Description:

Magnificent Charles II Broadside Dissolving Parliament During the Anti-Catholic Succession Crisis

A broadside proclamation issued by King Charles II of England (1630-1685) from Whitehall, London, England on January 18, 1680/81, and signed by him in print as "Charles R." near the top. (The dual dating represents the date in both Old Style and New Style.) The royal proclamation consists of 31 lines of text of various sizes, font, and styles printed on watermarked laid paper. Printing information appears at bottom as, "Printed by the Assigns of John Bill, Thomas Newcomb, and Henry Hills, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. 1680[81]." The boldly printed broadside incorporates dramatic visual elements, such as the Royal Arms (flanked by lion and unicorn rampants) measuring 3.675" x 2.675" alone at top. Inscribed "150" in manuscript verso. Expected light wear including printing smudges, scattered wrinkles, and a slightly chipped left edge, else near fine. The document measures 10.875" x 14.25."

The broadside reads in part:

"By the King.
A Proclamation
For Dissolving this present Parliament,
And Declaring the speedy Calling of a New One…

The Kings most Excellent Majesty being resolved to Meet his People, and to have their Advice in frequent Parliaments, hath thought fit to Dissolve this present Parliament, And doth by this his Royal Proclamation Dissolve the same accordingly…

And his Majesty is Graciously pleased to make known to all his Loving Subjects, that he hath given Directions to the Lord Chancellor of England, for the issuing out of Writs in due form of Law, for the Calling of a New Parliament, which shall Begin and be holden at Oxford, on the One and twentieth day of March next, 1680[81]…"

At first glance, Charles's royal proclamation does not seem that irregular: after Parliament had been prorogued, or discontinued, Charles decided to dissolve it and begin a brand new session in March 1681. Yet this dissolution of Parliament was yet another example of Charles's high-handed disregard for his subjects' elected officials. The suspension of Parliament effectively meant that Charles II could rule unchecked.

During the 1670s and 1680s, Parliament chafed against what it viewed as Charles II's arbitrary edicts. The king suspended laws, financed unpopular wars, and issued royal pardons without regard for the Parliament or legislative precedent. Relations between Charles II and Parliament were so strained that the king dissolved three parliaments in 1679, 1680, and 1681 (the Habeas Corpus Parliament; the Exclusion Bill Parliament; and the Oxford Parliament respectively.) In fact, after the dissolution of the Oxford Parliament in 1681, Parliament did not officially meet until 1685, during the reign of Charles's successor, James II.

The session of Parliament which Charles dissolved with this proclamation was called the Exclusion Bill Parliament. Charles II had no legitimate heirs, so his brother James, the Duke of York, was his heir presumptive. The Exclusion Bill, which had broad popular support, aimed to exclude James from the royal succession since he was Catholic. Conspiracy theories about Catholic France and Catholic Ireland abounded, and a high-profile impeachment case involving prominent minister Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danbury and the so-called "Popish Plot" exacerbated tensions between Charles II and Parliament. Any motion to exclude James from the succession enraged Charles, who would promptly dissolve Parliament to sidestep the issue!

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

September 28, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000