ABSTRACT
The extent of the Tory triumph was seen in the election called by the new king early in 1685. In some ways, this appeared similar to earlier elections. Many of the same issues were raised notably exclusion but only by the Tories. The Conventicle and Five Mile Acts had been the Cavalier Parliament's response to the perceived threat from Dissenting meetings, and these were vigorously enforced, but the Tories wished also to force the Dissenters into full conformity with the Church. In analysing Charles II's policies, we must remember that he could not know that the Exclusion Crisis was not to be followed by civil war. His ministers knew that a major war on the continent or a rebellion in Scotland or Ireland would force him to call Parliament, so kept themselves as 'parliament-proof' as possible. His vigorous endorsement of the episcopal church in Scotland suggested that he was sincere.
