Oppression and toleration

Independency from the Restoration of Charles II to the Toleration Act of 1689

What happened that led to the collapse of the Commonwealth period as quickly as its arrival? This lecture will look at the end of the Commonwealth and the cry for the restoration of monarchy. We will look at the unremitting oppression presided over by Charles II (pictured above) and the emergence of a new round of independency in the ‘Great Ejection’. Great oppression, and yet, within 30 years, a formal Act of Toleration. Why did this happen and what are the lessons for today?