The Exclusion Crisis, 1679–81 (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes

The Exclusion Crisis, 1679–81

Context and origins of the crisis

Between 1678 and 1681, four different parliaments attempted to address the succession question posed by James, Duke of York's Catholicism. The Cavalier Parliament, followed by three Exclusion Parliaments, sought either to restrict James's powers if he became king or to exclude him from the succession entirely. This confrontation between Crown and Parliament represented the culmination of the Popish Plot but also reflected 18 years of accumulated tensions from Charles II's reign, during which divisions between Court and Country factions had intensified. At first, the nation appeared to be heading towards a repeat of the catastrophe of 1642, yet Charles II ultimately avoided civil war through a combination of political skill and circumstance.

The end of the Cavalier Parliament

By late October 1678, the Popish Plot was producing direct political consequences. As rumours of a new 'Gunpowder conspiracy' spread, Parliament introduced a Bill to exclude all Catholics from sitting in either House. Charles II issued a proclamation banishing Catholics from within 20 miles of London. Against a backdrop of Pope-burning processions celebrating the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in early November, the Earl of Shaftesbury took direct aim at the Duke of York. He suggested that James should be removed from the King's presence and barred from attending the Privy Council.

Parliament proposed a new Test Act requiring Catholics to take oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and to make a new anti-Catholic declaration or face exclusion from Court. Under pressure from the Lords and Charles II, however, James was exempted from the Act's provisions temporarily. During November, the Cavalier Parliament drafted a Bill designed to limit the prerogative powers of any future Catholic monarch. The proposed legislation resembled a return to the Long Parliament of 1641: the army would be placed under parliamentary control, Parliament would exercise authority over chief ministerial appointments and over the Church, and if the King (Charles II) died, Parliament would continue rather than following the traditional route of dissolution. Charles II vetoed this Bill on 30 November.

The three Exclusion Parliaments

During the next three parliaments—in 1679, 1680 and 1681—the Whigs attempted to pass an Act that would exclude James, Duke of York from the line of succession. Charles II and the Tories countered by proposing not to exclude James but to limit his authority if and when he succeeded to the throne. As the exclusion debates progressed, the Whigs and Tories crystallised into distinct political parties. In each case, when parliament approached passing an Exclusion Bill, Charles dissolved it.

First Exclusion Parliament (March–May 1679)

The first Exclusion Parliament assembled in March 1679 and lasted only until May. Elections quickly demonstrated that the Commons would be firmly committed to excluding the Duke of York. The Exclusion Bill received its introduction on 11 May and its second reading on 21 May. In response, Charles II prorogued Parliament and then dissolved it entirely. Shaftesbury resigned from the Privy Council and moved into open opposition, launching a petitioning campaign that demanded Parliament's recall.

Second Exclusion Parliament (October 1680–January 1681)

The second Exclusion Parliament assembled in October 1680 and sat until its dissolution in January 1681. On 4 November, a new Exclusion Bill was introduced and passed rapidly through the House of Commons. This revised Bill treated James, Duke of York as if he were dead, stipulating that the succession should pass to his daughter Mary and her Protestant husband, William of Orange.

After clearing the Commons, the Bill proceeded to the House of Lords for debate. Charles II attended in person, positioning himself with the fire at his back as he listened to the Lords' arguments. The Lords rejected the Bill by 63 votes to 30. The following January, Parliament was first prorogued and then dissolved.

Third Exclusion Parliament (March 1681)

The third Exclusion Parliament met at Oxford in March 1681, in the great hall at Christ Church College. Both Commons and Lords passed an Exclusion Bill. Charles II responded by appearing before Parliament in the full theatrical regalia of the monarchy and dramatically dissolving the assembly.

The failure of Exclusion

Although historians have extensively documented the shifting balance of power between Crown and Parliament throughout the seventeenth century, it remains important to recognise that this period still represented an age of personal monarchy. The King not only reigned but also ruled. Charles II's responsibility for Parliament's ultimate failure to exclude his brother from succession deserves close examination.

Charles II's management of the crisis

Throughout the Popish Plot and Exclusion Crisis, Charles II demonstrated considerable political skill. During the most dangerous phase of the Popish Plot, he understood that dismissing Titus Oates's allegations outright would be dangerous, and he accompanied the investigations as a king who appeared genuinely troubled by the threat of assassination. He attended Sir Edmund Godfrey's funeral, banished Catholics from London, instructed Danby to investigate the affair, and permitted the executions of men such as Lord Stafford, whom he must have known were innocent.

The absence of a suitable alternative

Perhaps the most substantial obstacle to successful exclusion was the absence of a suitable candidate to replace James. The Duke of Monmouth was Charles's eldest son and a Protestant, but he was illegitimate, and Charles refused to legitimise him. Placing Monmouth on the throne would breach the law of succession. The most obvious alternative candidate was Mary, James's Protestant daughter, but she was married to William of Orange. Installing Mary would undoubtedly have drawn Britain into the continental struggle against Louis XIV.

Comparative context: The 1640s and 1680s

When comparing the crisis of 1678–81 with that of 1637–42, another important difference emerges: the relative stability of Scotland and Ireland. In the early 1640s, the breakdown of the bishops' wars had a knock-on effect that destabilised England and dragged all three kingdoms into civil war. In 1681, however, neither Scotland nor Ireland was unstable enough to provoke an English crisis. If Parliament had descended into civil war, everyone understood it would be England's fault, and Parliament was not prepared to assume that risk in response to Charles's refusal to countenance exclusion.

The Whigs were outmanoeuvred by the King. If Parliament had accepted Charles's various proposals to limit James's powers, the Whigs would have been as culpable as John Pym had been of encroaching on the royal prerogative. It became a matter of all or nothing—and ultimately, the kingdom chose nothing.

Key dates: The Exclusion Crisis

1678

• November: Cavalier Parliament attempts to limit the prerogative powers of any future Catholic monarch
• December: Ralph Montague's revelations of Danby's secret negotiations with Louis XIV; Danby impeached

1679

• January: Cavalier Parliament dissolved
• March: First Exclusion Parliament assembled; impeachment of Danby; Habeas Corpus Amendment Act passed; discussion of impeachment of James, Duke of York; Exclusion Bill read twice in House of Commons
• April: Coleman's correspondence with Rome made public; Shaftesbury appointed to the Privy Council
• June: Scottish Covenanters' rebellion defeated at Bothwell Bridge
• November: Pope-burning demonstrations

1680

• October: Second Exclusion Parliament assembled; Exclusion Bill passed by the Commons
• November: Exclusion Bill defeated by the Lords following Charles II's personal intervention; Pope-burning demonstrations

1681

• March: Third Exclusion Parliament met at Oxford; Exclusion Bill passed by both Commons and Lords; Charles II dissolved Parliament
• July: Shaftesbury imprisoned on a charge of treason
• November: Shaftesbury acquitted