The treaty allied Charles II with Scottish Covenanters, triggering a war that ended with Scotland's absorption into the English Commonwealth.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 1 May 1650
- Parties
- Charles II and Scottish Covenanter government
- Charles II's obligation
- Establish Presbyterian Church of England
- Resulting conflict
- Anglo-Scottish War, 1650–1652
- Consequence for Scotland
- Incorporated into the Commonwealth of England
- Later reversal
- Charles II restored bishops to Church of Scotland in 1662
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Scotland's defeat in the 1648 Second English Civil War and the subsequent execution of Charles I in January 1649, the Scottish Covenanter government objected to the regicide and sought to restore the Stuart monarchy. They saw an alliance with the exiled Charles II as a means to reinstate a king who would uphold Presbyterian church governance in both England and Scotland.
Signed on 1 May 1650 at Breda, the treaty bound Charles II and the Scottish Covenanter government in a mutual agreement. Charles II was to be recognized as King of England and Scotland, while in return he pledged to establish Presbyterianism as the form of the Church of England and to protect the rights of the Church of Scotland.
The treaty precipitated the Anglo-Scottish War of 1650–1652, which ended in Scottish defeat and the country's forced incorporation into the Commonwealth of England. Although Scotland regained independence at the 1660 Stuart Restoration, Charles II's difficult experience with the Covenanter alliance made him permanently hostile to Presbyterianism, leading him to restore episcopal governance to the Church of Scotland in 1662.
Political Outcome
Charles II agreed to uphold Presbyterianism in exchange for Scottish military support, but subsequent defeat led to Scotland's incorporation into the Commonwealth of England.
Scotland was an independent kingdom hostile to the regicide Commonwealth of England
Scotland was defeated and incorporated into the Commonwealth of England by 1652