Can Humpty Dumpty be put back together again?

The early Restoration and the anglo-dutch wars c. 1660-1674Politics in the 1660s1. King Charles II, his leading minister Edward Hyde (the first Earl of Clarendon), and the Cavalier Parliament govern England under an Anglican-Royalist consensus for much of the 1660s.2. The legislation that comprises the Clarendon Code which secures the Church of Englands supremacy over the countrys religious life is passed in the first half of the 1660s. 3. The Clarendon Code consists of: 3.1. the Corporation Act of 1661 3.2. the Act of Uniformity of 16623.3. the Conventicle Act of 1664 3.4. the Five Mile Act of 1665Edward Hyde, the first Earl of Clarendon

Politics in the 1660s, continued4. 1661: Charles II is granted an income as well as the revenue from customs taxation (taxes on overseas trade).5. The Navigation Act and other navigation laws are renewed in 1660 and 1663.6. The Restoration regime continues to develop and expand Englands naval-industrial complex. James, Duke of York, serves as the Lord High Admiral of the Royal Navy.7. 1665-1667: the Second Anglo-Dutch War results in a Dutch victory.

James, Duke of York, as Lord High Admiral

Politics in the 1660s, continued8. 1667: threatened with impeachment, the Earl of Clarendon goes into exile. 9. 1668: the Triple Alliance (between England, the Netherlands, and Sweden) is formed against France. Many in the English political nation fear that Louis XIVs France is pursuing a universal monarchy.10. Divisions begin to emerge between the Court of Charles II and the Anglican Royalists who dominate the Cavalier Parliament and the broader landed elite.

Louis XIV: the absolute monarch of Bourbon France, Europes greatest power

Politics in the early 1670s1. 1670: the Secret Treaty of Dover is concluded between Charles II and Louis XIV of Bourbon France. 2. 1672: England allies with France against the Netherlands and the Third Anglo-Dutch War commences.3. 1672: Charles II issues the Declaration of Indulgence, which suspends the penal laws against Protestant Nonconformists and relaxes the penal laws against Roman Catholics. 4. 1672: the Royal African Company is founded.

The naval battles of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, 1672-1674

Politics in the early 1670s, continued5. 1673: Parliament forces Charles II to withdraw the Declaration of Indulgence.6. 1673: Parliament passes the Test Act, which prevents Roman Catholics and Protestant Nonconformists from holding office. This legislation confirms the Anglican monopoly on public office.7. 1674: the Third Anglo-Dutch War comes to an end. Public opinion was opposed to continuing the war with the Dutch Republic and heavily in favor of war with Bourbon France.