Charles II of England was a "de facto" republic, led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell defeated Charles II at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, and Charles fled to mainland Europe. Cromwell became virtual dictator of England, Scotland and Ireland. Charles spent the next nine years in exile in France, the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Netherlands. A political crisis that followed the death of Cromwell in 1658 resulted in the restoration of the monarchy, and Charles was invited to return to Britain. On 29 May 1660, his 30th birthday, he was received in London to public acclaim. After 1660, all legal documents
Usury Act 1660 Usury Act 1660 The Usury Act 1660 is an Act of the Parliament of England (12 Car. II. c. 13) with the long title "An Act for restraining the taking of Excessive Usury". The purpose of the Act was to reduce the interest rate from 8% to 6%. The legislation had been enacted in 1651 under the Commonwealth, but this Act was passed to confer legality on the measure following the Restoration of Charles II after the English Civil War. It was amended by the Usury Act 1840 (3&4 Vict, c.83), the Usury Act 1841 (4&5 Vict, c.54), the Usury