Regnal years of English monarchs Britain), from 1066 to the present day. These are official "de jure" dates, and may or may not coincide with whether a particular king had "de facto" power or not at that time. For example, as the Commonwealth era was suppressed in the official record, the regnal years of Charles II are measured from 30 January 1649 (the day his father Charles I was executed); as a result, when Charles II actually became king, on 29 May 1660, he was already in his 12th regnal year. (For the "de facto" tabulation of English rulers, see any conventional list of English
Kingdom of England cast down by Parliament in 1645 and 1688. In the first instance, Charles I's introduction of new forms of taxation in defiance of Parliament led to the English Civil War (1641–45), in which the king was defeated, and to the abolition of the monarchy under Oliver Cromwell during the interregnum of 1649–1660. Henceforth, the monarch could reign only at the will of Parliament. After the trial and execution of Charles I in January 1649, the Rump Parliament passed an on 19 May 1649. The monarchy and the House of Lords were abolished, and so the House of Commons became a