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You are here: UK History > Royal History > House of Stuart > Charles II | the restoration of the English monarc
England’s attempt at a Commonwealth rapidly fell apart after the death of Oliver Cromwell. The exiled son of Charles I, England’s final monarch before the Civil War, was welcomed back and returned to his throne in 1660 where he proved to be one of England’s most popular kings. Known as the Merry Monarch, he ruled for 24 years and firmly re-established the monarchy. His reign saw a few historically important events, like the Great Fire of London and the Great Plague.
Born: 29th May 1630, St James’ Palace, London
Died: 6th February 1685, Whitehall Palace, London (aged 54)
Reign: 1660 – 1685, though some documents state from 1649.
Parents: Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France
Predecessor: Charles I (father) and...Read More
England’s attempt at a Commonwealth rapidly fell apart after the death of Oliver Cromwell. The exiled son of Charles I, England’s final monarch before the Civil War, was welcomed back and returned to his throne in 1660 where he proved to be one of England’s most popular kings. Known as the Merry Monarch, he ruled for 24 years and firmly re-established the monarchy. His reign saw a few historically important events, like the Great Fire of London and the Great Plague.
Born: 29th May 1630, St James’ Palace, London
Died: 6th February 1685, Whitehall Palace, London (aged 54)
Reign: 1660 – 1685, though some documents state from 1649.
Parents: Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France
Predecessor: Charles I (father) and Lord Protectorate of England
Successor: James II and VII (brother)
Spouse: Catherine of Braganza
Children: (all illegitimate) James Scott, Duke of Monmouth; Charlotte Fitzroy, Countess of Yarmouth; Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth; Catherine FitzCharles; Charles Fitzroy Duke of Cleveland; Henry FitzRoy Duke of Grafton; Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield; George Fitzroy Duke of Northumberland; Charles Beauclerk, Duke of St Albans; Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond; Lady Mary Tudor.
Royal House: Stuart
Charles II was born at St James’ Palace in London, the second child of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, the sister of the French King. The couple’s first child had died a few days after its birth and as such, the young Charles was afforded every luxury. At birth he was named as the Duke of Cornwall and the Duke of Rothersay and on his 8th birthday, was given the title of Prince of Wales, though was never officially known as such.
Despite his mother and godparents, the King and Dowager Queen of France, being catholic, as a baby, Charles was christened by an Anglican bishop and was then placed under the care of the Countess of Dorset who ensured that he was brought up in a protestant household.
When he was still a child, the English Civil War broke out. Charles and his brother James were often left under the care of the royal physician while their father was at war, later joining him themselves. Both boys were present at the Battle of Edgehill and by the age of 14, Charles was in command of his own forces. However, by the spring of 1464, it was clear that the Royalists were going to lose, so Charles left England for France, where he joined his mother and oldest sister, who were already in exile under the protection of King Louis XIV.
Charles I surrendered in 1646, but a second wave of Civil War broke out two years later, prompting the Prince Charles to move to the Hague, where his sister was married to the Prince of Orange, William II. It was while he was here that he fathered one of his most famous children, James Croft, who would go on to become the Duke of Monmouth and would make his own claim for the throne decades later. While in the Hague, Charles attempted to negotiate his father’s freedom, but parliament had him executed in 1649 making England a republic.
While England named itself a Commonwealth, Scotland declared for Charles II, proclaiming him King of Great Britain, however they wouldn’t let him enter the country unless he accepted Presbyterianism throughout Britain and Ireland. Charles eventually promised to agree to these demands and arrived in Scotland being crowned on January 1st 1651. However, Oliver Cromwell, who was a leading member of the English parliament, marched north and the Battle of Worcester took place giving Cromwell a decisive victory. Charles evaded capture by hiding in a large tree at the grounds of Bascobel House, which went on to become the Royal Oak. He managed to flee England in disguise and arrived in Normandy that October. The Commonwealth put a price of £1,000 on his head and declared that there was a risk of death for anyone caught aiding him. Cromwell was named Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, placing the entire British Isles under military rule.
While in exile, Charles lived what can only be described as a life of leisure. He set up a home at Saint Germain en Laye on the outskirts of Paris and lived on a grant from his cousin, King Louis XIV. He couldn’t get much support to mount a serious challenge to Cromwell, despite having familial connections with the Dutch and the French, who both allied with Cromwell, forcing Charles to move to Spain.
After moving to Spain, Charles signed a treaty promising to support the Spanish in war against the French if they support his attempts at restoring the English throne. Both he and his brother James led forces for the Spanish during this time.
In 1658, Oliver Cromwell died and was succeeded by his son Richard. However, Richard resigned the following year leading to a power vacuum which allowed for George Mock, the Governor of Scotland to launch a coup, dissolving the government and reinstating the Long Parliament. Together, Members of Parliament chose to dissolve the government and held their first general election in twenty years. The election created a House that was evenly divided on political and religious grounds and their first act was to invite Charles to take back his throne. Charles was presented with a list of conditions, including the promise of religious tolerance, no harsh religious policy, to co-operate with parliament and pardons for everyone except those who were involved in the regicide of his father. As Charles had already been crowned King in Ireland a few months prior, he agreed and finally returned to London on his 30th birthday to rapturous welcome.
After returning to the throne, Charles and his council had nine people involved in the execution of Charles I hung, drawn and quartered. Others were imprisoned for life and a few more were excluded from ever taking public office. The bodies of Oliver Cromwell and two others were posthumously executed.
Charles II was made king on his 30th birthday in 1660, though later documents would place the date of his coronation as 1649, indicating that he had succeeded his father, rather than Cromwell.
In the first few months of his reign, Charles was hit with several personal problems, including the deaths of two of his siblings and a small scandal involving his brother James. James had secretly married and impregnated the daughter of the Lord Chancellor. To save face, Charles made the Chancellor the Earl of Clarendon and gave him additional responsibilities, one of which included the implementation of the Clarendon Code. This was a series of Parliamentary Acts which made the use of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer compulsory. Other legislature included the Five Mile Act, which prohibited non-conforming priests from coming within five miles of a parish from which they had been banished and making religious assemblies consisting of more than five people illegal. The final two acts remained until the end of Charles’ reign.
Early in Charles’ reign, he became involved in the Anglo-Dutch wars, which were taking place at the time. On one occasion, without the consent of parliament, he signed the Treaty of Dover with his cousin, the King of France, agreeing to help him in the third Anglo Dutch War and pay him a pension. The treaty also promised that he would convert to catholisim, but did not specify a date for him to do so. Though Charles’ government was behind the Clarendon Code, it is thought that he personally favoured a policy of religious tolerance. At one point, he attempted to issue a Royal Declaration of Indulgence which would suspend all penal laws against Catholics. Parliament opposed this however, claiming that the king had no right to suspend laws that had been passed by parliament. Charles withdrew both the declaration and his support for the Anglo-Dutch wars, making peace instead. He also agreed to the Test Act, issued by parliament which aimed to force all public officials to denounce Catholicism.
Religious issues continued to plague Charles’ relationship with parliament. His brother and heir presumptive, James, revealed that he had converted to Catholicism in 1679 which resulted in the Exclusion Crisis. The crisis sparked a two party system of politics being established. The Whigs and the Tories. The Whigs campaigned for James to be excluded from the line of succession, while the Tories opposed excluding him. Fearing that a bill would be passed and he would be left without an heir, Charles dissolved parliament and ruled without them for the rest of his reign. Unlike in his father’s time, this was met with a nationwide surge of loyalty from the public.
It wasn’t through a lack of trying that caused problems with the line of succession. Charles was married to Catherine of Braganza, their marriage having been negotiated since his father’s reign. After the restoration, negotiations restarted and the pair were married in 1662. They held two ceremonies, a secret Catholic one and then a public Anglican one. Though the pair were thought to get on, Catherine was unable to produce an heir, with all her pregnancies ending in still births and miscarriages. Charles had at least 12 illegitimate children by at least seven mistresses, the majority of which he openly acknoweledged, however, the lack of a legitimate child meant that the line of succession would automatically pass to his brother James. In order to try and assuage public opinion over James’ religious convictions, Charles arranged for James’ daughter to marry William of Orange, who was a protestant.
His continued support of James led to the Rye House Plot, which saw several protestants rebel against the idea of the next king being a catholic. The plan was to murder both brothers as they returned to London after a horse race in Newmarket, however, an unrelated fire at Charles’ lodgings forced him back to the capital earlier than expected. News of the plot was leaked and several prominent Whigs were implicated. Some were exiled and others executed. The Duke of Monmouth, Charles’ son was also implicated and went into exile at the court of William of Orange.
One of the reasons why Charles was known as the Merry Monarch was because of his fun-loving and scandalous life style. While there were no legitimate children from his marriage to Catherine, he had at least seven known mistresses and as many as 12 children.
Five of his children were by Barbara Villiers, aka the Duchess of Cleveland, while other mistresses included the actress Moll Davis.
His acknowledged children included:
James Crofts, later James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth.
Charlotte Fitzroy
Charles Fitzcharles, Earl of Plymouth
Catherine Fitzcharles
Lady Anne Fitzroy,
Charles Fitzroy, Duke of Southampton and Duke of Cleveland
Henry Fitzroy, Earl of Euston and Duke of Grafton
George Fitzroy, Earl and then Duke of Northumberland
Charles Beauclerk, Duke of St Albans
James Beauclerk
Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond and Duke of Lennox
Lady Mary Tudor.
Though he was a popular monarch, historians have said that his subjects resented paying taxes that were then used to support these children and their mothers. Several of Charles’ children were given titles and went on to have prominent roles in society, including his eldest son the Duke of Monmouth who would lead a rebellion against his uncle James. Monmouth was defeated, captured and executed.
Princess Diana of the house of Windsor, was in fact descended from two of Charles’ illegitimate sons, meaning that when her son, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, ascends the throne, he will be the first British monarch descended from Charles II.
One of the most well known incidents in Charles’ reign was the Great Fire of London which took place in September 1666. The fire broke out at a bakehouse on Pudding Lane and consumed about 13,200 houses and 87 churches, including St Paul’s Cathedral. Charles and James both took part in the firefighting effort.
The Great Plague of London also broke out during this time, with 7,000 people dying a week. In order to avoid infection, Charles and his court fled London, staying in Salisbury while Parliament moved to Oxford.
The same year as the Great Fire of London, Charles sold Dunkirk, which was under British ownership to the king of France, claiming that it had been a drain on his finances. He also granted more powers to the East India Trading Company, which now had the rights to autonomously govern their own territorial acquisitions, mint money and to exercise jurisdiction over the Indies.
Unlike many of his peers, Charles had a keen interest in science and spent much of his exile studying physics, chemistry and mathematics, using these studies and science experiments as a way of passing the time. By the time he returned to England, it is said that he was a very competent chemist and had a sundial, a telescope and a laboratory installed at his private home.
His interests led him to found the Royal Observatory at Greenwich as well as a mathematical school at Christ’s Hospital. From his own lab, he would observe dissections and would invite esteemed guests to join him. In later years, he developed an interest in mercury, which he would experiment with in his spare time, something that could have contributed to his sudden ill health.
Charles suffered what has been described as an apoplectic fit on 2nd February 1685, something that would likely be considered a stroke by modern doctors. The suddenness of his illness led many to suspect that he had been poisoned, however, modern analysis seems to suggest that he had been suffering from kidney dysfunction for some time, perhaps brought on by his experimentation with mercury, which is known to cause issues with the kidneys. He died four days after collapsing, during which time he was subjected to several torturous treatments including bloodletting, purging and cupping which all likely exacerbated his condition. Despite modern investigations, his true cause of death have never been fully proven.
Charles died at the Palace of Whitehall with his brother James and a Catholic priest by his side. He is said to have begged his brother to look after his mistress and expressed regret over how he had treated his wife before falling unconscious. On the last evening of his life, the priest received him into the catholic church, though whether he was conscious or willing at the time is unclear. He was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey without any pomp or ceremony on 14th February and was succeeded by his brother James.
Charles is most remembered for being the monarch in charge during the Great Fire of London and the outbreak of the plague, both of which are huge historical events.
The anniversary of the restoration, which was also Charles’ birthday, 29th May, was recognised as a national holiday in England until the mid-nineteenth century. It was known as Oak Apple Day and featured costumes inspired by oak trees to commemorate Charles’ escape from Cromwell by hiding in the Royal Oak.
Audley End House, Esssex
Also known as New Palace, which was brought by Charles as a country retreat.
Boscobel House, Shropshire
The site of the Royal Oak.
Flamstreet House, Greenwich, London
The house was built under orders from Charles, it is now a museum.
Frome, Somerset
The marketing town in Somerset has a plaque dedicated to the Duke of Monmouth, Charles' son. He staged part of his rebellion there.
Green Park, London
The park was renamed in 1668 after Charles had it enclosed.
Greenwich Park, London
The park was commissioned by Charles.
Ham House, London
One of Charles' miniatures is on display here.
King's Head pub, Mayfair, London
THe head of Charles II can be seen on one side of the sign.
Monument, London
Monument to the Great Fire of London, located outside Monument tube station.
National Maritime Museum, London
There are tapestries here depicting the royal navy that were commissioned by Charles.
Newby Hall, North Yorkshire
There is a statue that was remoddeled to show Charles on a horse, it originally sat in Stocks Market, London before being moved.
Royal Observatory, London
Founded by Charles
Temple Bar, London
There is a statue of Charles here.
Tower of London
The Line of Kings at the Royal Armouries has been in place since the restoration as a way to honour Charles II. You can also meet the ravens, the myth about the monarchy failing if the ravens left the tower originated with Charles II. If you visit the crown jewels, the sceptor on show was made for Charles' coronation and features the world's largest diamond.
Westminster, London
The original Palace of Westminster was where Charles' body rested overnight before being interred.
Winchester Castle, Winchester
Charles acquired the site with the intention of building a grand royal house here.
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