A prominent feature of parliamentary politics in the early modern period was the close relationship between the monarchy and the House of Lords. Approximately two-thirds of the peerage joined Charles I in the Civil War. Charles II strengthened the connection of interests between the nobility and the Crown by creating and promoting peers. In moments of crisis, the popish plot and succession crisis being the most well-known examples, the House of Lords proved to be a reliable ally of the Crown. Like his immediate predecessors, Charles II had a far tighter grip on the Lords than on the Commons. During the 1670s when the development of a substantial ‘opposition’ party reduced the government's influence over the Commons, the Lords usually proved amenable to the king's wishes. However the peers were certainly not the pawns of the monarchy. There were occasions when they resisted the royal will and forced the king to back down on a particular issue. The ways in which Charles II exerted his authority over the House of Lords provide the central theme of this chapter.

The vast majority of the king's parliamentary speeches and written communications, like those from Breda in April 1660, give the impression that he held the House of Lords in high esteem. In his first letter to the Lords, which was read on 1 May 1660, Charles recognised both the authority and jurisdiction of the upper House.