He remained abroad, living a rather licentious life and fathering numerous illegitimate children (350 or so by rumour), who included James, Duke of Monmouth, born in 1649 to a Welsh noblewoman, Lucy Walter, whom Charles was alleged to have secretly married. Charles returned to England only in 1660, after the death of Oliver Cromwell. He was declared King by the Parliament on May 8, 1660 although he didn't reache England until May 23, 1660 and London until May 29, 1660 which is considered the day of his restoration to the throne. He was crowned king at Westimister Abbey on 23 April, 1661. This "Restoration" of the monarchy became a recognisable period of English history, characterised by the rebuilding of London following the great plague of 1665 and Great Fire of London in 1666. Theatres reopened with women eventually allowed to perform on stage and the Church of England became more liberal after the severe restrictions of Cromwell's administration. Charles himself became known as "The Merry Monarch".
During the early years of his reign, Charles's chief advisor was Edward Hyde, whom he created Earl of Clarendon in 1661. Clarendon was also the father-in-law of Charles's younger brother, the Duke of York. However, by 1667, after a disastrous war with the Dutch, Clarendon had fallen out of favour and was sent into exile. Clarendon was replaced by a quintet of advisors: Clifford, Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, Ashley and Lauderdale, whose initials are believed by some to be the origin of the term cabal. There was considerable religious controversy, even within this small group, and the groundswell of opinion in the country reached an anti-Catholic climax with the discovery of the so-called "Popish Plot", the invention of a charlatan, Titus Oates.
Charles II dissolved Parliament on January 24, 1679.
Charles continued to keep mistresses, the most famous of whom was the actress, Nell Gwyn. In 1662, he had married Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess, but their marriage was childless, resulting in some uncertainty about the succession when he died of a stroke at Whitehall Palace. He was succeeded by his younger brother as James II of England and James VII of Scotland.
Childhood
Charles was the eldest son of King Charles I of England and Queen Henrietta
Maria, born at St James's Palace on May 29, 1630. Although he took the
title of
Prince of Wales, he was never formally invested with it, partly because
of the English Civil War that was brewing during his childhood and broke
out violently in
1642.
Charles fought for his father in the war, notably at the Battle of Edgehill,
and gained considerable military experience. By the time his father, the
King, was executed
on January 30, 1649, Charles had only just reached maturity. He had
been forced to flee to France in 1646.
King of the Scots
Charles lived for some time in The Hague with his remaining family.
Shortly after his father's death, on February 5, 1649 with his declaration
as King of Scotland in
Edinburgh he had been given the opportunity to acquire the throne of
Scotland, on the understanding that he would sign the Scottish Covenant.
He did this upon his
arrival in Scotland on the June 23, 1650. As a result, on January 1,
1651, he was crowned King of Scots at Scone. It was in Scotland that he
found the support he
needed to mount a serious challenge to Oliver Cromwell. This ended
after his own defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, following which
Charles is said to have
hidden in the Royal Oak at Boscobel House, subsequently escaping to
the continent in disguise.
He remained abroad, living a rather licentious life and fathering numerous
illegitimate children (350 or so by rumour), who included James Scott,
1st Duke of
Monmouth, born in 1649 to a Welsh noblewoman, Lucy Walter, whom Charles
was alleged to have secretly married.
Restoration of the English Monarchy
After Richard Cromwell's resignation in 1659 and the civil and military unrest that followed, General George Monck sent a delegation to Charles in Holland, headedby Thomas Fairfax to negotiate terms under which Monck would support Charles' return as King, resulting in the 1660 Declaration of Breda. As a result, the
Convention Parliament declared Charles to be King on May 8, 1660.
Charles set out for England, arriving on May 23, 1660, reaching London
on May 29, 1660 which is considered the day of his restoration to the throne.
On January
30, 1661, the anniversary of King Charles I's execution, Oliver Cromwell's
body was exhumed from Westminster Abbey and hung from the gallows at Tyburn.
Cromwell's head was removed for display at Westminster Hall. On 23
April, Charles was crowned King Charles II at Westminster Abbey.
Although Charles granted an amesty to Cromwell's supporters in the Act
of Indemnity and Oblivion, this was not extended to those judges and officials
involved in
his father's trial and execution. Nine (ten?) of these regicides were
hanged, drawn and quartered in 1660, nineteen were given life imprisonment,
and others fled
overseas. Three of these were extradited and hanged in 1662. In addition
to Oliver Cromwell, the bodies of Henry Ireton and John Bradshaw were exhumed
and
hung in chains at Tyburn, while the body of Admiral Robert Blake was
exhumed from Westminster Abbey and dumped in a common grave.
Appreciative of the assistance given to him in gaining the throne, on
March 24, 1663, Charles awarded eight nobles lands then known as the colony
of Carolina --
named after his father -- now in the USA.
The period following the "Restoration" of the Monarchy became a recognisable
period of English history, characterised by the Great Plague of 1665, the
Great Fire
of London in 1666 and the subsequent rebuilding of London. Theatres
reopened with women eventually allowed to perform on stage and the Church
of England
became more liberal after the severe restrictions of Cromwell's administration.
Charles himself became known as "The Merry Monarch".
The Republican new nobility
The Commonwealth's written constitutions gave the King power to grant
titles of honour to the Lord Protector. Cromwell created over thirty new
knights. These
were all declared invalid at the Restoration of Charles II. Many were
regranted by restored King, but being non-hereditary, these titles have
long since become
extinct.
Of the 12 Cromwellian baronetcies, Charles II regranted half of them.
Only two now continue Sir George Howland Francis Beaumont Bt, 12th baronet,
and Sir
Richard Thomas Williams-Bulkeley, 14th baronet, are the direct successors
of Sir Thomas Beaumont and Sir Griffith Williams
Edmund Dunch was created Baron Burnell of East Wittenham in April 1658. It was not regranted. The male line failed in 1719, so no one can lay claim to the title.
The one hereditary viscountcy Cromwell created (making Charles Howard
Viscount Howard of Morpeth and Baron Gilsland) continues to this day. In
April 1661
Howard was created Earl of Carlisle, Viscount Howard of Morpeth, and
Baron Dacre of Gillesland. The present Earl is a direct descendant of this
Cromwellian
creation and Restoration recreation.
Finance, France and Catholicism
Parliament granted Charles a lifetime revenue. In return Charles gave up the remaining mediaeval rights including knight service and feudal dues from wardships.
To raise cash, in 1662 Charles sold Dunkirk to France for 40,000 pounds.
In 1667 he was responsible for appointing George Downing, (the builder
of Downing
Street,) to radically reform the Treasury and the collection of taxes.
And, in a secret protocol to the 1670 Treaty of Dover he received French
financial assistance of
200,000 pounds each year in exchange for agreeing to enter the Third
Anglo-Dutch War and his agreement to "declare himself a Catholic as soon
as the welfare of
his realm will permit". When the protocol later became known, it seriously
compromised Charles, losing him the nation's trust, though it did recover
in the 1680s.
Politics
During the early years of his reign, Charles's chief advisor was Edward
Hyde, for whom he created the title Earl of Clarendon in 1661. Clarendon
was also the
father-in-law of Charles's younger brother, the Duke of York. However,
by 1667, after the disastrous Second Anglo-Dutch War, Clarendon had fallen
out of favour
and was sent into exile. Clarendon was replaced by a quintet of advisors:
Clifford, Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, George Villiers, 2nd Duke
of Buckingham,
Ashley and Lauderdale, whose initials are believed by some to be the
origin of the term cabal. There was considerable religious controversy,
even within this small
group, and the groundswell of opinion in the country reached an anti-Catholic
climax with the discovery of the so-called "Popish Plot", the invention
of a charlatan,
Titus Oates.
Charles II dissolved the Cavalier Parliament on January 24, 1679.
Marriage
Charles continued to keep mistresses, the most famous of whom was the
actress, Nell Gwyn or Gwynne. Others included Louise de Keroualle (Duchess
of
Portsmouth), and Barbara Villiers (Duchess of Cleveland and Countess
of Castlemaine). In 1662, he had married Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese
princess,
who gave him possession of Bombay and Tangier. However their marriage
was childless, resulting in some uncertainty about the succession when
he died.
Death
Charles died of a stroke at the Palace of Whitehall. He converted to
Roman Catholicism on his deathbed. He was succeeded by his younger brother
as James II of
England and James VII of Scotland. In 1692 Catherine moved to Spain.
The illegitimate children of Charles II
Charles left no legitimate heirs but fathered an unknown number
of illegitimate children. He acknowledged 14 children to be his own, including
Barbara Fitzroy, who
almost certainly wasn't his child.
By Lucy Walter (1630 - 1658)
James Crofts "Scott" (1649 - 1685), created James Scott, 1st
Duke of Monmouth (1663)
Mary Crofts. (c. 1693) Not acknowledged. She married a William
Sarsfield and later a William Fanshaw and became a faith healer operating
in Covent
Garden.
By Elizabeth Killigrew (1622 - 1680)
Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria Boyle, "Fitzcharles" (1650 - 1684)
By Catherine Pegge, Lady Green
Charles Fitzcharles (1657 - 1680), known as "Don Carlos", created
Earl of Plymouth (1675)
Catherine Fitzcharles (born 1658, died young)
By Barbara Palmer (1640 - 1709) (née Villiers), Countess of Castlemaine and Duchess of Cleveland
Anne Palmer (Fitzroy) (1661 - 1722)
Charles Fitzroy (1662 - 1730) created Duke of Southampton (1675),
Duke of Cleveland (1709)
Henry Fitzroy (1663 - 1690), created Earl of Euston (1672),
Duke of Grafton (1709)
Charlotte Fitzroy (1664 - 1718), Countess of Lichfield
George Fitzroy (1665 - 1716), created Earl of Northumberland
(1674), Duke of Northumberland (1683)
Barbara (Benedicta) Fitzroy (1672 - 1737) - She was acknowledged
as Charles' daughter, but was probably the child of John Churchill, later
Duke of
Marlborough
By Eleanor "Nell" Gwynne (c.1642 - 1687)
Charles Beauclerk (1670 - 1726), created Duke of St Albans
James Beauclerk (1671 - 1681)
By Louise Renée de Penancoet da Kéroualle (1648 - 1734), Duchess of Portsmouth (1673)
Charles Lennox (1672 -1723), created Duke of Richmond (1675)
By Mary 'Moll' Davis
Mary Tudor (1673 - 1726)
Other mistresses
Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin
Winifred Wells - one of the Queen's Maids of Honour
Mrs Jane Roberts - the daughter of a clergyman
Mary Sackville (formerly Berkeley, née Bagot) - the
widowed Countess of Falmouth
Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Countess of Kildare
Frances Stuart, later Countess of Lichfield
| Preceded by:
Richard Cromwell |
List of British Monarchs | Succeeded by:
James II of England/ James VII of Scotland |