The Personal Rule of Charles II, 1681-85

This book examines the period when from 1681 until his death in 1685 Charles II ruled without a Parliament. It argues that the nature of this personal rule was very different from both the personal rule of Charles I in 1629-40 and that of James II in 1685-88. It discusses the nature of the Whig and Tory parties at this crucial period of their formation as political parties, showing how they coped with the absence of a parliamentary forum.