Charles II of England

Charles II (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 30 January 1649 (retrospectively de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. His father Charles I had been executed in 1649 following the English Civil War; the monarchy was then abolished and the country became a Republic under Oliver Cromwell, the "Lord Protector". In 1660, shortly after Cromwell's death, the monarchy was restored under Charles II.

Early life

Charles, the eldest surviving son of Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France, was born in St. James's Palace on 29 May 1630. At birth, he automatically became (as the eldest surviving son of the Sovereign) Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay; shortly after his birth, he was created Prince of Wales. Due to the disruption caused by the English Civil War, he was never formally invested with the Honours of the Principality of Wales.

Related Topics:
Charles I of England - Henrietta Maria of France - St. James's Palace - 29 May - 1630 - Duke of Cornwall - Duke of Rothesay - Prince of Wales - English Civil War - Honours of the Principality of Wales

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During the 1640s, when the Prince of Wales was still young, Charles I fought parliamentary and Puritan forces in the English Civil War. The Prince accompanied his father during the Battle of Edgehill and, at the age of fifteen, participated in the campaigns of 1645, when he was made titular commander of the English forces in the West Country. In 1646, due to fears for his safety, he left England, going first to the Isles of Scilly, then to Jersey, and finally to France, where his mother was already living in exile. In 1648, during the Second Civil War, Charles moved to The Hague, where his sister Mary and brother-in-law the Prince of Orange seemed more likely to provide substantial aid to the Royalist cause than the Queen's French relations. Unfortunately, Charles was neither able to use the royalist fleet that came under his control to any advantage, nor to reach Scotland in time join up with the royalist "Engagers" army of the Duke of Hamilton, before it was defeated at the Battle of Preston.

Related Topics:
1640s - Puritan - Battle of Edgehill - 1645 - 1646 - Isles of Scilly - Jersey - France - 1648 - Second Civil War - The Hague - Mary - Prince of Orange - Engagers - Duke of Hamilton - Battle of Preston

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At the Hague, Charles had an affair with Lucy Walter (who, some alleged, secretly married him); their son, James Crofts (afterwards Duke of Monmouth and Duke of Buccleuch), was to become the most prominent of Charles's many illegitimate sons in English political life.

Related Topics:
Lucy Walter - James Crofts - Duke of Monmouth - Duke of Buccleuch

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Charles I was captured by the rebels in 1647, escaped, and was recaptured in 1648. Despite his son's efforts to save him, Charles I was executed in 1649, and England was proclaimed a republic. At the same time, however, Scotland recognized Charles as his father's successor - even the Covenanters (led by the Marquess of Argyll), the most extreme Presbyterian group in Scotland, proved unwilling to allow the English to decide the fate of their monarchy. On 5 February 1649, Charles II was proclaimed King of Scots in Edinburgh, on the understanding that he would agree to the Solemn League and Covenant (an agreement between England and Scotland that the Church of Scotland should not be remodelled on Anglican lines but should remain Presbyterian – the form of church governance preferred by most in Scotland – and that the Church of England and the Church of Ireland should be reformed along the same lines) (see also Treaty of Breda (1650). Upon his arrival in Scotland on 23 June 1650, he formally agreed to the Covenant; his abandonment of Anglicanism, although winning him support in Scotland, left him unpopular in England. Charles himself soon came to hate his Scottish hosts (or jailers, as he came to see the dour Covenanters), and supposedly celebrated at the news of the Covenanters' defeat at Dunbar in September 1650. Nevertheless, the Scots remained Charles's best hope of restoration, and he was crowned King of Scots at Scone on 1 January 1651. With Cromwell's forces threatening Charles's position in Scotland, it was decided to mount an attack on England. With many of the Scots (including Argyll and other leading Covenanters) refusing to participate, and with few English royalists joining the force as it moved south into England, the invasion ended in defeat at the Battle of Worcester on September 3 1651, following which Charles is said to have hidden in the Royal Oak at Boscobel House, subsequently escaping to France in disguise. Parliament put a reward of £1000 on the king's head, and the penalty of death for anyone caught helping him. Through six weeks of narrow escapes Charles managed to escape England.

Related Topics:
1647 - 1648 - Republic - Covenanters - Marquess of Argyll - 5 February - 1649 - Edinburgh - Solemn League and Covenant - Church of Scotland - Anglican - Presbyterian - Church of England - Church of Ireland - Treaty of Breda (1650) - 23 June - 1650 - Dunbar - Scone - 1 January - 1651 - Cromwell's - Battle of Worcester - September 3 - Royal Oak - Boscobel House - £

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Impoverished, Charles could not obtain sufficient support to mount a serious challenge to Cromwell's government. Despite the Stuart familial connections through Henrietta Maria and the Princess of Orange, France and the United Provinces allied themselves with Cromwell's government, forcing Charles to turn to Spain for aid. He attempted to raise an army, but failed due to his financial shortcomings.

Related Topics:
United Provinces - Spain

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