Parliament

The English Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Lords, an upper house comprised of lay (Peers) and ecclesiastical Lords; and the House of Commons, a lower house consisting of elected representatives from the various electoral constituencies of England. There were commonly two representatives from each constituency, with the notable exceptions of London, which had four, and the Welsh constituencies and five English boroughs, which each had one. The number of freeholders (or eligible voters) varied considerable from borough to borough.

The exact position of Parliament within the constitutional framework of England was, at this time, rather fluid. Some (the Tories) saw it as subordinate to the King's authority, while others believed that it shared the King's sovereignty. While the King determined when Parliament would meet, it was Parliament that had the power to collect taxes, and no legislation could be enacted without agreement of both Parliament and the King.

From a political perspective, the Restoration was the period in which a balance between the powers of the King and of Parliament was established as the model for future government in England.