The Restoration Period

1660

The Restoration Period was one of the most exhilarating periods in English history, a brief but brilliant flowering of artistic and literary talent only equalled by a hedonistic dedication to self-indulgence and pleasure that has made every other age seem tame.  

It began in 1660 when the English, Irish and Scottish monarchies were all restored under the reign of Charles ll, with the collapse of the Commonwealth.

The Restoration period was marked by an advance in colonisation and overseas trade. In literature, perhaps the most outstanding result of the period was the reopening of theatres, which had been closed since 1642 and a…