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Home / Periods / Stuart Period / Restoration

Phase

Restoration

1660–1685 CE

The Restoration began in 1660 when Charles II returned from exile and the monarchy was restored. It brought back the royal court, bishops, theatres and much of the old political order, though the memory of civil war remained. The restored regime had to manage former royalists, republicans, religious dissenters and a changing London.

It mattered because monarchy returned but could not entirely return to its pre-war form. Questions about religious toleration, succession, Parliament and royal finance persisted. The Restoration also produced a distinctive culture of theatre, science, wit, sexuality and political intrigue.

Restoration fiction includes Rose Tremain’s Restoration, Iain Pears’s An Instance of the Fingerpost, Andrew Taylor’s Marwood and Lovett novels and Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle.

Related people for Restoration

Anthony Wood1632–1695 Catherine of Braganza1638–1705 Charles II of England1630–1685 Charles I of England1600–1649 Frances Cromwell1638–1720 Henrietta Anne Stuart1644–1670 Henrietta Maria of France1609–1669 Henry Ireton1611–1651 Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester1612–1658 James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth1649–1685 James VI and I1566–1625 Jane Lane, Lady Fisher1626–1689 John Cook1608–1660 John Locke1632–1704 John Thurloe1616–1668 John Tradescant the Younger1608–1662 John Wallis1616–1703 Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth1649–1734 Louis XIV1638–1715 Nell Gwyn1650–1687 Oliver Cromwell1599–1658 Richard Cromwell1626–1712 Richard Lower1631–1691 Robert Boyle1627–1691 Robert Clive1725–1774 Samuel Pepys1633–1703 Thomas Harrison1616–1660

Series

Series about Restoration (1 series)

17th Century Women in Order

by Deborah Swift 2 books 4.2(4,833)

Deborah Swift’s 17th Century Women novels follow women whose private choices collide with the religious, social and economic upheavals of Restoration England. The Lady’s Slipper begins in rural Westmorland, where an artist’s attempt to protect a rare flower draws her into a Quaker household and a chain of…

Books

30 Best Novels About the Restoration

Non-Fiction

12 Best Non-Fiction Books About the Restoration

Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.