Political Background:

-- Restoration refers to Charles II returning from his exile in France to take back his throne from the Puritan rebels.

-- Charles II’s brother James II became king, but because he was a Roman Catholic, he was expelled from the throne in 1688 in what was termed the “Glorious Revolution”: no blood was shed. James II was followed by King William III and Queen Mary (the namesakes of William and Mary University). They were followed by Anne I.

-- George I, II, III followed. These kings were from the German house of Hanover. George I and II could barely speak English. During their reigns, Parliament became the official governing body of England. George III was quite insane; therefore, we probably owe him for allowing the American colonists to win our freedom through the Revolutionary War. George IV served as Regent (unofficial king) until his father died.

-- The dominant political party was the Whig Party. Great Britain was made up of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

-- France was considered the dominant European power until the French Revolution. The other revolution that marked the end of this era was the Industrial Revolution.

-- During this time, the middle class grew and began to mingle with the upper-class. The Anglican Church (Church of England) was the dominant religion. Those who were not Anglicans were called Dissenters.

National Disasters:

-- Plague – 1665

-- London Fire – 1666 (Christopher Wren was the great architect who directed the rebuilding of London).

Science:

-- This period was known as “The Age of Reason.”

-- Three major scientists:
1. Issac Newton – mathematician, astronomer, “discovered” gravity
2. William Harvey – knowledge of human circulatory system
3. John Locke – achievements in psychology and education

Arts:

-- Painting – Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds

-- Music – Franz Handel, George Hayden ((Australian) These men were not British but were very popular in England).

-- Landscaping and gardening also became art forms.

-- The vogue in personal grooming was artificiality – powdered wigs, fake “beauty marks,” elaborate clothing, etc.

-- Actors – David Garrick (Shakespearean), Nell Gwynn

-- Drama – focus on “Comedy of Errors” (similar to today’s TV sit-coms)

-- History – Edward Gibbons (The History of the Roman Empire)

Literature was divided into three periods:
1. The Restoration: 1660 – 1700 (Charles II)
-- John Dryden
-- Samuel Pepys

2. Age of Pope: 1700 – 1750 (also called Augustan or Neoclassical)
-- Daniel Defoe
-- Jonathon Swift, Joseph Addison, and Richard Steele
-- Alexander Pope

3. Age of Johnson: 1750 – 1800
-- Samuel Johnson
-- James Boswell
-- Thomas Gray
-- Robert Burns
-- William Blake

-- Novelists: Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, Oliver Goldsmith, Daniel Defoe, Jonathon Swift