BD Restoration England, 1660-1685 revision notes

BD Restoration England, 1660-1685

Historical Context BD Restoration England, 1660-1685 belongs within Paper 2 Section B: British depth studies including the historic environment for AQA GCSE History 8145. The period focus is 1660-1685. Students should place the named events and developments in chronological order before making a judgement. The central curriculum points include Restoration, Popish Plot, Charles II, Great Plague, theatres.

Key Events Key people, groups and developments should be connected to the approved learning objectives rather than treated as isolated facts. Crown and Parliament, including the English Civil War and Commonwealth legacy, restoration of monarchy, succession, Parliament relations and issues, finance, religion, the Cabal, Party politics and rule without parliament from 1681. The Catholic question, including Titus Oates, Popish Plot, Rye House Plot, Exclusion Bill 1679 and James, Duke of York. Charles II's court, including Charles II's character, court life, fashions and the court's role. Crisis, including the Great Plague of 1665, causes, contemporary views, measures, records, results, the Fire of London 1666, causes, contemporary views, results and reconstruction. These points help students choose precise evidence for short-answer, narrative and essay questions.

Causes Causal explanation should separate long-term conditions from short-term triggers. Evidence should be named, dated where possible, and linked directly to the claim being made. In this topic, useful evidence comes from the specified events, periods, individuals and groups in the source curriculum.

Consequences Consequences should be explained as outcomes of events or developments, not confused with causes. Interpretations should be compared by identifying what each interpretation claims, why it may differ, and how contextual knowledge supports or challenges it.

Historical Significance Significance is more than importance. It asks why an event, person or development mattered at the time and over time. Keep source and interpretation, causation and consequence, change and continuity, similarity and difference, and evidence and opinion clearly separated.

Exam Focus In exam answers, start with the command word, select precise historical evidence, and keep the response anchored to the selected route. Use chronology where it clarifies the argument. For extended responses, make a judgement and support each paragraph with evidence. Revision focus 1: Crown and Parliament, including the English Civil War and Commonwealth legacy, restoration of monarchy, succession, Parliament relations and issues, finance, religion, the Cabal, Party politics and rule without parliament from 1681. Anchor this point to Part one: Crown, Parliament, plots and court life, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 2: The Catholic question, including Titus Oates, Popish Plot, Rye House Plot, Exclusion Bill 1679 and James, Duke of York. Anchor this point to Part one: Crown, Parliament, plots and court life, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 3: Charles II's court, including Charles II's character, court life, fashions and the court's role. Anchor this point to Part one: Crown, Parliament, plots and court life, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 4: Crisis, including the Great Plague of 1665, causes, contemporary views, measures, records, results, the Fire of London 1666, causes, contemporary views, results and reconstruction. Anchor this point to Part two: Life in Restoration England, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 5: Restoration culture, including comedy, theatres, playwrights, women's role and status, coffee houses, Charles II's patronage of arts and sciences, the Royal Society, Samuel Pepys, architecture and Christopher Wren. Anchor this point to Part two: Life in Restoration England, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 6: Land, including East India Company powers, Bombay, Hudson Bay, Tangier, Captain Henry Morgan and Jamaica. Anchor this point to Part three: Land, trade and war, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 7: Trade, including mercantilism, Navigation Acts and their impact and the slave trade. Anchor this point to Part three: Land, trade and war, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation.