taxes and the meting out of punishments for criminals as well as providing judgments for local conflicts and disputes. Additionally, these major generals were in charge of safeguarding the public morality as well. Under their strict rule, everyone had to attend church masses and popular leisure activities of the day such as horse racing and cockfighting were prohibited. Gambling dens and brothels were closed down entirely as well as all the taverns and alehouses. Even the production of plays was forbidden. Drunkenness and blasphemy were considered major offences and carried with them correspondingly harsh punishments. As you can imagine, these strict measures were not very well received by the common people of the time.
Things started to turn around for England in 1660 when Parliament offered Charles a chance to return to the throne in exchange for several considerations, among them a relaxation of the strict religious rules of the time and general amnesty. Charles was far easier to persuade than his father was and he agreed to the new arrangements. He subsequently returned to London in a wave of massive support and was crowned Charles II. His rule lasted a period of twenty-five years, from 1660 to 1685.
In stark contrast to the Puritanical period in the years preceding Charles' rule, the new era ushered in a period of tolerance and general revelry, with previously forbidden activities such as theatre, sports and dancing allowed once more.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: RPN
Updated On: 26/02/2007
