This study fills a major gap in the maintream narrative of Irish history by reconstructing political developments in the year before the restoration of Charles II. It is the first treatment of the complex Irish dimension of the king's return. The issue of the monarchy did not stand alone in Ireland. Entangled with it was the question of how the restoration of the old regime would affect a Protestant colonial community that had changed in character and fortune as a result of the Cromwellian conquest, the immigration that had accompanied it and the massive transfer of land that followed. As the return of Charles became increasingly probable, Cromwellian and pre-Cromwellian settlers were united in their determination to ensure that the restoration of Charles did not deprive them of their gains. This account discloses how the leaders of the Protestant establishment protected its interests by managing the transition back to monarchy.

Acknowledgments; Conventions and abbreviations; 1. A kind of colony; 2. Commissioners and submissioners; 3. The rule of the rump; 4. The threefold cord; 5. Setting up for themselves; 6. The election returns; 7. The General Convention of Ireland; 8. Without expectation of resurrection; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.