The Restoration

1661. A title used by British historians to describe the return of Charles II of the House of Stuart to the throne of England. He landed at Dover on 25 May after an exile on the Continent. On 8 May he had been proclaimed king by Parliament, but previous to this and since the execution of his father in 1649 he had been persona non grata in London. His return to the throne was followed by the restoration of the old character of the national church, with prelates and Prayer Book. For the Scots, who had crowned him ten years earlier, the Restoration meant the recovery of national independence.