Charles II of England
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{{Infobox British Royalty|majesty
| name = Charles II
| title = [[List of English monarchs#Stuarts (restored)|King of England]], [[List of monarchs of Scotland#House of Stuart|Scotland]] and [[King of Ireland#1541-1801: Kings and Queens of Ireland|Ireland]]
| image = Charles II of England in Coronation robes.jpg
| reign = [[30 January]] [[1649]] – [[3 September]] [[1651]]<ref>From the death of his father to his defeat at the [[Battle of Worcester]].</ref> (in Scotland)<br />[[29 May]] [[1660]]<ref>The traditional date of the Restoration marking the first assembly of King and Parliament together since the abolition of the monarchy in 1649. The English Parliament recognised Charles as King of England by unanimous vote on the [[2 May]] [[1660]], although royalists had recognised him as such since the death of his father on [[30 January]] [[1649]]. During Charles's reign all legal documents were dated as if his reign had begun from his father's execution in 1649.</ref> – [[6 February]] [[1685]] (in England, Ireland and Scotland) | predecessor = [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]
| successor = [[James II of England|James II/VII]]
| spouse = [[Catherine of Braganza]]
| titles = ''HM'' The King<br />The Prince of Wales<br />The Duke of Cornwall
| royal house = [[House of Stuart]]
| father = [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]
| mother = [[Henrietta Maria of France]]
| date of birth = {{birth date|1630|5|29|df=y}}
| place of birth =[[St. James's Palace]], [[London]]
| date of death = {{Death date and age|1685|2|6|1630|5|29|df=yes}}
| place of death = [[Whitehall Palace]], [[London]]
| place of burial = [[Westminster Abbey]]
|}}
'''Charles II''' (Charles Stuart; [[29 May]] [[1630]] – [[6 February]] [[1685]]) was the [[Monarchy|King]] of [[Kingdom of England|England]], [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]].
According to [[Cavalier|royalists]] (and retrospective English law), Charles II became king when his father [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] [[Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England|was executed]] at [[Palace of Whitehall|Whitehall]] on [[30 January]] [[1649]], the climax of the [[English Civil War]]. 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 Scotland]], on the other hand, proclaimed Charles II [[King of Scots]] on [[5 February]] [[1649]] in [[Edinburgh]]. He was crowned King of Scots at [[Scone]] on [[1 January]] [[1651]]. 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 [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]] and the [[Spanish Netherlands]].
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]]. Charles II arrived on English soil on [[25 May]] [[1660]] and entered [[London]] on his thirtieth birthday, [[29 May]] [[1660]]. Charles was crowned King of England and Ireland at [[Westminster Abbey]] on [[23 April]] [[1661]].
[[Cavalier Parliament|Charles's English parliament]] enacted anti-[[Puritan]] laws known as the [[Penal law#The Clarendon code|Clarendon Code]], designed to shore up the position of the re-[[Established Church|established]] [[Church of England]]. 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]]. 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. 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. 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 of England|James II]]) was a Roman Catholic. This crisis saw the birth of the pro-exclusion [[British Whig Party|Whig]] and anti-exclusion [[Tory]] parties. 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. Charles dissolved the English Parliament in 1679, and ruled alone until his death on [[6 February]] [[1685]]. 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]]. Charles's wife, [[Catherine of Braganza]], was barren, but Charles acknowledged at least 12 [[illegitimacy|illegitimate]] children by various mistresses.
==Early life==
Charles Stuart, the eldest surviving son of King [[Charles I of England|Charles I of England and Scotland]] and [[Henrietta Maria|Henrietta Maria of France]], was born in [[St. James's Palace]] on [[29 May]] [[1630]]. He was baptised in the [[Chapel Royal]] on [[27 June]] by the [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] [[Bishop of London]] [[William Laud]] and brought up in the care of the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Mary Sackville, Countess of Dorset|Countess of Dorset]], though his godparents included his mother's Catholic relations, the [[Louis XIII of France|King]] and [[Marie de Medici|Queen Mother of France]].<ref>Fraser, p.13 and Hutton, pp.1–4</ref> 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]].<ref name="weir">{{cite book|last=Weir|first=Alison|authorlink=Alison Weir (historian)|title=Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy, Revised edition|publisher=Random House|year=1996|isbn=0712674489|pages=pp.255–257}}</ref>
[[Image:Charles II when Prince of Wales by William Dobson, 1642.jpg|left|thumb|Charles II when Prince of Wales by [[William Dobson]], circa 1642 or 1643.]]
During the 1640s, when Charles was still young, his father fought parliamentary and [[Puritanism|Puritan]] forces in the [[English Civil War]]. 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]].<ref>Fraser, p.32 and Hutton, pp.6–7</ref> 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.<ref>Fraser, pp.38–45 and Miller, ''Charles II'' p.6</ref>
In 1648, during the Second English Civil War, Charles moved to [[The Hague]], where his sister [[Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|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.<ref>Fraser, pp.55–56</ref> 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 [[James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton|Duke of Hamilton]], before it was defeated at the [[Battle of Preston (1648)|Battle of Preston]].<ref>Fraser, pp.57–60</ref>
At The Hague, Charles had a brief fling with [[Lucy Walter]], who later falsely claimed that they had secretly married.<ref>Fraser, pp.65–66, 155, Hutton, p.26, and Miller, ''Charles II'' p.5</ref> Their son, [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth|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.
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]]. 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. To succeed, Charles was reluctantly induced to make promises that he would abide by the terms of a [[Treaty of Breda (1650)|treaty agreed between him and the Scots Parliament]] at [[Breda]], and support the [[Covenanter|Solemn League and Covenant]], which authorized [[Presbyterian church governance]] across Britain. Upon his arrival in Scotland on [[23 June]] [[1650]], Charles formally agreed to the Covenant; his abandonment of [[Episcopy|Episcopal]] church governance, although winning him support in Scotland, left him unpopular in England. Charles himself soon came to despise the "villainy" and "hypocrisy" of the [[Covenanters]].<ref>Fraser, p.97 and Hutton, p.53</ref>
On [[3 September]] [[1650]], the Covenanters were defeated at the [[Battle of Dunbar (1650)|Battle of Dunbar]] by a much smaller force led by [[Oliver Cromwell]]. The Scots forces were divided into royalist Engagers and [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] Covenanters, who even fought each other. 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.<ref>Fraser, pp.96–97 and Hutton, pp.56–57</ref> Nevertheless, the Scots remained Charles's best hope of restoration, and he was crowned King of Scots at [[Scone, Perthshire|Scone]] on [[1 January]] [[1651]]. With Cromwell's forces threatening Charles's position in Scotland, it was decided to mount an attack on England. With many of the Scots (including [[Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll|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 (tree)|Royal Oak]] at [[Boscobel House]]. Through six weeks of narrow escapes [[Escape of Charles II|Charles managed to flee England]] in disguise, landing in [[Normandy]] on [[16 October]], despite a reward of [[Pound sterling|£]]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.<ref>Fraser, pp.98–128 and Hutton, pp.53–69</ref><ref>One thousand pounds was a vast sum at the time, greater than an average workman's lifetime earnings (Fraser, p.117)</ref>
Cromwell was appointed [[Lord Protector#Cromwellian republican Commonwealth|Lord Protector]] of England, [[Scotland]] and [[Ireland]], essentially placing them under military rule. 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 [[Dutch Republic|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]]. He attempted to raise an army, but failed for lack of finance.<ref>Hutton, pp.74–112</ref>
==Restoration==
{{House of Stuart|charles2}}
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 Cromwell|Richard]]. 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. During the civil and military unrest which followed, [[George Monck]], the Governor of Scotland, was concerned that the nation would descend into anarchy.<ref>Fraser, pp.160–165</ref> 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]]. The Long Parliament dissolved itself and for the first time in almost twenty years, there was a [[general election]].<ref>The diary of [[Samuel Pepys]], [[16 March]] [[1660]]</ref> The outgoing Parliament designed the electoral qualifications so as to ensure, as they thought, the return of a Presbyterian majority.<ref name="elect">Miller, ''Charles II'' pp.24–25</ref>
The restrictions against royalist candidates and voters were widely ignored, and the elections resulted in a [[Parliament of England|House of Commons]] which was fairly evenly divided on political grounds between Royalists and Parliamentarians and on religious grounds between Anglicans and Presbyterians.<ref name="elect"/> 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 English Parliament resolved to proclaim Charles king and invite him to return, which message reached Charles at Breda on [[8 May]] [[1660]].<ref>Hutton, p.131</ref> In Ireland, a convention had been called earlier in the year, and on [[14 May]] it declared for Charles as King.<ref name="dnb">{{citation|first=Paul|last=Seaward|title=Charles II (1630–1685)|journal=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5144|accessdate=2007-09-07|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/5144}}</ref>
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 [[English Restoration|Restoration]], and was Charles's thirtieth birthday). 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.<ref>Fraser, p.190</ref> In the end 9 of the [[List of regicides of Charles I|regicides]] were executed:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page92.asp|title=CHARLES II (r. 1660–85)|publisher=The official web site of the British Monarchy|accessdate=2007-09-07}}</ref> they were [[hanged, drawn and quartered]]; others were given life imprisonment or simply excluded from office for life. The bodies of [[Oliver Cromwell]], [[Henry Ireton]] and [[John Bradshaw (Judge)|John Bradshaw]] were subjected to the indignity of [[posthumous execution|posthumous decapitations]].<ref>Fraser, p.185</ref>
[[Image:Charles II of England.jpeg|thumb|left|Charles II was restored as King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1660.]]
Charles agreed to give up [[Feudalism|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. 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 tax]]es, [[Land value tax|land taxes]] and [[Chimney money|hearth taxes]].
In the latter half of 1660, Charles's joy at the Restoration was tempered by the deaths of his youngest brother, [[Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester|Henry]], and sister, Mary, of [[smallpox]]. At around the same time, [[Anne Hyde]], the daughter of the [[Lord Chancellor]] [[Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon|Edward Hyde]], revealed that she was pregnant by Charles's brother, James, whom she had secretly married. 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.<ref>Fraser, pp.210–202, Hutton, pp.155–156 and Miller, ''Charles II'' pp.43–44</ref>
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. This parliament, dubbed the [[Cavalier Parliament]], was overwhelmingly Royalist and Anglican. It sought to discourage [[non-conformist|non-conformity]] to the [[Church of England]], and passed several acts to secure Anglican dominance. The [[Corporation Act 1661]] required municipal officeholders to swear allegiance;<ref>Hutton, p.169</ref> 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 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.<ref>Hutton, p.229</ref>
===Great Plague and Fire===
In 1665, Charles was faced with a great health crisis: the [[Great Plague of London]]. The death toll at one point reached a peak of 7000 in the week of [[17 September]].<ref>Fraser, p.238</ref> Charles, his family and court fled London in July to [[Salisbury, United Kingdom|Salisbury]]; Parliament met in [[Oxford]].<ref>Miller, ''Charles II'' p.120</ref> Various attempts at containing the disease by London public health officials all fell in vain and the disease continued to spread rapidly.<ref>{{cite book|author=Defoe, Daniel|authorlink=Daniel Defoe|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17221|title=History of the Plague in England|year=1894|publisher=American Book Company|location=New York}}</ref>
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]]. The fire consumed about 13,200 houses and 87 churches, including [[St. Paul's Cathedral]].<ref name=porter>{{citation|last=Porter|first=Stephen|title=The great fire of London|journal =Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|date=January 2007|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/themes/95/95647.html|accessdate=2007-10-12}}</ref> Charles, and his brother James, joined and directed the fire-fighting effort. The public blamed Roman Catholic conspirators for the fire,<ref>Fraser, pp.243–247 and Miller, ''Charles II'' p.121–122</ref> though it had actually started in a bakehouse in [[Pudding Lane]].<ref name=porter />
==Foreign and colonial policy==
In May 1662, Charles married, in the [[Portsmouth Cathedral|parish of St Thomas à Becket]], [[Portsmouth]], [[Catherine of Braganza]],<ref name="weir"/> a [[Portugal|Portuguese]] princess who brought him the territories of [[Seven islands of Bombay|Bombay]] and [[Tangier]] as [[dowry]]. During the same year, in an unpopular move, he sold [[Dunkirk, France|Dunkirk]], which (although a valuable strategic outpost) was a drain on Charles's limited finances,<ref>It cost the Treasury £321,000 per year (Hutton, p.184)</ref> to his first cousin King [[Louis XIV of France]] for about £375,000.<ref>Miller, ''Charles II'' pp.93, 99</ref>.
Appreciative of the assistance given to him in gaining the throne, Charles awarded [[North America]]n lands then known as [[Province of Carolina|Carolina]]—named after his father—to eight nobles (known as Lords Proprietors) in 1663.
[[Image:CharlesII1667Medal.jpg|thumb|right|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 Republic|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 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. Almost all of the ships were sunk except for the flagship, the [[HMS Royal Charles|HMS ''Royal Charles'']], which was taken back to [[the Netherlands]] as a trophy.<ref>The ship's transom remains on display, now at the [[Rijksmuseum Amsterdam]].</ref> The Second Dutch War ended with the signing of the [[Treaty of Breda (1667)]].
As a result of the Second Dutch War, Charles dismissed [[Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon|Lord Clarendon]], whom he used as a scapegoat for the war.<ref>Hutton, pp.250–251</ref> Clarendon fled to France when impeached for [[high treason]] (which carried the penalty of death). Power passed to five politicians known collectively by a whimsical<!--Macaulay, (1849) ''The History of England from the Accession of James II'', p.152--> [[acronym]] as the [[Cabal]]—[[Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford|Clifford]], [[Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington|Arlington]], [[George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham|Buckingham]], [[Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury|Ashley (afterwards Earl of Shaftesbury)]] and [[John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale|Lauderdale]]. 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.<ref>Hutton, p.254 and Miller, ''Charles II'' p.175–176</ref>
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]]. Louis made peace with the [[Triple Alliance (1668)|Triple Alliance]], but he continued to maintain his aggressive intentions towards the Netherlands. 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. 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".<ref>Fraser, p.275</ref> 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.<ref>Fraser, p.275–276 and Miller, ''Charles II'' p.180</ref> It remains unclear if Charles ever seriously intended to convert.<ref name="dnb"/>
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]].<ref>"East India Company" (1911). [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition]], Volume 8, p.835</ref> Earlier in 1668 he leased the islands of [[Bombay]] for a nominal sum of £10 paid in [[gold]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/trading/bombay/history.html|title=Bombay: History of a City|publisher=The British Library Board|accessdate=2007-05-18}}</ref> The Portuguese territories that Catherine brought with her as dowry had proved too expensive to maintain; Tangier was abandoned.<ref>Hutton, p.426</ref>
In 1670, Charles also granted a royal charter to establish the [[Hudson's Bay Company]]. The company eventually became the oldest corporation in [[Canada]]. 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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/|title=Our History|publisher=[[Hudson's Bay Company]]|accessdate=2007-10-12}}</ref>
==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 law]]s against Roman Catholics and other religious dissenters. In the same year, he openly supported Catholic France and started the [[Third Anglo-Dutch War]].<ref>Fraser, pp.305–308 and Hutton, pp.284–285</ref>
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 [[Eucharist|sacrament]] under the forms prescribed by the Church of England,<ref>{{citation|author=Raithby, John (ed.)|title=Charles II, 1672: An Act for preventing Dangers which may happen from Popish Recusants|journal=Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628-80|year=1819|pages=pp.782–785|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47451|accessdate=2007-10-08}}</ref> but also later forced them to denounce certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as "[[superstition|superstitious]] and [[idolatry|idolatrous]]".<ref>{{citation|author=Raithby, John (ed.)|title=Charles II, 1678: (Stat. 2.) An Act for the more effectuall preserving the Kings Person and Government by disableing Papists from sitting in either House of Parlyament |journal=Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628-80|year=1819|pages=pp.894–896|url= http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47482|accessdate=2007-10-08}}</ref> 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, [[Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds|Lord Danby]], grew.
[[Image:Charles-pineapple.jpg|thumb|right|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 [[miscarriage]]s and [[stillbirth]]s in 1662, February 1666, May 1668 and June 1669.<ref name="weir"/> 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 II of England|Mary]], should marry the Protestant [[William III of England|William of Orange]].<ref>Fraser, pp.347–348 and Hutton, pp.345–346</ref> In 1678, [[Titus Oates]], who had been alternately both Anglican and a former [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] priest, falsely warned of a "[[Popish Plot]]" to assassinate the king, even accusing the Queen of complicity. 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.<ref>Hutton, pp.359–362</ref> The people were seized with an anti-Catholic hysteria;<ref>Fraser, p.360</ref> judges and juries across the land condemned the supposed conspirators; numerous innocent individuals were executed.<ref>Fraser, p.375</ref>
Later in 1678, Lord Danby was impeached by the House of Commons on the charge of [[high treason]]. Although much of the nation had sought war with Catholic France, Charles had secretly negotiated with [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], trying to reach an agreement under which England would remain neutral in return for money. 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.<ref>Miller, ''Charles II'' pp.278, 301–304</ref>
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. 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. 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]]. Lord Danby would be held there for another five years.<ref>Hutton, pp.367–374 and Miller, ''Charles II'' pp.306–309</ref>
==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 [[Succession to the British Throne|line of succession]]. Some even sought to confer the Crown to the Protestant [[Duke of Monmouth]], the eldest of Charles's illegitimate children. The ''Abhorrers''—those who thought the Exclusion Bill was abhorrent—were named [[Tory|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 [[British Whig Party|Whigs]] (after a term for rebellious Scottish Presbyterians).<ref>Hutton, pp. 373, 377, 391 and Miller, ''Charles II'' pp.310–320</ref>
[[Image:charles2coin.jpg|thumb|left|[[Half-Crown]] of Charles II, 1683. 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.<ref>Hutton, pp.376–401 and Miller ''Charles II'' pp.314–345</ref> 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.<ref>Hutton, pp.430–441</ref>
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, Suffolk|Newmarket]]. 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.<ref>Fraser, p.426</ref> 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. 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.<ref>Hutton, pp.420–423 and Miller ''Charles II'' pp.366–368</ref> Titus Oates was convicted and imprisoned for defamation.<ref>Fraser, p.437</ref>
Charles suffered a sudden [[apoplexy|apoplectic fit]] on the morning of [[2 February]] [[1685]], and died at 11:45 a.m. four days later at [[Whitehall Palace]] (at the age of 54). The symptoms of his final illness are similar to those of [[uremia|uraemia]] (a clinical syndrome due to kidney dysfunction).<ref>Fraser, p.450 and Hutton, p.443</ref> On his deathbed Charles told his brother, James: "Let not poor [[Nell Gwyn|Nelly]] starve."<ref>Fraser, p.456</ref> and to his courtiers: "I am sorry, gentlemen, for being such a time a-dying."<ref name="bryant">Bryant, Mark (2001). ''Private Lives''. London: Cassell. ISBN 0304357588 p.73</ref> 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.<ref>Hutton, pp.443 and 456</ref> He was buried in [[Westminster Abbey]] "without any manner of pomp"<ref name="bryant"/> on [[14 February]]<ref>Fraser, p.459</ref> and was succeeded by his brother who became [[James II of England]] and Ireland, and James VII of Scotland.
==Posterity and legacy==
[[Image:CharlesIIstatue.jpg|thumb|left|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.]]
Charles left no legitimate issue. He did, however, have a dozen children by seven mistresses;<ref>Fraser, p.411</ref> five of those children were borne by a single woman, the notorious [[Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland|Barbara Palmer, Countess of Castlemaine]], for whom the [[Duke of Cleveland|Dukedom of Cleveland]] was created. His other mistresses included [[Catherine Pegge]], [[Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth]], [[Lucy Walter]], [[Elizabeth Killigrew]] and [[Nell Gwyn]]. Many of his children received dukedoms or earldoms; the present [[Duke of Buccleuch|Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry]], [[Duke of Richmond|Duke of Richmond and Gordon]], [[Duke of Grafton]] and [[Duke of St Albans]] all descend from Charles in direct male line.<ref>Fraser, p.413</ref> The public resented paying taxes that were spent on maintaining Charles's mistresses and illegitimate children;<ref>Hutton, p.338</ref> [[John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester]] wrote of Charles:
{{quote|<center>Restless he rolls from whore to whore<br />A merry monarch, scandalous and poor.<ref>Miller, ''Charles II'' p.95</ref></center>}}
[[Diana, Princess of Wales]] was descended from two of Charles's illegitimate sons, the [[Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton|Duke of Grafton]] and the [[Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond|Duke of Richmond]] (who is also a direct ancestor of [[Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall]], second wife of [[Charles, Prince of Wales]]). 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 [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth|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 II, however, was eventually dethroned in 1688 in the course of the [[Glorious Revolution]]. 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".<ref>Miller, ''Charles II'' pp.382–383</ref>—and is [[Cultural depictions of Charles II of England|depicted extensively in literature and other media]].
[[Image:Rhc-charles2.jpg|thumb|right|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]].]]
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 [[Isaac Newton|Sir Isaac Newton]], and the [[Royal Observatory, Greenwich]]. Charles was the personal patron of [[Christopher Wren|Sir Christopher Wren]], the architect who helped rebuild London after the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire]] in 1666. Wren also constructed the [[Royal Hospital Chelsea]], which Charles founded as a home for retired soldiers in 1682. [[Restoration comedy|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).<ref>Hutton, p.185</ref>
The anniversary of Charles's [[English Restoration|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. Traditional celebrations involved the wearing of oak leaves but these have now died out.<ref>Fraser, p.118</ref> The anniversary of the Restoration is also an official [[Collar Day]].
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.<ref name=Cibber>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41027&strquery=Cibber "Soho Square Area: Portland Estate: Soho Square Garden"] in ''Survey of London'' vol. 33 and 34 (1966) St Anne Soho, pp. 51-53. Date accessed: 12 January 2008.</ref>
==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
{| align=right
|-
|{{Infobox_UKkingstyles|
royal name=King Charles II of England|
dipstyle=[[Majesty|His Majesty]]|
offstyle=Your Majesty|
altstyle=Sire|}}
|-
|{{infobox_scotlandkingstyles|
royal name=Charles II, King of Scots|
dipstyle=His Grace|
offstyle=Your Grace|
altstyle=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 (manner of address)|style]] of Charles II was ''Charles the Second, by the Grace of God, [[List of monarchs of England|King of England]], [[List of Monarchs of Scotland|Scotland]], [[English Kings of France|France]] and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Fidei defensor|Defender of the Faith]], etc.'' (The [[English claims to the French throne|claim to France]] was only nominal, and had been asserted by every English King since [[Edward III of England|Edward III]], regardless of the amount of French territory actually controlled.)
===Honours===
*'''KG''': [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]], ''[[21 May]] [[1638]] – [[30 January]] [[1649]]''
===Arms===
As Prince of Wales, Charles's [[coat of arms|arms]] were those of the kingdom (which he later inherited), differenced by a ''label argent of three points''<ref>[http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/cadency.htm Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family]</ref>. 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]])''.
==Ancestry==
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<div style="background: #ccddcc; text-align: center; border: 1px solid #667766" class="NavHead">'''Ancestors of Charles II of England'''
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|1= 1. '''Charles II of England'''
|2= 2. [[Charles I of England]]
|3= 3. [[Henrietta Maria of France]]
|4= 4. [[James I of England]]
|5= 5. [[Anne of Denmark]]
|6= 6. [[Henry IV of France]]
|7= 7. [[Marie de' Medici]]
|8= 8. [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley]]
|9= 9. [[Mary I of Scotland]]
|10= 10. [[Frederick II of Denmark]]
|11= 11. [[Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|12= 12. [[Antoine of Navarre]]
|13= 13. [[Jeanne III of Navarre]]
|14= 14. [[Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]]
|15= 15. [[Johanna of Austria]]
|16= 16. [[Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox]]
|17= 17. [[Margaret Douglas]]
|18= 18. [[James V of Scotland]]
|19= 19. [[Mary of Guise]]
|20= 20. [[Christian III of Denmark]]
|21= 21. [[Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg]]
|22= 22. [[Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|23= 23. [[Elizabeth of Denmark]]
|24= 24. [[Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme]]
|25= 25. [[Francoise d'Alencon]]
|26= 26. [[Henry II of Navarre]]
|27= 27. [[Marguerite de Navarre]]
|28= 28. [[Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]]
|29= 29. [[Eleonora di Toledo]]
|30= 30. [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor]]
|31= 31. [[Anna of Bohemia and Hungary]]
}}</center>
</div></div>
==Children==
{{main|Descendants of Charles II of England}}
By '''Marguerite or Margaret de Carteret'''
#Letters claiming that she bore Charles a son named [[James de la Cloche]] in 1646 are dismissed by historians as forgeries.<ref>Fraser, pp.43–44 and Hutton, p.25</ref>
By '''[[Lucy Walter]]''' (c.1630–1658)
#[[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth|James Crofts, later Scott]] (1649–1685), created [[Duke of Monmouth]] (1663) in England and [[Duke of Buccleuch]] (1663) in Scotland. Ancestor of [[Sarah, Duchess of York]]. Lucy Walter had a daughter, Mary Crofts, born after James, but Charles II was not the father.<ref name="weir"/>
By '''[[Elizabeth Boyle, Viscountess Shannon|Elizabeth Killigrew]]''' (1622–1680), daughter of Sir Robert Killigrew, married [[Francis Boyle, 1st Viscount Shannon]] in 1660
#[[Charlotte Paston, Countess of Yarmouth|Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria FitzRoy]] (1650–1684), married the 2nd [[Earl of Yarmouth]]
By '''[[Catherine Pegge]]'''
#[[Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth|Charles FitzCharles]] (1657–1680), known as "Don Carlo", created [[Earl of Plymouth]] (1675)
#Catherine FitzCharles (born 1658; she either died young or became a nun at Dunkirk)<ref>Hutton, p.125</ref>
By '''[[Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland|Barbara Villiers Palmer]]''' (1641–1709), wife of [[Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine]] created [[Duke of Cleveland|Duchess of Cleveland]] in her own right
#[[Anne Lennard, Countess of Sussex|Anne Palmer (Fitzroy)]] (1661–1722), Countess of Sussex, married [[Thomas Lennard, 1st Earl of Sussex]]. She may have been the daughter of Roger Palmer, but Charles accepted her anyway.<ref>{{cite book|author=Cokayne, George E.|authorlink=George Cokayne|coauthors=Revised and enlarged by Gibbs, Vicary; Edited by Doubleday, H. A., Warrand, D., and de Walden, Lord Howard|year=1926|title=The Complete Peerage|chapter=Appendix F. Bastards of Charles II|publisher=The St. Catherine Press, Ltd.|location=London|pages=Volume VI, pp.706–708}}</ref>
#[[Charles Fitzroy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland|Charles Fitzroy]] (1662–1730) created [[Duke of Southampton]] (1675), became 2nd [[Duke of Cleveland]] (1709)
#[[Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton|Henry Fitzroy]] (1663–1690), created [[Earl of Euston]] (1672), [[Duke of Grafton]] (1675), also 7 Greats-Grandfather of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]]
#[[Charlotte Lee, Countess of Lichfield|Charlotte Fitzroy]] (1664–1717). She married [[Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield]].
#[[George Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Northumberland|George Fitzroy]] (1665–1716), created [[Earl of Northumberland]] (1674), [[Duke of Northumberland]] (1678)
#[[Barbara Fitzroy|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,<ref>Miller, ''Charles II'' pp.97, 123</ref> and was never acknowledged by Charles as his own daughter.<ref>Fraser, pp.65 and 286</ref>
By '''[[Nell Gwyn]]''' (1650–1687)
#[[Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans|Charles Beauclerk]] (1670–1726), created [[Duke of St Albans]] (1684)
#James, Lord Beauclerk (1671–1680)
By '''[[Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth|Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kéroualle]]''' (1649–1734), created [[Duke of Portsmouth|Duchess of Portsmouth]] in her own right (1673)
#[[Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox|Charles Lennox]] (1672–1723), created [[Duke of Richmond]] (1675) in England and [[Duke of Lennox]] (1675) in Scotland. Ancestor of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], [[Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall]], and [[Sarah, Duchess of York]].
By '''[[Moll Davis|Mary 'Moll' Davis]]''', courtesan and actress of repute<ref>Fraser, p.287</ref>
#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.
Other probable mistresses:
#Christabella Wyndham<ref>Fraser, p.37 and Miller, ''Charles II'' p.5</ref>
#[[Hortense Mancini]], Duchess of Mazarin<ref>Fraser, pp.341–342, Hutton, p.336 and Miller, ''Charles II'' p.228</ref>
#Winifred Wells – one of the Queen's Maids of Honour<ref name="mrs">Fraser, p.285 and Hutton, p.262</ref>
#Jane Roberts – the daughter of a clergyman<ref name="mrs"/>
#Elizabeth Berkeley, née Bagot, Dowager Countess of Falmouth – the widow of [[Charles Berkeley, 1st Earl of Falmouth]]<ref name="mrs"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Melville, Lewis|title=The Windsor Beauties: Ladies of the Court of Charles II|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FCxRqOrMVQUC&pg=PA91&lpg=PA91&dq=charles+ii+bagot&source=web&ots=i_bOsL1O1k&sig=4KVdOCPbG-VBo5SMLDUXyaDlBdA#PPA96,M1|accessdate=2007-12-18|year=2005|publisher=Loving Healing Press|isbn=1932690131}}</ref>
#Elizabeth Fitzgerald, [[Earl of Kildare|Countess of Kildare]]<ref name="mrs"/>
==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}
==References==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page92.asp|title=Charles II (r. 1660–85)|publisher=The official web site of the British Monarchy|accessdate=2007-09-07}}
* {{cite book|author=Fraser, Antonia|authorlink=Antonia Fraser|date=1979|title=King Charles II|publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson|location=London|isbn=0297775715}}
* {{cite book|author=Hutton, Ronald|authorlink=Ronald Hutton|date=1989|title=Charles II: King of England, Scotland, and Ireland|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford (England)|isbn=0198229119}}
* {{cite book|author=Miller, John|year=1991|title=Charles II|publisher =Weidenfeld and Nicolson|location=London|isbn=0297812149}}
* {{citation|first=Paul|last=Seaward|title=Charles II (1630–1685)|journal=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5144|accessdate=2007-09-07|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/5144}}
==Further reading==
{{wikisource-author}}
* Abbott, Jacob (1849). ''History of King Charles the Second of England.'' Available at [http://www.gutenberg.net/browse/BIBREC/BR6659.HTM Project Gutenberg,] Retrieved on [[2007-05-18]]
* {{cite book | author = Harris, Tim | date = 2005 | title = Restoration: Charles II and his kingdoms, 1660–1685 | publisher = Allen Lane| location = London| isbn = 0713991917}}
* {{cite book|author=Jones, J. R.|date=1987|title=Charles II: Royal Politician|location=London}}
* {{cite book|author=Keay, Anna|date=2008|title=The Magnificent Monarch: Charles II and the Ceremonies of Power|publisher=Hambledon Continuum|location=London|isbn=9781847252258}}
* {{citation|author=Kenyon, J. P.|title=Review Article: The Reign of Charles II|journal=Cambridge Historical Journal|volume=XIII|pages=82–86|year=1957}}
* {{cite book|author=Miller, John|date=1985|title=Restoration England: the reign of Charles II|publisher=Longman|location=London|isbn=0582353963}}
==External links==
{{Commons|Charles II of England}}
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.datesofhistory.com/Charles-II-England.biog.html Chronology Charles II World History Database]
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{{s-bef|rows=3|before=[[Charles I of England|Charles I]]<br /><small>Succession interrupted<br />by the [[English Interregnum]]</small>}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of England]]|years=1660 – 1685}}
{{s-aft|rows=3|after=[[James II of England|James VII & II]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Scotland]]|years=1649 – 1651<br />1660 – 1685}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Ireland]]|years=1660 – 1685}}
{{s-roy|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Elizabeth Stuart]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of heirs to the English and British thrones|Heir to the English, Scottish and Irish Thrones]]'''<br />''as [[heir apparent]]''|years='''29 May 1630 – 30 January 1649}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James II of England]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[James II of England|The Duke of York]]<br /><small>''later became King James II''</small>}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Admiralty|Lord High Admiral]]|years=1673}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Prince Rupert of the Rhine]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham|The Earl of Nottingham]]|as=[[First Lord of the Admiralty]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Admiralty|Lord High Admiral]]|years=1684 – 1685}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James II of England|King James II]]}}
{{s-reg|en}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Charles I of England|Charles]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prince of Wales]]|years=}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James Francis Edward Stuart]]}}
{{s-pre}}
{{s-new|loss|reason=[[English Commonwealth]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[King of England]]|years=1649 – 1660}}
{{s-non|reason=Reclaimed throne}}
{{end}}
{{English Monarchs}}
{{Pictish and Scottish Monarchs}}
{{Dukes of Cornwall}}
{{Dukes of Rothesay}}
{{featured article}}
{{Persondata
|NAME=Charles II of England and Scotland
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Charles Stuart
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=King of England, Ireland and Scotland
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[29 May]] [[1630]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[St. James's Palace]], [[London]]
|DATE OF DEATH=[[6 February]] [[1685]]
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Whitehall Palace]], [[London]]
}}
{{Lifetime|1630|1685|Charles II of England}}
[[Category:English monarchs]]
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[[Category:Dukes of Cornwall|018]]
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{{Link FA|es}}
{{Link FA|it}}
[[ar:تشارلز الثاني]]
[[bs:Karlo II Engleski]]
[[bg:Чарлз II]]
[[ca:Carles II d'Anglaterra i d'Escòcia]]
[[cs:Karel II. Stuart]]
[[cy:Siarl II, brenin Lloegr a'r Alban]]
[[da:Karl 2. af England]]
[[de:Karl II. (England)]]
[[et:Charles II]]
[[es:Carlos II de Inglaterra]]
[[eo:Karlo la 2-a (Anglio)]]
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[[ga:Séarlas II Shasana]]
[[gd:Teàrlach II]]
[[gl:Carlos II de Inglaterra]]
[[hi:चार्ल्स द्वितीय]]
[[hr:Karlo II., kralj Engleske]]
[[is:Karl 2. Englandskonungur]]
[[it:Carlo II d'Inghilterra]]
[[he:צ'ארלס השני, מלך אנגליה]]
[[ka:ჩარლზ II (ინგლისი)]]
[[kw:Charlys II a Alban]]
[[la:Carolus II Angliae Rex]]
[[lv:Čarlzs II Stjuarts]]
[[hu:II. Károly angol király]]
[[mr:चार्ल्स दुसरा, इंग्लंड]]
[[nl:Karel II van Engeland]]
[[ja:チャールズ2世 (イングランド王)]]
[[no:Karl II av England]]
[[pl:Karol II Stuart]]
[[pt:Carlos II de Inglaterra]]
[[ro:Carol al II-lea al Angliei]]
[[ru:Карл II (король Англии)]]
[[simple:Charles II of England]]
[[sk:Karol II. (Anglicko)]]
[[fi:Kaarle II (Englanti)]]
[[sv:Karl II av England]]
[[th:สมเด็จพระเจ้าชาร์ลส์ที่ 2 แห่งอังกฤษ]]
[[tr:II. Charles]]
[[uk:Карл II (король Англії)]]
[[zh:查理二世 (英国)]]