Room 7
Charles II: The Restoration of the
Monarchy
The death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658 marked the
beginning of the end of the Interregnum. Cromwell's son Richard
inherited the role of Protector, but he lacked his father's
abilities; the army was disaffected, Parliament was in disarray and
there was increasing popular support for the restoration of the
monarchy. In January 1660 General George Monck marched to London
with the Scottish army, demanding a free parliament, in which
previously excluded Members would again take their place. This was
to be the Convention Parliament which voted to restore Charles II to
the throne.
Charles arrived in Dover on 23 May 1660, entering
London on his birthday, 29 May, amid great rejoicing. The first
decade of his reign was dominated politically by the cautious
policies of his chancellor and chief minister, Clarendon, and by war
against the Dutch. After Clarendon's dismissal and exile in 1667,
his place was taken by a disparate group of ministers, Clifford,
Ashley-Cooper, Buckingham, Arlington and Lauderdale, united by the
acronym the 'Cabal'. With their support the King signed the Treaty
of Dover in 1670, an alliance with Louis XIV of France which gave
him a subsidy in support of his war against the Netherlands. A
secret version of the treaty, known only to a few, and not
implemented, also committed Charles to declare himself a Roman
Catholic and return England to Catholicism. Although a convert to
Catholicism on his deathbed, the King supported the Church of
England during his reign and favoured religious
toleration.
Charles II's reign is popularly remembered not
for religion or politics, but for the easy morality of his court,
reflected in much of the literary and artistic production of his
day. The theatre flourished, fed by the witty dramas of playwrights
like Dryden and Wycherley, and with the added attraction of, for the
first time, women on stage. Politicians, the Church and the Court
were satirised in verse. Painters, above all Sir Peter Lely,
deployed new styles to depict both the sumptuousness and the
licentiousness of court life.
Portraits on
display
NPG
833
George Monck, 1st Duke of
Albemarle
by David
Loggan
line engraving, 1661
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NPG
1853
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of
Arlington
after Sir Peter
Lely
oil on canvas, (circa 1665-1670)
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NPG
279
George Villiers, 2nd Duke of
Buckingham
by Sir Peter
Lely
oil on canvas, circa 1675
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NPG
2563
Catherine of Braganza
by or after Dirk
Stoop
oil on canvas, circa 1660-1661
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NPG
4691
Charles II
attributed to Thomas
Hawker
oil on canvas, circa 1680
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NPG
645
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of
Clarendon
by David
Loggan
line engraving, 1666
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NPG
204
Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of
Chudleigh
after Sir Peter
Lely
oil on canvas, (circa 1672)
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NPG
2083
John Dryden
by Sir Godfrey
Kneller, Bt
oil on canvas, 1693
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NPG
2496
Nell Gwyn
by Simon
Verelst
oil on canvas, feigned oval, circa
1680
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NPG
5077
Anne Hyde, Duchess of York; James
II
by Sir Peter Lely
oil on canvas, circa
1660-1669
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NPG
211
Samuel Pepys
by John Hayls
oil
on canvas, 1666
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NPG
497
Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of
Portsmouth
by Pierre
Mignard
oil on canvas, 1682
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NPG
804
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of
Rochester
by Unknown
artist
oil on canvas, circa 1665-1670
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NPG
3893
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of
Shaftesbury
after John
Greenhill
oil on canvas, (circa 1672-1673)
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NPG
6028
Henrietta Anne, Duchess of
Orleans
by Sir Peter Lely
oil on canvas, feigned oval,
circa 1662
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NPG
5488
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of
Sandwich
by Sir Peter
Lely
oil on canvas, circa 1655-1659
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NPG
5568
The Family of Sir Robert Vyner (Bridget, Duchess of
Leeds; Mary, Lady Vyner; Charles Vyner; Sir Robert
Vyner)
by John Michael Wright
oil on canvas,
1673
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