The Restoration
The Restoration was the period in English history that followed the return of the royal family, the House of Stuart, to the throne. The Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell, who had ruled as Lord Protector, died in 1658. His son Richard, who succeeded him, was a weak ruler, and civil war threatened the country. But General George Monck seized control of the government and led Parliament in restoring the Stuart Prince Charles to the throne. The prince had lived in exile after the execution of his father, Charles I, in January 1649. A new Parliament, elected in 1660, abolished Cromwell's government and, in May of that year, restored the monarchy in the name of Charles II.
The Restoration marked the return of royal power, but governmental power actually was divided between the monarch and Parliament. When King James II, who succeeded Charles II, refused to maintain this division of power, he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. This revolution limited the king's power and gave Parliament greater power.
Excerpt adapted from the "Restoration" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999