Restoration and Habeas Corpus 1679

In 1660, Parliament invited Charles II to return from exile, restoring the monarchy. During his reign, London suffered the Great Plague (1665) and the Great Fire (1666), after which St Paul's Cathedral was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren. Samuel Pepys wrote a famous diary of these events. The Habeas Corpus Act became law in 1679, guaranteeing that no one could be held prisoner unlawfully — every prisoner has a right to a court hearing. The Royal Society for science was founded during this reign.