Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1660
Charles II, son of Charles I, is invited to restore the monarchy under super-
vision by the Parliament.
1660-1669
Samuel Pepys (pronounced “peeps”) keeps a diary, chronicling everyday
London life, the Great Plague, and the Great Fire. Not a famous man him-
self, Pepys' diary, even today, makes his times come alive.
1665
The Great Plague kills 100,000.
1666
The Great Fire rages for four days, destroying the wooden city. The city is
rebuilt in stone, largely by architect Christopher Wren—who designs more
than 20 churches, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral.
1666
Scientist Isaac Newton watches an apple fall from a tree to the ground, lead-
ing him to ponder the mysterious force of gravity.
1688
In the “Glorious Revolution,” Parliament deposes the Catholic King James
II and imports the Protestant William and Mary from the Netherlands to rule
Britain.
1701
The Act of Settlement guarantees a line of succession for Protestant mon-
archs, assuaging noble nerves set on edge after William, Mary, and Mary's
sister Queen Anne all die without heirs.
Related Sights
• Banqueting House (site of Charles I's beheading)
• Crown jewels (Tower of London)
• City of London
• Fire Monument
• St. Paul's and other Wren churches
• Isaac Newton's apple tree (outside Trinity College Gate, Cambridge)
• Kensington Palace (residence of William, Mary, and Anne)
Britannia rules the waves and becomes a world power, exploiting the wealth of India,
Africa, Australia, and America...at least until the Yanks revolt in the “American War.”
