Politics Flashcards
(27 cards)
Cavalier Parliament
- May 1661- 1679, longest running Parliament yet
- Act for safety and preservation of his Majesty’s Person and Government- cancelled all ordinances
- Royalist-dominated
- Blend of old and new- Charles kept Parliamentarians in power
Militia Acts
- 1661 and 1662
- Returned control of army to King
- Recognised threat of army
Clarendon
- Chief minister until 1667
- Anglican and devoted servant
- “Clarendon Code”- against dissenters
- Arranged Braganza marriage 1662
- Oversaw sale of Dunkirk- pragmatic
- Widely blamed for lack of heir, Plague, Fire, and Dutch war
- Charles demanded his resignation in 1667 to keep support
Catherine of Braganza
- 1662- arranged by Clarendon
- Reinforced allegiance with Portugal
- Brings in large dowry and colonies (Bombay, Tangier)
- Infertile- causes hatred for Clarendon
- Leads to Charles’ many mistresses
Dissenting rising in Yorkshire
- 1663
- Former republicans, Cromwellians, Baptists, Quakers, Presbyterians, etc
- Defeated, led to Conventicle Act 1664
Triennial Act
- 1664
- Revised- no strict penalties for not recalling Parliament at least once every 3 years
Second Anglo-Dutch war
- 1665-1667
- Due to growing competition for trade
- Battle of Lowestoft 1665- great English victory
- Medway Raid 1667: Dutch humiliate England
- Clarendon heavily criticised despite always opposing the war
- Treaty of Breda 1667: England retained New York, concedes Surinam
Great Plague
1665
- Kills around 100,000 Londoners
- Charles mandated things such as: public prayer and fasting
- quarantine and isolation; fires in the streets to purify air; killing of animals
- Charles mandated rules for Mayors and JPs to follow: no strangers to enter without certificate of health, quarantines, marking infected houses, etc.
- Clarendon highly blamed for mishandling
Great Fire of London
1666
- Devastated the city but stopped the plague
- Destroyed 13,000 houses and 90 churches
- £3.5 million worth of goods destroyed- worsened Crown’s position
- Parliament attacked government officials; Catholics blamed
Act for Rebuilding London
1667
- Response
Clarendon exiled
- 1667
- Charles led policy on a much closer level thereafter
Triple Alliance
- 1668
- England, Sweden, Dutch Republic against French expansionism
Cabal
1668-
- Key in impeachment of Clarendon
- Beginning of Court/ Country appearance
- Court party
- Clifford
> Principal Secretary of State by 1672
> Knew full contents of Treaty of Dover
> Crypto-Catholic, removed due to Test Act 1673
- Ashley Cooper
> Protestant, headed movement to bar James II
> Changed to Country position
- Buckingham
> Led opposition to Clarendon
> Changed to Country position
> Dismissed due to alleged Catholic sympathies 1674
- Arlington
> Hutton: “Arlington’s ministry”- most significant
> Resigned after attempted impeachment by Buckingham 1674
- Lauderdale
> Presbyterian, commissioner in Scotland
> Longest serving minister
Secret Treaty of Dover
- 1670
- Charles agreed to support French foreign policy and convert to Catholicism for financial support
- Led to Anglo-Dutch war (one of the terms was alliance against Dutch)
- Full council only informed after decision taken (but not full terms)
- Divide and rule approach- met with small groups of trusted adviser- only Arlington, Clifford and James knew full terms
- Led to fears of popery in addition to 1672 Indulgence
Third Anglo-Dutch war
1672- 1674
- Allied with French
- Treaty of Westminster 1674- restores peace
- Thanks to Danby and trade Crown recovered financially
> Rise in trade: £730K 1674-75
Danby
- Devout Anglican, disliked French alliance
- Takes over after Cabal decline 1674
- Oversaw financial prosperity
> end to Dutch war 1674; trade £730K 1674-75
> Revenue £1.4 million until 1677
> Support received from country party led to a £600K grant in 1675
> Kept clients dependent on Crown for pensions and offices to support King- 1675- 30 MPs on pensions (this was a grievance later on) - Rejected religious tolerance, attractive to Cavalier
- Brought Test Bill 1675 but it failed
- Brought Mary and William marriage 1677
-Disproved Popish plot 1678- started dislike for alleged Catholic sympathies - Cavalier attempt to impeach him due to allegedly conducting secret negotiations with French to keep Parliament prorogued
Danby’s fall
- Could not keep up with Charles’ spending: increase of £750K on debt 1674-1679 due to jewels and mistresses
- Charles continued seeking a French Alliance; compelled Danby to take party in secret negotiation in 1677 to keep Parliament prorogued
- Charles signed an agreement in 1678 disbanding the bill made for France in allegiance with Dutch- 1678 treaty of Nijmeng both countries allied- isolating England
- Charles kept standing army of 30,000 in fear- Parliament fears of popery and arbitrary government
- “Pension Parliament” disliked ]
- Fell from power in 1678
Treaty of Nijmegen
1678
- Danby had secured alliance with Dutch
- Charles made secret negotiation with French for subsidies, disbanding the army meant for France
- Both countries lost confidence in England and allied
- Charles fearfully kept a standing army of 30,000
Mary marries William
1677, Arranged by Danby
- Dutch allegiance
- Extremely effective and popular, boosting Crown popularity
Cavalier Parliament dissolved
- 1679
- Due to Popish Plot
First Exclusion Parliament
- March-July 1679
- Country Party dominance
- First move to impeach Danby: disproved Popish plot, effective Lord Treasurer, alleged to have conducted secret negotiations with France to keep Parliament prorogued
- Agreed to resign as Lord Treasurer with full Royal Pardon
- Exclusion Bill gets 207 votes- Carles dissolves Parliament to avoid it passing
Second Exclusion Parliament
- October 1680- January 1681
- Whig and Tory factions become more clearly defined
- Charles’ stance hardens with illness- uses prerogative powers to prorogue Parliament, dismissed Shaftesbury (leader of Exclusionists), takes away offices of Monmouth
- Relied on younger members like Hyde
- Politics spread to taverns and pubs as Parliament is prorogued
> Shaftesbury creates monster petition with 16,000 signatures demanding Parliament to meet - Parliament offer £600,000 to encourage King- refuses, Parliament refuse to give him anymore money
Oxford Parliament
March 1681
- Tory area to limit Whig influence
- Charles had position of strength- 700 troops and people shouting supportive slogans
- Offer: James king in name only
- Parliament dissolved, Charles has personal rule until his death with secret funds from Louis XIV
> Echoes his father
> No urgent need for money- financially secure
Treaty with Louis XIV
- Signed March 1681
- £115,000 a year until 1684- accepted since it guaranteed friendship
