Monarchy

King Charles II returns from exile in 1660 and restores the authority of the English crown by aligning his throne with Catholic France and then Protestant Parliament, overcoming plague, the Great Fire, and violent opposition to the succession of his Catholic brother James.

In the `Bloodless Revolution' of 1688, Parliament devise a plot to curtail royal power and replace Roman Catholic King James II with his own Dutch Protestant son-in-law William of Orange. The result is the formation of a constitutional monarchy, and the foundation of a system of government that underpins Britain's rise to greatness.

Under the reigns of William and Mary, and their successor Queen Anne, in the 25 years after the revolution of 1688, England transforms from an insignificant minor state to the greatest power in Europe. She takes a new name to match her swelling status: Great Britain.

In 1714, an obscure German Prince is crowned King George I of Great Britain, signalling the beginning of a new political era that sees the rise of the new role of Prime Minister. The relationship of George I, and later his successors George II and George III, with Parliament defines the future government of Britain.

In 1789, the Bastille prison in Paris is stormed and the French Revolution begins. King George III of Britain never dreams this would lead to a cataclysmic war with France. The opposition party rejoices at the declaration of a Republic across the Channel, and King Louis XVI's execution becomes a crisis for the British monarchy.