The Great Fire of London
Short History Of...
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The Restoration of the British Empire
The early 1660s were a period of relative calm after what had been a period of huge upheaval. Charles II, the son of Charles I, who'd had his head chopped off, returned to the throne in a period known as the Restoration. He'd decided to reopen theatres, for example, which was a huge cultural moment. In addition to that, we also have a scientific flourishing whereby the world societies found it and you have lots of really big beasts of science coming to the fore. The Reformation is seen as an age of enlightenment, prosperity and freedom - but at good times never last forever. Hostilities escalate between England and the Dutch Republic; rival powers contend for precious stones
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