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| Portrait by John Michael Wright (1660) |
Birth name: Charles Francis James Douglas Stuart
Gaelic name: Teàrlach Frangan Seumas Dùghlas Stiùbhart
Born: 29 May 1630, Westminster, Middlesex, Kingdom of England
Father: King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland
Mother: Princess Henrietta-Maria of France
House: Stuart
Nationality: English
Religion: Protestantism then Catholicism
Claim: Child of Charles I and Chosen by Parliament
Reign: 29 May 1660 - 06 February 1685 (24 years)
Coronation: 23 April 1661
Predecessor: Charles I
Successor: James II
Died: 06 February 1685 (aged 54), Westminster, Middlesex, Kingdom of England
Cause: Uraemia
Burial: Westminster Abbey
Motto: God and my right
Spouse(s):
- Princess Catherine of Braganza (m. 1662 - 1685)
Children:
- With Lucy Walter
- James Crofts, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch (1649 - 1685)
- With Lady Elizabeth Boyle
- Charlotte FitzRoy, Countess of Yarmouth (1650 - 1684)
- With Catherine Pegge
- Charles FitzCharles, Earl of Plymouth (1657 - 1680)
- Catherine FitzCharles (1658 - ????)
- With Lady Barbara Villiers
- Lady Anne Palmer FitzRoy, Countess of Sussex (1661 - 1722) *disputed*
- Charles FitzRoy, Duke of Southampton and Cleveland (1662 - 1730)
- Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Grafton (1663 - 1690)
- Charlotte FitzRoy, Countess of Lichfield (1664 - 1717)
- George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland (1665 - 1716)
- Barbara FitzRoy (1672 - 1737) *disputed*
- With Princess Catherine of Braganza
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1662 - 1662)
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1666 - 1666)
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1668 - 1668)
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1669 - 1669)
- With Nell Gwyn
- Charles Beauclerk, Duke of St Albans (1670 - 1726)
- James, Lord of Beauclerk (1671 - 1680)
- With Lady Louise de Kérouaille
- Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond and Lennox (1672 - 1723)
- With Mary Davis
- Lady Mary Tudor, Countess of Derwentwater (1673 - 1726)
Appearance:
Throughout his life, Charles was described as handsome and athletic, and stood just over 182cm (6'0'') in height. He possessed dark curly hair that he often exaggerated with wigs. Charles also had a prominent nose, and dark heavy-lidded eyes. His skin was tanned and of an olive complexion, and he also had full lips, and often styled his facial hair into a moustache.
Character:
Charles is most notorious for his debauchery based personality, and was well known to enjoy the company of women, conducting many affairs in his life and fathering many illegitimate children. Though he possessed affection for his wife, he was not loyal to her, and his more notable and famous mistresses include Barbara Villiers, and the actress Nell Gwyn. Even though all of his children were illegitimate, he took responsibility for them and showered them with affection, and particularly enjoyed tucking them into bed at night.
His most famous nickname includes 'the merry monarch', due to his love of cultural activities, such as theatre, horse riding, music, sport, games, and dancing. He loved to sail and was fascinated by naval architecture, and even possessed his own personal royal yachts.
He was also known to be charismatic, and was much more humble when it came to socialising with others, enjoying the company of those of a lower social status. However, he could be prone to bragging, especially regarding his life on the run before the monarchy was restored. He loved to joke and had a very witty and sarcastic sense of humour, though this was likely often a mask to hide his possible clinical depression.
Charles also possessed a keen interest in science, especially astronomy and chemistry. He owned his own laboratory and enjoyed experimenting, particularly with mercury and dissections. Charles also possessed the hobby of gardening and was also an avid collector of clocks (something which his servants often complained about due to the noise).
Overall, he was a very intelligent man, and often kept his true feelings and thoughts as private as possible, likely scarred by the events that happened to his father before him.
Biography:
Charles was born in 1630, England, and was the eldest surviving son of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his wife, Princess Henrietta-Maria of France, the sister of the French king. He was born when the crowns of England and Scotland had just officially united, as the Stuart dynasty ruled both kingdoms.
As had now become custom, Charles received a Protestant education, despite the fact that his mother was a devout Catholic. Although he was recognised as the Prince of Wales, he would never be formally granted the title by his father, likely due to the outbreak of war, which began when Charles was just 12 years old. Despite his young age, both he and his younger brother, Prince James, would accompany the royalist forces on the battlefield, as well as lead their own soldiers. However, Charles' father would eventually be captured in 1646, with Parliament victorious in their bid for control of the kingdom. As a result, Charles was forced to flee into exile to avoid his own capture, eventually arriving in France where his mother had already been sent for her own safety.
Charles then moved to The Hague where he hoped to muster up Dutch support for the royalist cause. While there, Charles' infamous womanising began, as he began an affair with his first mistress, Lucy Walter, with the two of them having one son together. Charles desperately tried to save his father, but he would unfortunately be unsuccessful, as the king was charged with treason and executed in 1649.
England officially became a republic under the control of Parliament, however, Scotland continued to recognise Charles as the rightful heir, technically making him King Charles II. Scotland also hoped to use Charles in order to install Presbyterianism as the main religion in the British Isles, and refused to allow him into the kingdom until he agreed to do so. Though not enthusiastic, Charles agreed, and a royal court was established for him. All of this then led to the Anglo-Scottish War between 1650 and 1652. Oliver Cromwell's forces defeated the Scots, and once again, Charles was forced to flee back to France. The British Isles was then placed under the Puritanical, military rule of Oliver Cromwell.
For about a year, Charles lived relatively comfortably in France, until both France and the Netherlands attempted peace with England, causing Charles to once again flee in fear of his life. This time, he travelled to Spain, who agreed to offer him support to restore him to the throne in exchange for his support in their war against France. Charles agreed, and managed to raise a small army that unfortunately stood no chance against the English and French armies. Of course, Charles was defeated, and it appeared that he would never be restored to the throne.
In 1658, Oliver Cromwell finally died, and was succeeded by his weaker, more incompetent son, Richard Cromwell, who quickly resigned. This created a power vacuum, and there were concerns that Britain would descend into anarchy. But luckily, general elections were finally able to take place again, filling the House of Commons with representatives from all different ideologies. Talks began about restoring the British monarchy, and Charles was finally allowed to return to England and rule, providing that certain conditions were followed. Becoming King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland, Charles agreed to a much more tolerant rule in alliance with Parliament, as well as pardoning those who had stood against his father during the English Civil Wars (except those responsible for his death).
In 1660, Charles officially returned to England, to the celebration of many. Cromwell's Puritanical rule had been deeply unpopular and oppressive, with all forms of entertainment and fun having been banned. Charles brought back sports, theatre, literature, music and culture, and allowed people to party and celebrate Christmas and other holidays again. Charles even insisted that women be allowed to act, creating huge leaps forward in women's rights.
Matters soon turned to marriage alliances, and previous negotiations with Portugal were opened up once again, with Princess Catherine of Braganza being selected as Charles' wife. Though Catherine was Catholic, she was granted freedom of worship as England and Portugal entered into a close, peaceful alliance, especially against France. England acquired more colonial territory, and Portugal received protection from Spain. Charles was very much enthusiastic about the large dowry that Catherine would bring with her, and refused any other marriage negotiations that were attempted.
Catherine finally arrived in England in 1662, and both she and Charles were married in two ceremonies: a Protestant one and a secret Catholic one. The marriage was not a particularly close one, and although Charles possessed some affection for Catherine, he would continue to have numerous mistresses and father many illegitimate children. Both Charles and Catherine would never produce any children together, with Catherine suffering from a few miscarriages and stillbirths that deeply devastated her. While ill with a severe fever, Catherine hallucinated that they had living children, to which Charles comforted her by staying by her bedside and playing along, reassuring her that they were healthy and safe.
Tensions were frequent at court between Catherine and Charles' mistresses. The queen refused to have anything to do with them, bursting into tears and bleeding from the nose when they attempted to trick themselves into her household. Though Charles greatly favoured his mistresses and their own personal interests, when things went too far, he would ultimately side with his wife. Many members at court would even attempt to ask Charles to divorce her due to their lack of children together, but Charles refused. However, this is also likely partly due to Catherine's dowry.
Two major events would occur during Charles' reign, that being the Great Plague of London, closely followed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. When the majority of the city was engulfed in flames, Charles personally led firefighting efforts, and then assisted in re-building afterwards.
However, Charles, like his father before him, would soon begin clashing with Parliament again, especially regarding all of the wars that he was having Britain get involved with. Furthermore, Charles had produced no legitimate heirs, causing the people of Britain to worry about the possibility of his Catholic brother, Prince James, Duke of York, inheriting the throne. Measures would be taken behind Charles' back to possibly have his eldest illegitimate son recognised as heir, and the House of Commons attempted to completely exclude Catholics from the line of succession.
Meanwhile, Charles attempted to keep attitudes as moderate as possible, while still favouring more towards Protestantism, such as marrying his nieces, Princesses Mary and Anne, off to Protestant princes. Yet he also refused to allow the banning of Catholics from the line of succession, refusing to renounce his brother as his heir. Staunch Protestants plotted against this, and even attempted to murder Charles and Prince James while they attended a horse racing event. However, this plot would fail, but rumours of it would reach the king, and the plotters were arrested and executed for treason.
In the final years of his reign, Charles increasingly became more authoritarian, completely dissolving Parliament, and ruling without them. He became a lot more strict towards any opposition towards him, though his popularity within England remained relatively high.
In 1685, Charles, who had been suffering from ill health from some time, suffered a stroke. It's possible that he had kidney damage, which was further worsened by his physicians' treatments which dehydrated him. Charles appears to have known that he was dying, and his brother and heir remained by his side. Charles begged James to take care of his mistresses, especially Nell Gwyn, who had come from a poor background. He requested to see his wife, but she declined and begged his pardon, to which Charles would then lament about his treatment of her.
Just before his death, Charles also appears to have converted to Catholicism. However, it is unknown how truly willing he was to do so, or whether it was a fully coherent decision.
Four days after his stroke, Charles finally passed away.
Rule:
Charles' rule for the most part is regarded as very successful, and is celebrated as a return to the British monarchy system after a failed experimental period of republicanism.
His reign would earn him the nickname of the 'merry monarch' due to the fact that he brought back the many forms of fun and entertainment that had been previously banned under the Puritan government in the decade prior. Christmas and other religious holidays were allowed to be celebrated again, theatres were reopened, and sports events were allowed to take place again. This made Charles immediately popular upon his return to the throne. Court and ordinary lifestyles became much more relaxed, and feminism even took a step forwards after Charles enforced women being allowed to act and perform on stage.
However, on the other hand, Charles' court was also viewed as a place of debauchery, especially by those who still followed a more Puritan ideology. Charles made no secret of his enjoyment of his loose sexual appetite, which a few people in the kingdoms looked down upon.
As king, he was also very much aware that he was also just an inch away from being deposed like his father was before him. For the most part, especially at the beginning to his reign, he was able to rule alongside Parliament, despite his own mistrust of them. However, he did become much more autocratic in his later reign, yet was still able to maintain his popularity. This is likely because Charles was able to avoid many of the same mistakes that his father had made, and did not share his arrogance and insecurities.
Charles endeared himself to his subjects, especially the people of London when he personally aided in the fight against the Great Fire of London. He often favoured the common people over the nobility, which gained him even further support from his subjects.
Charles' reign also oversaw the further expansion of the British Empire, particularly in North America. Although this was beneficial for British trade and wealth, it resulted in the genocide in the Native American population, as well as the enslavement and murder of Western Africans in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Charles himself had no qualms with these issues, allowing, and even encouraging, these practices to continue.
Unfortunately, Charles did not produce a legitimate heir, and appeared unconcerned with leaving the throne to his unpopular Catholic brother, James. Although his reign was successful, it did not provide stable foundations for the peaceful transition of power. His failure to recognise the issues the reign of his brother would bring would ultimately spark the Glorious Revolution just a few years after his death. This would tear the royal family apart into two different factions, causing instability in the monarchy and within the Stuart dynasty.
Trivia:
- During his reign, an Irishman named Thomas Blood attempted to steal the crown jewels, and upon his capture, refused to speak to anybody but Charles. When Charles personally put him on trial, Blood offered to pay £6000 for the damage he caused to the jewels, when in reality, they were worth £100,000. Blood then stated that he had once plotted to murder Charles, and only changed his mind once he found himself 'in awe of his majesty.' Charles reportedly found him hilarious and endearing, pardoning him of his highly treasonous crimes, and gave him his own land in Ireland.
- It's possible that Charles' frequent experiments with mercury is what contributed to the kidney issues he suffered later in life, and subsequent death.
- When William, Prince of Wales eventually becomes king after King Charles III, he will be the first monarch to be directly descended from Charles II, since his mother, Lady Diana Spencer, was a descendent of one of Charles II's illegitimate children.
Quotes:
"I always admired virtue - but I could never imitate it."
Charles regarding his attitude towards his lifestyle.
""If we are understood, more words are unnecessary; if we are not likely to be understood, they are useless."
Speaking to the Earl of Manchester.
"Alas, poor woman! She ask my pardon? I beg hers with all my heart."
Upon hearing the news his wife was unable to visit him on his deathbed.
Timeline of Reign:
| 1660: Monarchy Restoration - Charles II is restored to the throne of England after a brief republic.
| 1660: Royal Society is founded - Scientific advancements is encouraged.
| 1662: Sparkling wine invented - Invented by Christopher Merret.
| 1663: Carolina Grant - Carolina in America is seized and granted to eight English nobles.
| 1663: Rhode Island founded - English colony in Rhode Island is established.
| 1665: Cells discovered - Microscope allows discovery of cells by Robert Hooke.
| 1665: Second Anglo-Dutch War begins - Naval war based on commercial disputes.
| 1665: Great Plague of London - Bubonic plague outbreak kills 100,000 in London.
| 1666: Great Fire of London - Majority of the city burns for 4 days, killing 9 people.
| 1666: Re-building of London - Re-construction of London begins with stricter building codes.
| 1667: Raid on the Medway - Successful Dutch raid on English warships.
| 1667: Second Anglo-Dutch War ends - War ends in a stalemate.
| 1667: Treaty of Breda - England and Dutch Republic agree to unite against French expansion.
| 1667: New Amsterdam Grant - Britain gains New Amsterdam from the Dutch; renamed New York.
| 1669: Reflecting telescope invented - Designed by James Gregory and built by Isaac Newton.
| 1670: Treaty of Dover - An alliance between England and France against the Dutch.
| 1672: Third Anglo-Dutch War begins - Naval conflict once again breaks out.
| 1674: Third Anglo-Dutch War ends - English defeated as Parliament refuses to continue funding.
| 1681: Pennsylvania Grant - Pennsylvania is seized and gifted to William Penn.
| 1684: Calculus invented - Created by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
Sources & Further Reading:
Aronson, J. K. & Heneghan, C. (2018). The death of King Charles II — Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM). University of Oxford. https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/news/views/the-death-of-king-charles-ii
Brain, J. (2021). King Charles II. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Charles-II/
Cartwright, M. (2022). Charles II of England. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Charles_II_of_England/
King Charles II by John Michael Wright or studio.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2009). Wikimedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:King_Charles_II_by_John_Michael_Wright_or_studio.jpg
King Charles II: Public and personal life. (2026). Royal Museums Greenwich. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/royal-history/king-charles-ii-public-personal-life
Roseveare, H. G. (2019). Charles II | Biography, Accomplishments, &
Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-II-king-of-Great-Britain-and-Ireland
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