Charles II
King of England, Scotland and Ireland (more...)
Reign	30 January 1649 – 3 September 1651[1] (in Scotland) 29 May 1660[2] – 6 February 1685 (in England, Ireland and Scotland)
Predecessor	Charles I
Successor	James II/VII
Consort	Catherine of Braganza
Detail Titles and styles
HM The King The Prince of Wales The Duke of Cornwall
Royal house	House of Stuart
Father	Charles I
Mother	Henrietta Maria of France
Born	29 May 1630(1630-05-29) St. James's Palace, London
Died	6 February 1685 (aged 54) Whitehall Palace, London
Burial	Westminster Abbey

Charles II (Charles Stuart; 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The Kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825 became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England during The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. The designation King of Ireland (Rí na hÉireann and Queen (regnant of Ireland was used during three periods of Irish history. The precise style of British Sovereigns has varied over the years Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. James II of England and Ireland James VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 &ndash 16 September 1701 was King of England, King of Scots, Later that same year James Catherine Henrietta of Braganza (25 November 1638 &ndash 31 December 1705 was a Portuguese Infanta and the Queen consort of Charles II of A royal house or royal dynasty is a familial designation or Family name of sorts used by Royalty. The House of Stuart or Stewart was a Royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later also of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Henrietta Maria ( 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Princess of France and Queen Consort of England, Scotland Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the St James's Palace is one of London's oldest Palaces It is situated on Pall Mall in London, just north of St London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones 's 1622 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or The Kingdom of England was a State (927-1707 located in Western Europe dating from the ninth or tenth century to the early eighteenth century when it was legally The Kingdom of Scotland ( Gaelic: Rìoghachd na h-Alba, Scots: Kinrick o Scotland) was a State in northwest Europe The Kingdom of Ireland (Ríocht na hÉireann was the name given to the Irish state from 1541 by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 of the Parliament of Ireland.

According to royalists (and retrospective English law), Charles II became king when his father Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, the climax of the English Civil War. Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War ( 1642 &ndash 1651 Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a Monarch, or the person responsible for it The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones 's 1622 Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II king at this time, passing a statute making it unlawful, and England entered the period known to history as the English Interregnum. The Parliament of England was the Legislature of the Kingdom of England. The English Interregnum was the period of Parliamentary and Military rule in the land occupied by modern-day England and Wales after the The Parliament of Scotland, on the other hand, proclaimed Charles II King of Scots on 5 February 1649 in Edinburgh. This article is about the pre-1707 parliament The article on the devolved legislative body established in 1999 is at Scottish Parliament. The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. He was crowned King of Scots at Scone on 1 January 1651. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, Charles fled to the continent and spent the next nine years in exile in France, the United Provinces and the Spanish Netherlands. The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. "United Netherlands" redirects here For the "Kingdom of the United Netherlands" see United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Southern Netherlands (Zuidelijke Nederlanden Países Bajos del Sur Pays-Bas du sud were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain ( Spanish

After the Protectorate collapsed under Richard Cromwell in 1659, General George Monck invited Charles to return and assume the thrones in what became known as the Restoration. In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653&ndash1659 during which the Commonwealth of England Scotland and Ireland was governed by a Lord Richard Cromwell ( 4 October 1626 &ndash 12 July 1712) was the third son of Oliver Cromwell, and the second Lord Protector George Monck 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG ( 6 December 1608 &ndash 3 January 1670) was an English soldier and politician The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored Charles II arrived on English soil on 25 May 1660 and entered London on his thirtieth birthday, 29 May 1660. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Charles was crowned King of England and Ireland at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at

Charles's English parliament enacted harsh anti-Puritan laws known as the Clarendon Code, designed to shore up the position of the re-established Church of England. The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from May 8, 1661 until January 24, 1679. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, In the most general sense penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation as opposed to civil law that seeks An established church is a church officially sanctioned and supported by the government of a country e The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Charles acquiesced to the Clarendon Code even though he himself favoured a policy of religious toleration. The major foreign policy issue of Charles's early reign was the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The Second Anglo-Dutch War was fought between England and the United Provinces from 4 March, 1665 until 31 July, 1667. In 1670, Charles entered into the secret treaty of Dover, an alliance with Louis XIV under the terms of which Louis agreed to aid Charles in the Third Anglo-Dutch War and pay Charles a pension, and Charles promised to convert to Roman Catholicism at an unspecified future date. The Treaty of Dover, also known as the Secret Treaty of Dover, was an offensive and defensive treaty between England and France signed at Dover Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent The Third Anglo-Dutch War or Third Dutch War ( Dutch: Derde Engelse Oorlog or Derde Engelse Zeeoorlog) was a military conflict between Charles attempted to introduce religious freedom for Catholics and Protestant dissenters with his 1672 Royal Declaration of Indulgence, but the English Parliament forced him to withdraw it. The Royal Declaration of Indulgence was Charles II of England 's attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant nonconformists in his realms by suspending In 1679, Titus Oates's revelations of a supposed "Popish Plot" sparked the Exclusion Crisis when it was revealed that Charles's brother and heir (the future James II) was a Roman Catholic. Titus Oates ( September 15, 1649 &ndash July 12/13 1705 was a 17th-century perjurer who fabricated the " Popish Plot " a supposed The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates which gripped England in Anti-Catholic hysteria from 1678 until 1681. The Exclusion Bill Crisis ran from 1678 through 1681 in the reign of Charles II of England. James II of England and Ireland James VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 &ndash 16 September 1701 was King of England, King of Scots, Later that same year James This crisis saw the birth of the pro-exclusion Whig and anti-exclusion Tory parties. The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to In the political tradition of some English-speaking countries, the term Tory has referred to a variety of political parties and Creeds since it was Charles sided with the Tories, and, following the discovery of the Rye House Plot to murder Charles and James in 1683, some Whig leaders were killed or forced into exile. The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne James Duke of York. Charles dissolved the English Parliament in 1679, and ruled alone until his death on 6 February 1685. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio Charles converted to Roman Catholicism on his deathbed.

He was popularly known as the Merrie Monarch, in reference to both the liveliness and hedonism of his court and the general relief at the return to normality after over a decade of rule by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans. Hedonism is the Philosophy that Pleasure is of ultimate importance, the most important pursuit Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, Charles's wife, Catherine of Braganza, was barren, but Charles acknowledged at least 12 illegitimate children by various mistresses. Catherine Henrietta of Braganza (25 November 1638 &ndash 31 December 1705 was a Portuguese Infanta and the Queen consort of Charles II of In Common law, legitimacy is the status of a Child that is born to parents who are legally married to one another or that is born shortly after the

Early life

Charles Stuart, the eldest surviving son of King Charles I of England and Scotland and Henrietta Maria of France, was born in St. James's Palace on 29 May 1630. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Henrietta Maria ( 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Princess of France and Queen Consort of England, Scotland St James's Palace is one of London's oldest Palaces It is situated on Pall Mall in London, just north of St Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the He was baptised in the Chapel Royal on 27 June by the Anglican Bishop of London William Laud and brought up in the care of the Protestant Countess of Dorset, though his godparents included his mother's Catholic relations, the King and Queen Mother of France. A Chapel Royal is a department of the Ecclesiastical Household of the monarch in right of each of the Commonwealth realms formally known as the royal Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. Archbishop William Laud (7 October 1573 - 10 January 1645 was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645 Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Edward Sackville 4th Earl of Dorset KG (died 17 July 1652) was the son of Robert Sackville 2nd Earl of Dorset and the brother and heir For the cognac see Louis XIII de Rémy Martin. Louis XIII ( September 27, 1601 – May 14, 1643) Marie de' Medici ( April 26, 1575 &ndash July 3, 1642) was Queen consort of France. ^[3] At birth, he automatically became (as the eldest surviving son of the Sovereign) Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay (along with several other associated titles); at or around his eighth birthday he was designated Prince of Wales, though he was never formally invested with the Honours of the Principality of Wales. The Dukedom of Cornwall was the first Dukedom created in the Peerage of England. Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (and formerly the Kingdom The Honours of the Principality of Wales are the Crown Jewels used at the investiture of Princes of Wales. ^[4]

Charles II when Prince of Wales by William Dobson, circa 1642 or 1643. William Dobson ( March 4 1610 – October 28 1646) was a Portraitist and one of the first notable English painters

During the 1640s, when Charles was still young, his father fought parliamentary and Puritan forces in the English Civil War. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Charles accompanied his father during the Battle of Edgehill and, at the age of fourteen, participated in the campaigns of 1645, when he was made titular commander of the English forces in the West Country. The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was the first Pitched battle of the First English Civil War. The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region ^[5] By Spring 1646, his father was losing the war, and Charles left England due to fears for his safety, going first to the Isles of Scilly, then to Jersey, and finally to France, where his mother was already living in exile and his cousin, eight-year-old Louis XIV, sat on the French throne. The Bailiwick of Jersey ( Jèrriais: Jèrri) is a British Crown dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent ^[6]

In 1648, during the Second English Civil War, Charles moved to The Hague, where his sister Mary and his brother-in-law William II, Prince of Orange seemed more likely to provide substantial aid to the Royalist cause than the Queen's French relations. Princess Mary Princess Royal Princess of Orange and Countess of Nassau ( 4 November 1631 &ndash 24 December 1660) was the eldest daughter of William II Prince of Orange ( May 27, 1626 &ndash November 6, 1650) Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands ^[7] However, the royalist fleet that came under Charles's control was not used to any advantage, and did not reach Scotland in time to join up with the royalist Engagers army of the Duke of Hamilton, before it was defeated at the Battle of Preston. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Engagers were a faction of the Scottish Covenanters who made " The Engagement " with King Charles I in December 1647 while he was James Hamilton 1st Duke of Hamilton ( June 19, 1606 &ndash March 9, 1649) Scottish nobleman and Civil war General See Battle of Preston (1715 for the battle of the Jacobite Rising. ^[8]

At The Hague, Charles had a brief fling with Lucy Walter, who later falsely claimed that they had secretly married. Lucy Walter or Lucy Barlow (c 1630 &ndash 1658 was the mistress of the English king Charles II and mother of the Duke of Monmouth. ^[9] 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 British political life. James Crofts, later James Scott 1st Duke of Monmouth and 1st Duke of Buccleuch ( April 9 1649 &ndash July 15 1685) was an English The title Duke of Monmouth was a title in the peerage of England The title of Duke of Buccleuch (bəˈkluː was created in the Peerage of Scotland on 20 April 1663 for the Duke of Monmouth, who was the eldest

Charles I was captured in 1647. He escaped and was recaptured in 1648. Despite his son's diplomatic efforts to save him, Charles I was beheaded in 1649, and England became a republic. A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its Immediately following the execution of Charles I however, the Parliament of Scotland declared Charles II King of Scots in succession to his father on 5 February 1649 provided he accept certain conditions. This article is about the pre-1707 parliament The article on the devolved legislative body established in 1999 is at Scottish Parliament. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. To succeed, Charles was reluctantly induced to make promises that he would abide by the terms of a treaty agreed between him and the Scots Parliament at Breda, and support the Solemn League and Covenant, which authorized Presbyterian church governance across Britain. The Treaty of Breda (1660 was signed on May 1, 1660 between Charles II (King in exile of England Scotland and Ireland and the Scottish Breda ( is a Municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The Covenanters formed an important movement in the religion and politics of Scotland in the 17th century Presbyterian polity is a method of Church governance typified by the rule of assemblies of Presbyters or elders Upon his arrival in Scotland on 23 June 1650, Charles formally agreed to the Covenant; his abandonment of Episcopal church governance, although winning him support in Scotland, left him unpopular in England. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Episcopal polity is a form of church governance which is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a Bishop (Greek Charles himself soon came to despise the "villainy" and "hypocrisy" of the Covenanters. The Covenanters formed an important movement in the religion and politics of Scotland in the 17th century ^[10]

On 3 September 1650, the Covenanters were defeated at the Battle of Dunbar by a much smaller force led by Oliver Cromwell. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius The Battle of Dunbar ( 3 September, 1650) was a battle of the Third English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known The Scots forces were divided into royalist Engagers and Presbyterian Covenanters, who even fought each other. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Disillusioned by the Covenanters, in October Charles attempted to escape from them and rode north to join with an Engager force, an event which became known as "the Start", but within two days the Presbyterians had caught up with and recovered him. ^[11] Nevertheless, the Scots remained Charles's best hope of restoration, and he was crowned King of Scots at Scone on 1 January 1651. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC 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 3 September 1651, following which Charles hid in the Royal Oak at Boscobel House. Archibald Campbell 1st Marquess of Argyll, 8th Earl of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, (1607 &ndash 27 May 1661) was the De facto The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius The Royal Oak is the name given to the Oak tree within which King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Boscobel House ( on the Shropshire / Staffordshire border near Wolverhampton and Albrighton England, was built around 1632, when Through six weeks of narrow escapes Charles managed to flee England in disguise, landing in Normandy on 16 October, despite a reward of £1,000 on his head, risk of death for anyone caught helping him and the difficulty in disguising Charles, who was unusually tall at over 6 feet (185 cm) high. The Escape of Charles II from England in 1651 is a key episode in his life Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency ^[12][13]

Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector and the British Isles were essentially under military rule. Lord Protector is a particular British title for Heads of State with two meanings (and full styles at different periods of history The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan 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 from 1654, forcing Charles to turn for aid to Spain, which at that time ruled the Southern Netherlands. "United Netherlands" redirects here For the "Kingdom of the United Netherlands" see United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Southern Netherlands (Zuidelijke Nederlanden Países Bajos del Sur Pays-Bas du sud were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain ( Spanish He attempted to raise an army, but failed for lack of finance. ^[14]

Restoration

Scottish and English Royalty
House of Stuart
Charles II
Illegitimate sons included
James Scott, Duke of Monmouth
Charles FitzRoy, Duke of Cleveland and Southampton
Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Grafton
George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland
Charles Beauclerk, Duke of St Albans
Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond and Lennox

After the death of Cromwell in 1658, Charles's chances of regaining the Crown at first seemed slim as Cromwell was succeeded as Lord Protector by his son, Richard. TalkCommonewalth realm.--> The monarchy The House of Stuart or Stewart was a Royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later also of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of James Crofts, later James Scott 1st Duke of Monmouth and 1st Duke of Buccleuch ( April 9 1649 &ndash July 15 1685) was an English Charles Palmer, later FitzRoy 2nd Duke of Cleveland and 1st Duke of Southampton ( 18 June 1662 &ndash 9 September 1730) styled Henry FitzRoy 1st Duke of Grafton KG ( 28 September 1663 &ndash 9 October 1690) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II Lieutenant-General George FitzRoy 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC ( Oxford, December 28 1665 &ndash June 28 1716 Charles Beauclerk 1st Duke of St Albans, KG ( 8 May 1670 &ndash 10 May 1726) was an Illegitimate son of King Charles Charles Lennox 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox 1er Duc d' Aubigny ( 29 July 1672 &ndash 27 May 1723 was the illegitimate son of Charles II of Richard Cromwell ( 4 October 1626 &ndash 12 July 1712) was the third son of Oliver Cromwell, and the second Lord Protector However, the new Lord Protector, with no power base in either Parliament or the New Model Army, was forced to abdicate in 1659 and the Protectorate was abolished. The New Model Army was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War. During the civil and military unrest which followed, George Monck, the Governor of Scotland, was concerned that the nation would descend into anarchy. George Monck 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG ( 6 December 1608 &ndash 3 January 1670) was an English soldier and politician ^[15] Monck and his army marched into the City of London and forced the Rump Parliament to re-admit members of the Long Parliament excluded in December 1648 during Pride's Purge. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically The Rump Parliament was the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride on December 6 1648 had purged Long Parliament of those The Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. Pride’s Purge took place in December 1648 when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the House of Commons all those who were not The Long Parliament dissolved itself and for the first time in almost twenty years, there was a general election. A general election is an Election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election ^[16] The outgoing Parliament designed the electoral qualifications so as to ensure, as they thought, the return of a Presbyterian majority. ^[17]

The restrictions against royalist candidates and voters were widely ignored, and the elections resulted in a House of Commons which was fairly evenly divided on political grounds between Royalists and Parliamentarians and on religious grounds between Anglicans and Presbyterians. The Parliament of England was the Legislature of the Kingdom of England. ^[17] The new so-called Convention Parliament assembled on 25 April 1660, and soon afterwards received news of the Declaration of Breda, in which Charles agreed, amongst other things, to pardon many of his father's enemies. The term Convention Parliament has been applied to three different English Parliaments of 1399 1660 and 1689 Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. There are also two contemporary treaties known as the Treaty of Breda. The English Parliament resolved to proclaim Charles king and invite him to return, which message reached Charles at Breda on 8 May 1660. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen ^[18] In Ireland, a convention had been called earlier in the year, and on 14 May it declared for Charles as King. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the ^[19]

Charles set out for England, arriving in Dover on 25 May 1660 and reaching London on 29 May (which is considered the date of the Restoration, and was Charles's thirtieth birthday). Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, England. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored Although Charles and Parliament granted amnesty to Cromwell's supporters in the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion, this made specific provision for 50 people to be excluded. Amnesty (from the Greek amnestia, oblivion is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to The Indemnity and Oblivion Act is an Act of the Parliament of England (16 Cha ^[20] In the end 9 of the regicides were executed:^[21] they were hanged, drawn and quartered; others were given life imprisonment or simply excluded from office for life. Regicides of Charles I are considered to be the fifty-nine Commissioners (Judges who sat in judgement at the trial of King Charles I of England and signed his death To be hanged drawn and quartered was the penalty once ordained in England for the crime of High treason. The bodies of Oliver Cromwell, Henry Ireton and John Bradshaw were subjected to the indignity of posthumous decapitations. Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known Henry Ireton ( 1611 - November 26, 1651) was an English general in the army of Parliament during the English Civil War John Bradshaw ( 1602 - October 31, 1659) was an English judge Posthumous execution is the Ritual or Ceremonial execution of an already dead body ^[22]

Charles II was restored as King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1660.

Charles agreed to give up feudal dues which had been revived by his father; in return, the English Parliament granted him an annual income of £1,200,000 generated largely from customs and excise dues with which to run the government. Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed The grant, however, proved to be insufficient for most of Charles's reign. The aforesaid sum was only an indication of the maximum the King was allowed to withdraw from the Treasury each year; for the most part, the actual revenue was much lower, which led to mounting debts, and further attempts to raise money through poll taxes, land taxes and hearth taxes. A poll tax, head tax, or capitation is a Tax of a uniform fixed amount per individual (as opposed to a percentage of income Land value taxation (LVT (or site value taxation) is an Ad valorem tax where only the value of land itself is taxed In the Byzantine Empire a tax on hearths known as kapnikon was first explicitly mentioned for the reign of Nicephorus I although its context implies that it was already

In the latter half of 1660, Charles's joy at the Restoration was tempered by the deaths of his youngest brother, Henry, and sister, Mary, of smallpox. Henry Stuart Duke of Gloucester ( 8 July 1639 – 18 September 1660) was the third adult (and youngest son of Charles I and his Smallpox is an Infectious disease unique to humans caused by either of two virus variants named Variola major and Variola minor. At around the same time, Anne Hyde, the daughter of the Lord Chancellor Edward Hyde, revealed that she was pregnant by Charles's brother, James, whom she had secretly married. Lady Anne Hyde (22 March 1638 &ndash 31 March 1671 was the first wife of James Duke of York (the future King James II of England and VII of Scotland and the mother The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. Edward Hyde 1st Earl of Clarendon ( 18 February 1609 &ndash 9 December 1674) was an English Historian and statesman and Edward Hyde, who had not known of either the marriage or the pregnancy, was created Earl of Clarendon and his position as Charles's favourite minister was strengthened. Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history ^[23]

The Convention Parliament was dissolved in December 1660. Shortly after Charles's coronation at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661, the second English Parliament of the reign assembled. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at This parliament, dubbed the Cavalier Parliament, was overwhelmingly Royalist and Anglican. The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from May 8, 1661 until January 24, 1679. It sought to discourage non-conformity to the Church of England, and passed several acts to secure Anglican dominance. Nonconformism is the refusal to conform to common standards conventions rules customs traditions norms or laws The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The Corporation Act 1661 required municipal officeholders to swear allegiance;^[24] the Act of Uniformity 1662 made the use of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer compulsory; the Conventicle Act 1664 prohibited religious assemblies of more than five people, except under the auspices of the Church of England; and the Five Mile Act 1665 prohibited clergymen from coming within five miles (8 km) of a parish from which they had been banished. The Corporation Act of 1661 is an Act of the Parliament of England (13 Cha The Act of Uniformity was an Act of the Parliament of England, 14 Charles II c The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion. The Conventicle Act of 1664 was an Act of the Parliament of England (16 Charles II c The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The Five Mile Act or Oxford Act, is an Act of the Parliament of England (17 Charles II c The Conventicle and Five Mile Acts remained in effect for the remainder of Charles's reign. The Acts became known as the "Clarendon Code", after Lord Clarendon, even though he was not directly responsible for them and even spoke against the Five Mile Act. ^[25]

Great Plague and Fire

In 1665, Charles was faced with a great health crisis: the Great Plague of London. The Great Plague (1665-1666 was a massive outbreak of Disease in England that killed 75000 to 100000 people up to a fifth of London 's population The death toll at one point reached a peak of 7000 in the week of 17 September. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec ^[26] Charles, his family and court fled London in July to Salisbury; Parliament met in Oxford. Salisbury (ˈsɒlzbri ˈsɔːlzbri ('Solzbry' or ˈzɔːwzbri ('Zawzbry' — moving from RP to local dialect) is a cathedral city in the Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, ^[27] Various attempts at containing the disease by London public health officials all fell in vain and the disease continued to spread rapidly. ^[28]

Adding to London's woes, but marking the end of the plague, was what later became famously known as the Great Fire of London, which started on 2 September 1666. This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. The fire consumed about 13,200 houses and 87 churches, including St. Paul's Cathedral. St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. ^[29] Charles, and his brother James, joined and directed the fire-fighting effort. The public blamed Roman Catholic conspirators for the fire,^[30] though it had actually started in a bakehouse in Pudding Lane. Pudding Lane is the street in London formerly containing Thomas Farriner's bakehouse where the Great Fire of London began in 1666. ^[29]

Foreign and colonial policy

In May 1662, Charles married, in the parish of St Thomas à Becket, Portsmouth, Catherine of Braganza,^[4] a Portuguese princess who brought him the territories of Bombay and Tangier as dowry. Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury Portsmouth, commonly known as Portsmouth Cathedral, is the Church of England Cathedral of the City History See also History of Portsmouth There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which Catherine Henrietta of Braganza (25 November 1638 &ndash 31 December 1705 was a Portuguese Infanta and the Queen consort of Charles II of Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Seven islands were united to form the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay Isle of Bombay Colaba Old Woman's Island (Little Colaba Tangier or Tangiers ]] ( Tanja طنجة in Berber and Arabic, Tánger in Spanish A dowry (also known as trousseau or tocher) is the money goods or estate that a woman brings to her soon to be husband in marriage During the same year, in an unpopular move, he sold Dunkirk, which (although a valuable strategic outpost) was a drain on Charles's limited finances,^[31] to his first cousin King Louis XIV of France for about £375,000. Dunkirk ( French: Dunkerque, dœ̃kɛʀk or; Dutch:; is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent ^[32].

Appreciative of the assistance given to him in gaining the throne, Charles awarded North American lands then known as Carolina—named after his father—to eight nobles (known as Lords Proprietors) in 1663. The Province of Carolina from 1663 to 1712, was a North American British proprietary Colony, controlled by eight English noblemen

A medal struck in 1667 by John Roettier to commemorate the Second Dutch War, showing Charles II's full titles around the edge

Whereas the Navigation Acts of 1650, which hurt Dutch trade by giving English vessels a monopoly, started the First Dutch War (1652–1654), the Second Dutch War (1665–1667) was started by English attempts to muscle in on Dutch possessions in Africa and North America. The Second Anglo-Dutch War was fought between England and the United Provinces from 4 March, 1665 until 31 July, 1667. The English Navigation Acts were a series of Laws which restricted the use of foreign Shipping and trade between England (later the Kingdom of Great "United Netherlands" redirects here For the "Kingdom of the United Netherlands" see United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The First Anglo–Dutch War (Eerste Engelse Zeeoorlog (1652–54 (called the First Dutch War in England and the First English Sea-War in the Netherlands was The Second Anglo-Dutch War was fought between England and the United Provinces from 4 March, 1665 until 31 July, 1667. The conflict began well for the English, with the capture of New Amsterdam (renamed New York in honour of Charles's brother James, Duke of York) and a victory at the Battle of Lowestoft, but in 1667 the Dutch launched a surprise attack upon the English (the Raid on the Medway) when they sailed up the River Thames to where a major part of the English fleet was docked. New Amsterdam (Nieuw Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that later became New York City. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June ( New Style) 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The Raid on the Medway, sometimes called the Battle of Medway or the Battle of Chatham, was a successful Dutch attack on the largest English The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Almost all of the ships were sunk except for the flagship, the HMS Royal Charles, which was taken back to the Netherlands as a trophy. Two ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Royal Charles, both after King Charles II. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands ^[33] The Second Dutch War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Breda (1667). For other meanings see Treaty of Breda (disambiguation. The Treaty of Breda was signed at the Dutch city of Breda, July 31

As a result of the Second Dutch War, Charles dismissed Lord Clarendon, whom he used as a scapegoat for the war. Edward Hyde 1st Earl of Clarendon ( 18 February 1609 &ndash 9 December 1674) was an English Historian and statesman and ^[34] Clarendon fled to France when impeached for high treason (which carried the penalty of death). See also Treason, High treason in the United Kingdom High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's country Power passed to five politicians known collectively by a whimsical acronym as the Cabal—Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley (afterwards Earl of Shaftesbury) and Lauderdale. Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are Abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name A cabal is a number of people united in some close design usually to promote their private views and interests in a church, State, or other community often Thomas Clifford 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh ( 1 August 1630 - 17 October 1673) English statesman and politician was created Henry Bennet 1st Earl of Arlington KG (1618 &ndash July 28, 1685) was an English statesman George Villiers 2nd Duke of Buckingham, KG, PC, FRS (10 January 1628 – 16 April 1687 was an English Statesman and poet Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl of Shaftesbury ( July 22, 1621 &ndash January 21, 1683) known as Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper John Maitland 1st Duke and 2nd Earl of Lauderdale 3rd Lord Thirlestane ( May 24, 1616, Lethington, East Lothian - 1682 was a Scottish In fact, the Cabal rarely acted in consort, and the court was often divided between two factions led by Arlington and Buckingham, with Arlington the more successful. ^[35]

In 1668, England allied itself with Sweden, and with its former enemy the Netherlands, in order to oppose Louis XIV in the War of Devolution. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The War of Devolution ( 1667 &ndash 1668) saw Louis XIV 's French armies overrun the Hapsburg controlled Spanish Netherlands and Louis made peace with the Triple Alliance, but he continued to maintain his aggressive intentions towards the Netherlands. The Triple Alliance ( 1668) of England, Sweden, and the United Provinces was formed to halt the expansion of Louis XIV 's France In 1670, Charles, seeking to solve his financial troubles, agreed to the Treaty of Dover, under which Louis XIV would pay him £160,000 each year. The Treaty of Dover, also known as the Secret Treaty of Dover, was an offensive and defensive treaty between England and France signed at Dover In exchange, Charles agreed to supply Louis with troops and to announce his conversion to Roman Catholicism "as soon as the welfare of his kingdom will permit". ^[36] Louis was to provide him with 6,000 troops to suppress those who opposed the conversion. Charles endeavoured to ensure that the Treaty—especially the conversion clause—remained secret. ^[37] It remains unclear if Charles ever seriously intended to convert. ^[19]

Meanwhile, by a series of five charters, Charles granted the British East India Company the rights to autonomous territorial acquisitions, to mint money, to command fortresses and troops, to form alliances, to make war and peace, and to exercise both civil and criminal jurisdiction over the acquired areas in India. The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ^[38] Earlier in 1668 he leased the islands of Bombay for a nominal sum of £10 paid in gold. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 ^[39] The Portuguese territories that Catherine brought with her as dowry had proved too expensive to maintain; Tangier was abandoned. ^[40]

In 1670, Charles also granted a royal charter to establish the Hudson's Bay Company. The company eventually became the oldest corporation in Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page It started out in the lucrative fur trade with the native peoples, but eventually governed and colonized about 7,770,000 square kilometres (3,000,000 square miles) of North America. ^[41]

Conflict with Parliament

Although previously favourable to the Crown, the Cavalier Parliament was alienated by the king's wars and religious policies during the 1670s. In 1672, Charles issued the Royal Declaration of Indulgence, in which he purported to suspend all penal laws against Roman Catholics and other religious dissenters. The Royal Declaration of Indulgence was Charles II of England 's attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant nonconformists in his realms by suspending In the most general sense penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation as opposed to civil law that seeks In the same year, he openly supported Catholic France and started the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The Third Anglo-Dutch War or Third Dutch War ( Dutch: Derde Engelse Oorlog or Derde Engelse Zeeoorlog) was a military conflict between ^[42]

The Cavalier Parliament opposed the Declaration of Indulgence on constitutional grounds (claiming that the King had no right to arbitrarily suspend laws) rather than on political ones. Charles withdrew the Declaration, and also agreed to the Test Act, which not only required public officials to receive the sacrament under the forms prescribed by the Church of England,^[43] but also later forced them to denounce certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as "superstitious and idolatrous". The Test Acts were a series of English Penal laws that served as a Religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Roman The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief Idolatry is usually defined as Worship of any Cult image, Idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God. ^[44] Clifford, who had converted to Catholicism, resigned rather than take the oath, and died shortly after. By 1674 England had gained nothing from the Anglo-Dutch War, and the Cavalier Parliament refused to provide further funds, forcing Charles to make peace. The power of the Cabal waned and that of Clifford's replacement, Lord Danby, grew. Thomas Osborne 1st Duke of Leeds ( February 20 1631 - July 26 1712) English statesman commonly known also by his earlier title of Earl

Charles presented with the first pineapple grown in England (1675 painting by Hendrik Danckerts).

Charles's wife Queen Catherine was unable to produce an heir; her four pregnancies had ended in miscarriages and stillbirths in 1662, February 1666, May 1668 and June 1669. Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or spontaneous end of a Pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving generally defined A stillbirth occurs when a Fetus which has died in the Uterus or during labor or delivery exits a Woman 's body ^[4] Charles's heir-presumptive was therefore his unpopular Roman Catholic brother, James, Duke of York. Partly in order to assuage public fears that the royal family was too Catholic, Charles agreed that James's daughter, Mary, should marry the Protestant William of Orange. Mary II (30 April 1662 &ndash 28 December 1694 reigned as Queen of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until her death William III or William of Orange (14 November 1650 &ndash 8 March 1702 He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy" ^[45] In 1678, Titus Oates, who had been alternately both Anglican and a former Jesuit priest, falsely warned of a "Popish Plot" to assassinate the king, even accusing the Queen of complicity. Titus Oates ( September 15, 1649 &ndash July 12/13 1705 was a 17th-century perjurer who fabricated the " Popish Plot " a supposed The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates which gripped England in Anti-Catholic hysteria from 1678 until 1681. Charles did not believe the allegations, but ordered his chief minister Lord Danby to investigate. While Lord Danby seems to have been sceptical about Oates's claims, the Cavalier Parliament took them seriously. ^[46] The people were seized with an anti-Catholic hysteria;^[47] judges and juries across the land condemned the supposed conspirators; numerous innocent individuals were executed. ^[48]

Later in 1678, Lord Danby was impeached by the House of Commons on the charge of high treason. See also Treason, High treason in the United Kingdom High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's country Although much of the nation had sought war with Catholic France, Charles had secretly negotiated with Louis XIV, trying to reach an agreement under which England would remain neutral in return for money. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent Lord Danby had publicly professed that he was hostile to France, but had reservedly agreed to abide by Charles's wishes. Unfortunately for him, the House of Commons failed to view him as a reluctant participant in the scandal, instead believing that he was the author of the policy. To save Lord Danby from the impeachment trial, Charles dissolved the Cavalier Parliament in January 1679. ^[49]

The new English Parliament, which met in March of the same year, was quite hostile to Charles. Having lost the support of Parliament, Lord Danby resigned his post of Lord High Treasurer, but received a pardon from the king. The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer is an old English (after 1707, British) government position In defiance of the royal will, the House of Commons declared that the dissolution of Parliament did not interrupt impeachment proceedings, and that the pardon was therefore invalid. When the House of Lords attempted to impose the punishment of exile—which the Commons thought too mild—the impeachment became stalled between the two Houses. The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" As he had been required to do so many times during his reign, Charles bowed to the wishes of his opponents, committing Lord Danby to the Tower of London. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London Lord Danby would be held there for another five years. ^[50]

Later years

Another political storm which faced Charles was that of succession to the Throne. The prospect of a Catholic monarch was vehemently opposed by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (previously Baron Ashley and a member of the Cabal, which had fallen apart in 1673), and his power base was strengthened when the House of Commons of 1679 introduced the Exclusion Bill, which sought to exclude the Duke of York from the line of succession. Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl of Shaftesbury ( July 22, 1621 &ndash January 21, 1683) known as Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper The Exclusion Bill Crisis ran from 1678 through 1681 in the reign of Charles II of England. Succession to the British throne is governed both by Common law and statute Some even sought to confer the Crown to the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, the eldest of Charles's illegitimate children. The title Duke of Monmouth was a title in the peerage of England The Abhorrers—those who thought the Exclusion Bill was abhorrent—were named Tories (after a term for dispossessed Irish Catholic bandits), while the Petitioners—those who supported a petitioning campaign in favour of the Exclusion Bill—became called Whigs (after a term for rebellious Scottish Presbyterians). In the political tradition of some English-speaking countries, the term Tory has referred to a variety of political parties and Creeds since it was The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to ^[51]

Half-Crown of Charles II, 1683. Half crown may refer to Half crown (British coin, a pre-decimalisation coin of the United Kingdom Half crown (Irish coin, a pre-decimalisation The inscription reads CAROLUS II DEI GRATIA (Charles II by the Grace of God).

Fearing that the Exclusion Bill would be passed, and bolstered by some acquittals in the continuing Plot trials, which seemed to him to indicate a more favourable public mood towards Catholicism, Charles dissolved the English Parliament, for a second time that year, in the summer of 1679. Charles's hopes for a more moderate Parliament were not fulfilled, within a few months he had dissolved Parliament yet again, after it sought to pass the Exclusion Bill. When a new Parliament assembled at Oxford in March 1681, Charles dissolved it for a fourth time after just a few days. ^[52] During the 1680s, however, popular support for the Exclusion Bill ebbed, and Charles experienced a nationwide surge of loyalty, for many of his subjects felt that Parliament had been too assertive. Lord Shaftesbury was charged with treason and fled to Holland, where he died. For the remainder of his reign, Charles ruled as an absolute monarch. ^[53]

Charles's opposition to the Exclusion Bill angered some Protestants. Protestant conspirators formulated the Rye House Plot, a plan to murder the King and the Duke of York as they returned to London after horse races in Newmarket. The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne James Duke of York. A great fire, however, destroyed Charles's lodgings at Newmarket, which forced him to leave the races early thus, inadvertently, avoiding the planned attack. News of the failed plot was leaked. ^[54] Protestant politicians such as Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, Algernon Sydney, Lord William Russell and the Duke of Monmouth were implicated in the plot. Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex (1631 &ndash 13 July 1683 whose surname is sometimes spelled Capel, was an English statesman Algernon Sydney or Sidney (January 1623 &ndash December 7 1683) was an English Politician, political theorist and opponent of King Not to be confused with the 17th-century Whig politician William Russell Lord Russell. Lord Essex slit his own throat while imprisoned in the Tower of London; Sydney and Russell were executed for high treason on very flimsy evidence; and the Duke of Monmouth went into exile at the court of William of Orange. Lord Danby and the surviving Catholic lords held in the Tower were released and the King's Catholic brother, James, acquired greater influence at court. ^[55] Titus Oates was convicted and imprisoned for defamation. ^[56]

Charles suffered a sudden apoplectic fit on the morning of 2 February 1685, and died at 11:45 a. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor m. four days later at Whitehall Palace (at the age of 54). The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones 's 1622 The symptoms of his final illness are similar to those of uraemia (a clinical syndrome due to kidney dysfunction). Uremia is a term used to loosely describe the illness accompanying kidney failure (also called renal failure ^[57] On his deathbed Charles told his brother, James: "Let not poor Nelly starve. Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn (or Gwynn or Gwynne) (1650 - 14 November 1687 was one of the earliest English Actresses to receive prominent recognition "^[58] and to his courtiers: "I am sorry, gentlemen, for being such a time a-dying. "^[59] On the last evening of his life he was received into the Roman Catholic Church, though the extent to which he was fully conscious or committed, and with whom the idea originated, is unclear. ^[60] He was buried in Westminster Abbey "without any manner of pomp"^[59] on 14 February^[61] and was succeeded by his brother who became James II of England and Ireland, and James VII of Scotland. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German James II of England and Ireland James VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 &ndash 16 September 1701 was King of England, King of Scots, Later that same year James

Posterity and legacy

A monument to Charles II who contributed to the restoration of the Lichfield Cathedral following the English Civil War today stands outside its south doors. Lichfield Cathedral is situated in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England.

Charles left no legitimate issue. He did, however, have a dozen children by seven mistresses;^[62] five of those children were borne by a single woman, the notorious Barbara Palmer, Countess of Castlemaine, for whom the Dukedom of Cleveland was created. Barbara Palmer 1st Duchess of Cleveland ( 12 May 1641 Old Style &ndash 9 October 1709) was a royal Courtesan and one For the Sex offender who Fraudulently presented himself as the "5th Duke of Cleveland" in 2004 in Stillwater and 2006 His other mistresses included Catherine Pegge, Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, Lucy Walter, Elizabeth Killigrew and Nell Gwyn. Catherine Pegge, born about 1635 was a long term Mistress of Charles II. Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille Duchess of Portsmouth (September 1649 &ndash 14 November 1734) was a mistress of Charles II of England Lucy Walter or Lucy Barlow (c 1630 &ndash 1658 was the mistress of the English king Charles II and mother of the Duke of Monmouth. Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn (or Gwynn or Gwynne) (1650 - 14 November 1687 was one of the earliest English Actresses to receive prominent recognition Many of his children received dukedoms or earldoms; the present Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, Duke of Richmond and Gordon, Duke of Grafton and Duke of St Albans all descend from Charles in direct male line. The title of Duke of Buccleuch (bəˈkluː was created in the Peerage of Scotland on 20 April 1663 for the Duke of Monmouth, who was the eldest The title Duke of Richmond is named after Richmond and its surrounding district of Richmondshire, and has been created several times in the Peerage of England The title of Duke of Grafton was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for his 2nd illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy. The title Duke of St Albans was created in the Peerage of England in 1684 for the 1st Earl of Burford when he was fourteen years old ^[63] The public resented paying taxes that were spent on maintaining Charles's mistresses and illegitimate children;^[64] John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester wrote of Charles:

Restless he rolls from whore to whore
A merry monarch, scandalous and poor. For other people of this name see John Rochester. John Wilmot 2nd Earl of Rochester ( April 1, 1647 &ndash July 26 ^[65]

Diana, Princess of Wales was descended from two of Charles's illegitimate sons, the Duke of Grafton and the Duke of Richmond (who is also a direct ancestor of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales). Henry FitzRoy 1st Duke of Grafton KG ( 28 September 1663 &ndash 9 October 1690) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II Charles Lennox 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox 1er Duc d' Aubigny ( 29 July 1672 &ndash 27 May 1723 was the illegitimate son of Charles II of Thus Diana's son Prince William of Wales, second in line to the British Throne, is likely to be the first monarch descended from Charles II.

Charles's eldest son, the Duke of Monmouth, led a rebellion against James II, but was defeated at the battle of Sedgemoor on 6 July 1685, captured, and executed. James Crofts, later James Scott 1st Duke of Monmouth and 1st Duke of Buccleuch ( April 9 1649 &ndash July 15 1685) was an English The Battle of Sedgemoor was fought on 6 July 1685 and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerset, England Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England James II, however, was eventually dethroned in 1688 in the course of the Glorious Revolution. The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (VII of Scotland in 1688 by a union James was the last Catholic monarch to rule Britain.

Looking back on Charles's reign, Tories tended to view it as a time of benevolent monarchy whereas Whigs perceived it as a terrible despotism. Today it is possible to assess Charles without the taint of partisanship, and he is seen as more of a lovable rogue—in the words of John Evelyn: "a prince of many virtues and many great imperfections, debonair, easy of access, not bloody or cruel". John Evelyn ( 31 October 1620 – 27 February 1706) was an English writer gardener and diarist ^[66]—and is depicted extensively in literature and other media. Charles II of England has been portrayed many times in popular culture

Since 1692, a statue of Charles II in ancient Roman dress (created by Grinling Gibbons in 1676) has stood in the Figure Court of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Master Wood carver Grinling Gibbons ( 4 April 1648 - 3 August 1721) was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a Retirement home and Nursing home for British Soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to

Charles, a patron of the arts and sciences, helped found the Royal Society, a scientific group whose early members included Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton, and the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 Robert Hooke, FRS (18 July 1635 – 3 March 1703 was an English Natural philosopher and Polymath who played an important role in the Robert Boyle was a Natural philosopher, chemist physicist inventor and early Gentleman scientist, noted for his work in Physics and Chemistry Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (ˈnjuːtən 4 January 1643 31 March 1727) Biography Early years See also Isaac Newton's early life and achievements The Royal Observatory Greenwich (formerly the Royal Greenwich Observatory or RGO) was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the Charles was the personal patron of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect who helped rebuild London after the Great Fire in 1666. Sir Christopher Wren ( 20 October 1632 &ndash 25 February 1723) was a 17th century English Designer, Astronomer This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. Wren also constructed the Royal Hospital Chelsea, which Charles founded as a home for retired soldiers in 1682. The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a Retirement home and Nursing home for British Soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to Theatre licenses granted by Charles were the first in England to permit women to play female roles on stage (they were previously played by boys). Restoration comedy is the name given to English comedies written and performed in the Restoration period from 1660 to 1710 ^[67]

The anniversary of Charles's Restoration (which was also his birthday)—29 May—was recognized in England until the mid-nineteenth century as Oak Apple Day, after the Royal Oak in which Charles hid during his escape from the forces of Oliver Cromwell. The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Oak Apple Day was a holiday celebrated in England on 29 May to commemorate the restoration of the Monarchy in Great Britain and Traditional celebrations involved the wearing of oak leaves but these have now died out. ^[68] The anniversary of the Restoration is also an official Collar Day. Collar days are designated days on which the collar forming part of the insignia of certain members of orders of knighthood may be worn

London's Soho Square, built in the late 1670s was originally called King Square in honour of Charles II, and a statue of him, erected in 1681, still stands in the square. Soho Square is a square in Soho, London, England, with a park and garden area at its centre that dates back to 1681. ^[69]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

• 29 May 1630 – May 1638: The Duke of Cornwall
• May 1638 – 30 January 1649: The Prince of Wales
• 30 January 1649 – 6 February 1685: His Majesty The King
  • in Scotland: His Grace The King

Monarchical Styles of King Charles II of England Reference style His Majesty Spoken style Your Majesty Alternative style Sire

Monarchical Styles of Charles II, King of Scots Reference style His Grace Spoken style Your Grace Alternative style Sire

Charles' full titles as Prince of Wales were Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter

The official style of Charles II was Charles the Second, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the Majesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin Maiestas, meaning Greatness. A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the The Kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825 became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England during The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. The English claims to the French throne have a long and rather complex history between the 1340s and the 1800s The Kingdom of Ireland (Ríocht na hÉireann was the name given to the Irish state from 1541 by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 of the Parliament of Ireland. "Defender of the Faith" redirects here For the 1984 platinum album of British heavy metal group Judas Priest, see Defenders of the Faith (The claim to France was only nominal, and had been asserted by every English King since Edward III, regardless of the amount of French territory actually controlled. The English claims to the French throne have a long and rather complex history between the 1340s and the 1800s Edward III (13 November 1312 &ndash 21 June 1377 was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. )

Honours

• KG: Knight of the Garter, 21 May 1638 – 30 January 1649

Arms

As Prince of Wales, Charles's arms were those of the kingdom (which he later inherited), differenced by a label argent of three points^[70]. The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an Order of chivalry, or Knighthood, originating in Medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people His arms as monarch were: Quarterly, I and IV Grandquarterly, Azure three fleurs-de-lis Or (for France) and Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or (for England); II Or a lion rampant within a tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for Scotland); III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for Ireland). This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world

Ancestry

Children

By Marguerite or Margaret de Carteret

1. Letters claiming that she bore Charles a son named James de la Cloche in 1646 are dismissed by historians as forgeries. Anna Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, also sometimes known as Anna Jagellonica ( Buda (now Budapest) Hungary, July 23, 1503 James de la Cloche (1644?-1669? is an alleged would-be-illegitimate son of Charles II of England who would have first joined a Jesuit seminary and then gave up his ^[71]

By Lucy Walter (c. Lucy Walter or Lucy Barlow (c 1630 &ndash 1658 was the mistress of the English king Charles II and mother of the Duke of Monmouth. 1630–1658)

1. James Crofts, later Scott (1649–1685), created Duke of Monmouth (1663) in England and Duke of Buccleuch (1663) in Scotland. James Crofts, later James Scott 1st Duke of Monmouth and 1st Duke of Buccleuch ( April 9 1649 &ndash July 15 1685) was an English The title Duke of Monmouth was a title in the peerage of England The title of Duke of Buccleuch (bəˈkluː was created in the Peerage of Scotland on 20 April 1663 for the Duke of Monmouth, who was the eldest Ancestor of Sarah, Duchess of York. Sarah Duchess of York ( Née Sarah Margaret Ferguson, born 15 October 1959 is the daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson by his wife Susan daughter of Fitzherbert Lucy Walter had a daughter, Mary Crofts, born after James, but Charles II was not the father. ^[4]

By Elizabeth Killigrew (1622–1680), daughter of Sir Robert Killigrew, married Francis Boyle, 1st Viscount Shannon in 1660

1. Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria FitzRoy (1650–1684), married the 2nd Earl of Yarmouth

By Catherine Pegge

1. Charles FitzCharles (1657–1680), known as "Don Carlo", created Earl of Plymouth (1675)
2. Catherine FitzCharles (born 1658; she either died young or became a nun at Dunkirk)^[72]

By Barbara Villiers Palmer (1641–1709), wife of Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine created Duchess of Cleveland in her own right

1. Anne Palmer (Fitzroy) (1661–1722), Countess of Sussex, married Thomas Lennard, 1st Earl of Sussex. The title of Earl of Yarmouth is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, a subsidiary title of the Marquess of Hertford created in 1793. Catherine Pegge, born about 1635 was a long term Mistress of Charles II. Charles FitzCharles 1st Earl of Plymouth (1657 – 17 October 1680) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England, by Catherine Pegge Earl of Plymouth is a title that has been created three times twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Barbara Palmer 1st Duchess of Cleveland ( 12 May 1641 Old Style &ndash 9 October 1709) was a royal Courtesan and one Roger Palmer 1st Earl of Castlemaine, (1634-1705 was the husband of Barbara Villiers, one of Charles II 's mistresses. For the Sex offender who Fraudulently presented himself as the "5th Duke of Cleveland" in 2004 in Stillwater and 2006 Anne Lennard Countess of Sussex ( February 25, 1661 -2 &ndash May 16 1721 -2 formerly Lady Anne Palmer alias Fitzroy, was the She may have been the daughter of Roger Palmer, but Charles accepted her anyway. ^[73]
2. Charles Fitzroy (1662–1730) created Duke of Southampton (1675), became 2nd Duke of Cleveland (1709)
3. Henry Fitzroy (1663–1690), created Earl of Euston (1672), Duke of Grafton (1675), also 7 Greats-Grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales
4. Charlotte Fitzroy (1664–1717). Charles Palmer, later FitzRoy 2nd Duke of Cleveland and 1st Duke of Southampton ( 18 June 1662 &ndash 9 September 1730) styled For the Sex offender who Fraudulently presented himself as the "5th Duke of Cleveland" in 2004 in Stillwater and 2006 For the Sex offender who Fraudulently presented himself as the "5th Duke of Cleveland" in 2004 in Stillwater and 2006 Henry FitzRoy 1st Duke of Grafton KG ( 28 September 1663 &ndash 9 October 1690) was the illegitimate son of King Charles II The title of Duke of Grafton was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for his 2nd illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy. The title of Duke of Grafton was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for his 2nd illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy. Charlotte Lee Countess of Lichfield ( 5 September 1664 &ndash 17 February 1718) formerly Lady Charlotte Fitzroy, was the natural She married Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield. Edward Henry Lee 1st Earl of Lichfield ( 4 February, 1663 &ndash 14 July, 1716) was an English Peer.
5. George Fitzroy (1665–1716), created Earl of Northumberland (1674), Duke of Northumberland (1678)
6. Barbara (Benedicta) Fitzroy (1672–1737) – She was probably the child of John Churchill, later Duke of Marlborough, who was another of Castlemaine's many lovers,^[74] and was never acknowledged by Charles as his own daughter. Lieutenant-General George FitzRoy 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC ( Oxford, December 28 1665 &ndash June 28 1716 The title of Earl of Northumberland was created several times in the Peerages of England and Great Britain. The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. Lady Barbara FitzRoy ( 16 July 1672 &ndash May 6 1737) was the youngest daughter of the 1st Duchess of Cleveland, a mistress The Dukedom of Marlborough (named after Marlborough, ˈmɔrlbrə " Maul bruh" is a hereditary title of British nobility in the Peerage of ^[75]

By Nell Gwyn (1650–1687)

1. Charles Beauclerk (1670–1726), created Duke of St Albans (1684)
2. James, Lord Beauclerk (1671–1680)

By Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kéroualle (1649–1734), created Duchess of Portsmouth in her own right (1673)

1. Charles Lennox (1672–1723), created Duke of Richmond (1675) in England and Duke of Lennox (1675) in Scotland. Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn (or Gwynn or Gwynne) (1650 - 14 November 1687 was one of the earliest English Actresses to receive prominent recognition Charles Beauclerk 1st Duke of St Albans, KG ( 8 May 1670 &ndash 10 May 1726) was an Illegitimate son of King Charles The title Duke of St Albans was created in the Peerage of England in 1684 for the 1st Earl of Burford when he was fourteen years old Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille Duchess of Portsmouth (September 1649 &ndash 14 November 1734) was a mistress of Charles II of England The title Duke of Portsmouth was a life peerage created (in the Peerage of England) in 1673 for Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille, one of the mistresses Charles Lennox 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox 1er Duc d' Aubigny ( 29 July 1672 &ndash 27 May 1723 was the illegitimate son of Charles II of The title Duke of Richmond is named after Richmond and its surrounding district of Richmondshire, and has been created several times in the Peerage of England The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. Ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, and Sarah, Duchess of York. Sarah Duchess of York ( Née Sarah Margaret Ferguson, born 15 October 1959 is the daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson by his wife Susan daughter of Fitzherbert

By Mary 'Moll' Davis, courtesan and actress of repute^[76]

1. Lady Mary Tudor (1673–1726), married Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater; after Edward's death, she married Henry Graham, and upon his death she married James Rooke. Mary "Moll" Davis (ca 1648 - 1708 was a seventeenth-century Entertainer and Courtesan, Singer and Actress who became one of

Other probable mistresses:

1. Christabella Wyndham^[77]
2. Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin^[78]
3. Winifred Wells – one of the Queen's Maids of Honour^[79]
4. Jane Roberts – the daughter of a clergyman^[79]
5. Elizabeth Berkeley, née Bagot, Dowager Countess of Falmouth – the widow of Charles Berkeley, 1st Earl of Falmouth^[79][80]
6. Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Countess of Kildare^[79]

Footnotes

References

• Charles II (r. 1660–85). The official web site of the British Monarchy. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece.
• Fraser, Antonia (1979). Lady Antonia Fraser, CBE (born 27 August 1932 née Pakenham, is an English author of history and novels best known as Antonia Fraser for writing King Charles II. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0297775715.  
• Hutton, Ronald (1989). Professor Ronald Hutton (born 1954 is a professor of History at the University of Bristol, author and occasional commentator on British Television Charles II: King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Oxford (England): Clarendon Press. ISBN 0198229119.  
• Miller, John (1991). Charles II. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0297812149.  
• Seaward, Paul (Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006), “Charles II (1630–1685)”, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press), doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/5144, <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5144>. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. Retrieved on 7 September 2007 

Further reading

• Abbott, Jacob (1849). History of King Charles the Second of England. Available at Project Gutenberg, Retrieved on 2007-05-18
• Harris, Tim (2005). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Restoration: Charles II and his kingdoms, 1660–1685. London: Allen Lane. ISBN 0713991917.  
• Jones, J. R. (1987). Charles II: Royal Politician.  
• Keay, Anna (2008). The Magnificent Monarch: Charles II and the Ceremonies of Power. London: Hambledon Continuum. ISBN 9781847252258.  
• Kenyon, J. P. (1957), “Review Article: The Reign of Charles II”, Cambridge Historical Journal XIII: 82–86 
• Miller, John (1985). Restoration England: the reign of Charles II. London: Longman. ISBN 0582353963.  

External links

• Chronology Charles II World History Database