The
Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the
English,
Scottish and
Irish monarchies were all restored under
Charles II after the
Interregnum that followed the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The term
Restoration is used to describe both the actual event by which the monarchy was restored, and the period of several years afterwards in which a new political settlement was established. It is very often used to cover the whole reign of Charles II (1660–1685) and often the brief reign of his younger brother
James II (1685-1688). In certain contexts it may be used to cover the whole period of the later Stuart monarchs as far as the death of
Queen Anne and the accession of the
Hanoverian George I in 1714; for example
Restoration comedy typically encompasses works written as late as 1710.