Restoration of Monarchy in Restoration Literature
Once upon a time there was a king called Charles I. He was king of England. Then this guy called Oliver Cromwell came along and, along with his buddies, beheaded the king, and established the "Commonwealth of England" in 1649, which brought about an end to monarchy.
But not everyone was happy with the establishment of this commonwealth. There were many who supported monarchy as the right form of government for England. They were called "Royalists." In 1660, these Royalists finally got their day and re-instituted monarchy in England. Charles II, the son of the executed king, returned from France, where he'd been hanging out in exile, and was "restored" as king of England. The "restoration" of monarchy and the ascendance of Charles II to the throne officially marks the beginning of the Restoration era.
Chew on This
John Dryden was really happy when Charles II was restored to the throne. He was so happy, that he wrote "To His Sacred Majesty: A Panegyrick on His Coronation" to celebrate the Restoration.
Apparently, one poem celebrating the restoration of Charles II wasn't enough for John Dryden. He wrote a second one, entitled "Astraea Redux: A Poem on the Happy Restoration and Return of His Sacred Majesty Charles the Second."