The Restoration of 1660 returned the monarchy, Parliament and the Church of England, but it did not restore the political world that had existed before the Civil War. Charles II governed within a society transformed by regicide, republican government, religious pluralism and military rule. The settlement survived for twenty-five years, yet conflicts over Catholicism, dissent, royal prerogative and the succession eventually prepared the overthrow of James II in 1688.
The Restoration followed eleven years of republican experiments. Before examining how monarchy returned, revisit the New Model Army, the execution of Charles I, the Commonwealth and Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate.
Why was the monarchy restored in 1660?
Oliver Cromwell’s death in September 1658 exposed the fragility of the Protectorate. His son Richard inherited the office of Lord Protector but lacked military authority, political experience and a dependable group of supporters. He resigned in May 1659 after failing to reconcile Parliament with senior army officers.
The following months brought repeated constitutional breakdowns. The army recalled the Rump Parliament, expelled it and then restored it again. Competing officers and politicians claimed to defend the republican cause, but none could establish a government with broad legitimacy.
England had grown weary of military intervention, irregular taxation and constitutional uncertainty. Many former Parliamentarians concluded that monarchy offered the best prospect of stable civilian government. Their support did not mean that they had abandoned every principle defended during the Civil War.
General George Monck commanded the English army occupying Scotland. During the winter of 1659–1660, he marched south while presenting himself as a defender of lawful parliamentary government. His intentions remained deliberately uncertain until he had secured control of London and the army.
Monck allowed the MPs excluded during Pride’s Purge to return to the Long Parliament. That restored assembly dissolved itself and authorised elections for a new Parliament. Because no king existed to summon it, the resulting body became known as the Convention Parliament.
