i-have-a-term-paper-coming-up-and-need-some-help-i-am-supposed-to-be-giving-king-charles-ii-advice-on-european-affairs

The term paper (which takes the place of a final exam): this assignment requires you to pretend are offering advice to the new King Charles II or his privy council in 1660 and you must do so by drawing upon the history which you have absorbed in our course this semester. You may offer advice to the new king or his council on any subject or theme you wish, but your paper must make detailed reference to the contents of at least one of the primary source documents which have been provided for discussion this semester. Your paper should also clearly draw upon material from our textbook (Tombs). In addition, your paper can draw upon any other readings provided for this course (eg the optional readings or articles provided to supplement weekly reading). I can also upload additional readings on specific topics if you request them (and I can find suitable readings on that topic!).

We will cover the 1650s in the final module of our course (Topic 10 in Week 15), but here is some background information which will help you to contextualize the term paper in advance of Week 15:

In January 1649, Charles I was executed after losing two civil wars and the monarchy in England and Ireland was abolished (the story in Scotland was a bit more complicated). The puritans who supported the parliamentary side in the Civil Wars of the 1640s had already ensured that the Church of England was also dis-established. England, and later Ireland and Scotland, were governed by an English republic, effectively based upon the power of the army and dominated by puritan-style religion. Between 1653 and 1658, this English Republic (known as the Commonwealth) was dominated by a military strongman, Oliver Cromwell, who was given the title of Lord Protector. However, after Cromwell’s death in 1658, the republic rapidly fell apart. This is why the monarchy was revived in 1660 (“the Restoration”) and Charles I’s eldest son was invited back from exile overseas to become Charles II. This makes 1660 a very interesting time: the experiment with republicanism and puritan religious policies had failed, but Charles could not directly challenge most of those associated with the republic if he wanted to restore national unity and build support for himself as king. The very word “Restoration” itself also suggested a return to political normality (after a very abnormal twenty years!) and a revival of England’s traditional (ie historical) practices and values.