Concetti Chiave
- Charles II became king after the monarchy was restored post-Cromwell, though Parliament retained significant power.
- The Tories and Whigs emerged as two political parties, with differing views on royal and parliamentary power.
- French cultural influences grew in England, especially after the Act of Uniformity of 1662 suppressed Puritan views.
- The Royal Society was established, promoting scientific inquiry and rationalism.
- London faced the devastating Plague of 1665 and Great Fire of 1666, leading to significant urban reconstruction.
Restoration of the monarchy
After Cromwell’s death, the monarchy was restored and, Charles I’s son became King Charles II of England. Even if the power actually remained in the hands of Parliament. In this period there were two political parties: The Tories and The Whigs. The Tories, composed by landed gentry, supported the king while, the Whigs supported the power of parliament and were mainly supported by the urban middle classes. In Charles II’s England began to have strength the French tastes against those Puritan, especially with the Act of Uniformity of 1662 which penalized all kinds of Puritan opinion. Another important event of this period was the foundation of the Royal Society (association of the illustrious scientists) that supplied a scientific explanation on many fields of knowledge, reflecting the attitude of the rationalism.
Disasters and reconstruction of London
During Charles II’s reign London was struck by two great calamities: the Plague in 1665 which caused the death of about 100.000 people and, the Great Fire in 1666 which destroyed a large part of London, than reconstructed (by the surveyor Christopher Wren) thanks which the urban landscape changed considerably.
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