Periods in British history are often referred to using the name of the king or queen who was on the throne at the time - with culture, architecture and fashion described as Georgian, Victorian or Elizabethan for example. The period of the reign of Queen Elizabeth has been named by some as the New Elizabethan Era.
But with King Charles III now on the throne it is unclear what this period of history will come to be known as. The period of the 24-year reign of King Charles I, from 1625-1649, was known as the Caroline Era.
The Caroline era was dominated by growing religious, political, and social discord between the King and his supporters, termed the Royalist party, and the Parliamentarian opposition that evolved in response to particular aspects of Charles's rule. While the Thirty Years' War was raging in continental Europe, Britain had an uneasy peace, growing more restless as the civil conflict between the King and the supporters of Parliament worsened.
Despite the friction between King and Parliament dominating society, there were developments in the arts and sciences. The period also saw the colonisation of North America with the foundation of new colonies between 1629 and 1636 in Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Development of colonies in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Newfoundland also continued. In Massachusetts, the Pequot War of 1637 was the first major armed conflict between New England settlers and a Native American people.
But the reign of King Charles II, from 1660 to 1685, is known as the Carolean Era.
It is better known as The Restoration. It followed the Interregnum when there was no king. The period was noted for the flourishing of the arts following the demise of The Protectorate. It ended with the Glorious Revolution of 1688 when James II went into exile.
In a parliamentary speech on September 9, 2022, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Liz Truss, declared that, upon the accession of King Charles III, Britain has entered a new Carolean Age.
But the period could also come to be known as the Windsor Age, in much the same way the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I were combined under one house name as the Tudor period.
