Exclusion Crisis of 1679

Timeline

1. 1679Palace of Westminster · LondonIn March 1679 Charles II dissolved the Cavalier Parliament and held a general election, producing the Whig-inclined Exclusion Parliament. The Commons quickly made the exclusion of the Duke of York its top priority.
2. 1679–1680Westminster · LondonThe Commons passed the Exclusion Bill three times, while the Lords rejected or shelved it under the king's influence. Charles II dissolved Parliament three times—in July 1679, 1680, and 1681—to obstruct completion of the legislation.
3. 1681Oxford · OxfordshireAfter the Oxford Parliament was dissolved in 1681, the king turned to suppressing the Whigs, and Shaftesbury fled abroad. The legislative route of exclusion failed, but the Whigs and Tories were now established as organized political forces.