The Restoration and the 18th Century 1660-1798

Calamities and a New State The Great Fire of London began on September 2, 1666 and lasted for four days (13,200 homes lost, 87 churches destroyed, numerous guild halls, prisons, and other buildings burned to the ground) *only 5 people died The Great Plague of London began in 1665 and continued into 1666 (over 100,000 people died—20% of London’s population) In 1707, the Act of Union established the state of Great Britain (composed of England and Scotland—Wales had been part of England since the mid-1500s, Ireland broke from the Union and Northern Ireland joined it in 1921)

The Divine Right of Kings The King/Queen derived their power directly from God James I (1603-1625) a firm believer in the DRK All his subjects were made to conform to the Church of England, so many Catholics and Puritans left for Europe or America

Prelude to Civil War James’s son Charles I became king in 1625 He, too, believed in the Divine Right of Kings Charles eventually dissolved Parliament Parliament was recalled in 1640; unfortunately, The English Civil War began in August 1642

War…and Hair (1642-1651) Royalist Cavaliers (most with long hair and loyal to Charles I) versus Puritan Roundheads (most with short hair and loyal to God) The Puritans were radical Protestants who acknowledged only the “pure” word of God and wished to “purify” the Church of England The Puritan army under Oliver Cromwell proved victorious and Charles I was beheaded

The Puritan Commonwealth The monarchy was abolished in 1649 (Commonwealth—1649-1653; Protectorate—1653-1659) Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector He closed theaters, banned dancing, and destroyed religious icons (swearing in public was a punishable offense and a person could be fined from 3 to 30 shillings) In 1660, Parliament invited Charles II to return from exile (The Restoration)

The Restoration After nearly 20 years of civil war and Puritan rule, many in England were happy to see the monarchy restored Unfortunately, Charles II was more interested in personal pleasures and an elaborate court life than ruling his empire Fortunately, he reopened English theaters and brought back holidays such as Christmas (he also re-established Anglicanism as the official state religion)

The Whigs and the Tories The Whigs (mostly wealthy merchants) sought to limit royal authority, sought leniency for protestant dissenters, and sought to limit French expansion in Europe and North America The Tories (mostly land-owning aristocrats) supported royal authority, sought to punish protestant dissenters, and had no interest in a war with France

A Rogues Gallery (for the most part) James II (1685-1688) followed Charles II, but he was deposed because of his attempts to make Catholicism the state religion (the Glorious Revolution) William III (1689-1702) and Mary II (1689-1694) ruled as husband and wife Anne (1702-1714) the last ruler from the house of Stuart

More Rogues George I (1714-1727) was ineffectual (he was a distant cousin of Anne’s from Hanover in Germany who spoke no English), and he relied heavily on Robert Walpole, England’s first prime minister George II (1727-1760) was also ineffectual (although with the help of his prime minister, William Pitt, England defeated France in the French and Indian War) George III (1760-1820) lost the American colonies and was declared insane in 1811

The Enlightenment Known as The Age of Reason in England (optimistic view that reason, logic, and science could solve all of mankind’s ills) Charles II created the Royal Society (Sir Isaac Newton’s scientific method is still in use today) The Royal Society made revolutionary advances in physics, math, optics, and astronomy

Deism Many scientists were Deists who believed that God manifests Himself through His creation and not the Bible Deists thought that God would be known through reason and observation

Neoclassicism Neoclassicists believed that the purpose of art was to imitate nature Nature was seen as rational, orderly, and harmonic The Neoclassicists looked to the ancient Greek and Roman texts for inspiration

Satire Satirists, who pointed out the faults and vices of people and social institutions, did not share the Neoclassical view that people and nature were always rational Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels) is the most famous of the English satirists Horatian Satire (named for the Roman writer Horace) was gentle and playful; Juvenalian Satire (named for the Roman writer Juvenal) was dark and biting

The Novel Although the novel would become more influential in the 19th and 20th centuries, the first English novel, Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, was published in 1719

Questions From Monday and Today Choice #1: Read 480-482; Questions 1,2 on 482; Read 484; Questions 1,2,3 on 484; Read 485-486; Questions 1,3 on 487 Choice #2: Read 532-534; Questions 1,2,3 on 534; Read 535; Questions 1,2,3,4 on 536 Everyone should do the following: Read 514-516; Read 521; Questions 1,2 on 521; Read 522; Questions 1,2,3 on 523; Read 526; Questions 1,2 on 526 Today: Read 576-587 + Questions 1-5, 6,9,10 on 588 Read 592-598 + Questions 1-4, 8, 9, 10 on 599