Charles II was born May 29th, 1630 at St. James Palace in London, the eldest child of Charles I and Henrietta Maria. Unlike his father who was short, spindly and in poor health, Charles II was tall and strapping, a robust child who grew into a strong man.
He was divided by religion at an early age. His father had been brought up in Protestant England while his French mother was a devout Catholic. Charles knew that in order to inherit the English throne he must put on the appearance of Protestant, which he did up until his deathbed, when he called for a Catholic priest for the last rites.
Charles II and the English Civil War
Rumblings of Civil War started in 1641, when Charles I attempted to arrest five leaders of Parliament, while it was in session. In 1642 Charles was sent to Wales to gather support for his father and the Royal cause. Eventually he was exiled to the Isle of Scilly, Jersey, then eventually to France. During his time in exile, Charles still maintained a royal court of 300 people. He lived for a time with his mother in St. Germaine.
Charles II Returns to Scotland
On February 4, 1649 Charles II was proclaimed king Charles II by the Scottish Parliament, after learning about the death of Charles I. Scotland was less than happy that the English acted so high-handedly about the Kings execution, who was also their monarch.
Charles attempted to invade England on September 3, 1650 at the Battle of Dunbar. Cromwell was well prepared with 23,000 mercenaries who had fought in the Thirty Years War. The battle was disaster for the Scots, reminiscent of the Battle of Flodden, which cut down 10,000 Scottish nobles, including James V. Cromwell took Edinburgh and kept Scotland under a military stronghold from 1651 through 1660. Following the defeat at Dunbar Charles was on the run from Cromwell, hiding in barns, gardens and even oak trees. He managed to escape back to France through an unguarded port in Sussex in October 1651.
Despite wearing the crown of Scotland, Charles II was born and bred an Englishmen. He never again set foot on Scottish soil, feeling betrayed by the covenanters, who thought of as hypocrites.
Charles II and The Ladies
By the age of 18 Charles II had developed a lifelong passion for women. He would eventually surpass his great great-grandfather, James V in the number of acknowledged illegitimate children he sired. James V had nine, while Charles II had an astounding 15 children out of wedlock (that we know about). His well known mistresses included Lucy Walters, Barbara Villiers and Nell Gwyn, a spunky actress who rose out of obsure poverty to grace the kings bed.
Charles II & the Restoration
Oliver Cromwell died in 1658. His inept son was unable to keep order for long. Charles II came home to France to much rejoicing on his thirtieth birthday, May 29th, 1660. He began the long and arduous task of restoring the English monarchy and rebuilding England. He also worked to rebuild the Scottish government. In 1662 he restored the Scottish Episcopalian Church.
The period following Charles II regaining the English throne is commonly called the Restoration period. It marked a new chapter in English history, where the monarchy reigned, but with far less power than ever before.
Sources:
Fraiser, Antonia. The Stuarts. Berkley: University of California Press, 2000.
Oram, Richard. The Kings & Queens of Scotland. Gloucestershire: Tempus, 2006.
