Charles II: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:35, 20 December 2022

29 May 1630-6 February 1685. King of Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland. Officially since 1649. De facto since 1660. Also known as "Merry Monarch".

Childhood and Exile The eldest son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France was born at St. James’s Palace in London. Charles spent most of his childhood in England and his care and education became an issue of political significance because his mother was known for promoting the interests of France and the Catholic church. Parliament was afraid that he converted to Catholicism. In 1642 when the English Civil War started, Charles I took his son, who was 12 at that time, with him and send his wife to The Hague. Charles II spent then most of the war at his father’s side and fought for him. But in 1645 Charles I ordered him to escape capture and move to France to his mother [when did his mother move to France? The Hague, where we last saw her, is in the Netherlands]. While he was in exile he learnt of his father’s execution in 1649. In 1650 he made a deal with the Scots and invaded with their army England but was defeated the Commonwealth Army at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. This defeat led him into exile again for nine years. After Cromwell’s death in 1658 and the ensuing power vacuum, Charles was invited back by England in 1660 to reclaim his throne.

Being King Charles II landed at Dover on 25 May 1660. He entered London on 29 May, his 30th birthday. His return was celebrated with street ceremonies and a parade, and it seemed that everyone was happy. The Declaration of Breda written in April 1660 was written by Charles II and three advisors [who exactly?] and pardoned the crimes committed in the period of the Interregnum and the English Civil War. However, Charles wanted those who were directly responsible for his father’s death would not be pardoned. This included John Lambert and Henry Vane the younger. Charles II promised with his signature to rule in cooperation with parliament, the protection of the rights to land and ownership, and the toleration of the Anglican church policy.

Charles's policies were not always successful. He lost the War with the Dutch. He signed a secret treaty with Louis XIV which said that Charles converts to Catholicism and support the French against the Dutch in the third Anglo-Dutch war (1672-1674). In return he received subsidies from France. The result were three years of political crisis in which Charles only survived by appointing new ministers, offering concessions to divide his opponents, and avoiding any further adventures.

During his reign, the rise of colonialization and trade in India, the East Indies and America and the passing of Navigation Acts which secured Britain’s future as a sea power happened. Charles's reign was marked by wars, defeats in naval battles, unlucky negotiations abroad, plots and conspiracies (Popish Plot 1678), the Plague (1655) and the Great Fire (1666).

Death Charles died 6 February 1685, at the age of 54 without legitimate heirs. His marriage with Catherine of Braganza remained without children. But he had only several illegitimate children with various mistresses. On his deathbed, Charles converted to Catholicism and thereby fulfilled his promise to the French King Louis XIV.

Memory of Charles II Many people saw the Restoration of Charles II as a great relief after the highly turbulent period that preceded it. During that time, the theatres re-opened. Literature flourished. Although many people saw Charles’ return as a positive thing, there were many who saw him as an embarrassment to the country and to the monarchy. The reason for that was that Charles despised paperwork and whenever possible he passed on official administration to his ministers. Instead, he enjoyed the pleasure of his court and mistresses. He spent much money on them and his illegitimate children mostly drawing funds from the privy purse at the expanse of the country. In general, was his relationship to parliament seen as uneasy as many politicians considered him as too easily influenced by Catholics.

References Ellis, Sian. The reign of Charles II and the Restoration. British Heritage, 2022, https://britishheritage.com/history/charles-ii-restoration. Accessed 11 December 2022.

Bibliography Abbott, Jacob. History of King Charles the second of England. New York, Harper and Brothers, 1877, https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/public/gdcmassbookdig/historyofkingcha01abbo/historyofkingcha01abbo.pdf. Accessed 27 November 2022.

Brain, Jessica. King Charles II. Historic UK, 2021, https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Charles-II/. Accessed 23 November 2022.

Ellis, Sian. The reign of Charles II and the Restoration. British Heritage, 2022, https://britishheritage.com/history/charles-ii-restoration. Accessed 11 December 2022.

Holder, Samantha. Charles II and his court. The Wrong side of the blanket, https://www.wrongsideoftheblanket.com/charles-ii-and-his-court. Accessed 23 November 2022.

Hutton, Ronald. Charles II: The Masquerading Monarch. BBC, 2017, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/charlesii_masq_01.shtml. Accessed 27 November 2022.

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 '''Death'''
-Charles died on February 6, 1685, at the age of 54 without any heirs. Although he married a Portuguese princess in May 1662, Catherine of Braganza, for political reasons, he had no children with her as she was barren. Instead, he had only several illegitimate children with various mistresses. Therefore, his Catholic brother James was his heir which did not like the parliament because he was catholic. Even though Charles had been all his life a protestant, but the Protestantism was to him only a political faith and had nothing to do with moral accountability or preparation for heaven. That is probably also one of the reasons why he converted on his death bed to Catholicism but also fulfilled his promised to the French King Louis XIV.
+Charles died 6 February 1685, at the age of 54 without legitimate heirs. His marriage with Catherine of Braganza remained without children. But he had only several illegitimate children with various mistresses. On his deathbed, Charles converted to Catholicism and thereby fulfilled his promise to the French King Louis XIV.
 '''Memory of Charles II'''
-The arrival of Charles II saw many people as a return to power to a great relief after the highly turbulent period that preceded it. He was known as a tolerant ruler and granted religious freedom to Catholics and Protestants. The upper class profited a lot from him because indulgence, exuberance and pleasure became the new aspiration for them. Theatres were re-opened with women on the stage for the first time, public taverns were drawing, the court hosted parties and encounters and in general people were granted much more liberties. For all these reason Charles got the nickname ‘Merry Monarch’by Clarendon’ son, Laurence, First Lord of the Treasury. Although many people saw Charles’ return as a positive thing, there were many who saw him as an embarrassment to the country and to the monarchy. The reason for that was that Charles despised paperwork and whenever possible he passed on official administration to his ministers. Instead, he enjoyed the pleasure of his court and mistresses. He spent much money on them and his illegitimate children mostly drawing funds from the privy purse at the expanse of the country. In general, was his relationship to parliament seen as uneasy as many politicians considered him as too easily influenced by Catholics.
+Many people saw the Restoration of Charles II as a great relief after the highly turbulent period that preceded it. During that time, the theatres re-opened. Literature flourished. Although many people saw Charles’ return as a positive thing, there were many who saw him as an embarrassment to the country and to the monarchy. The reason for that was that Charles despised paperwork and whenever possible he passed on official administration to his ministers. Instead, he enjoyed the pleasure of his court and mistresses. He spent much money on them and his illegitimate children mostly drawing funds from the privy purse at the expanse of the country. In general, was his relationship to parliament seen as uneasy as many politicians considered him as too easily influenced by Catholics.
 '''References'''