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Charles II of England

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: British History
1500-1750; Monarchs of Great Britain

                        Charles II
    King of Scots, King of England, and King of Ireland
                        Charles II
   Reign       29 May 1660 - 6 February 1685
               (de jure king from 30 January 1649)
   Born        29 May 1630
               St. James's Palace
   Died        6 February 1685 (aged 54)
   Buried      Westminster Abbey
   Predecessor Richard Cromwell (de facto)
               Charles I (de jure)
   Successor   James II
   Consort     Catherine of Braganza
   Royal House Stuart
   Father      Charles I
   Mother      Henrietta Maria

   Charles II ( 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England,
   King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 ( de jure) or
   29 May 1660 ( de facto) until his death. His father Charles I had been
   executed in 1649, following the English Civil War; the monarchy was
   then abolished and England, and subsequently Scotland and Ireland
   became a united republic under Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector (see
   Commonwealth of England and The Protectorate), albeit with Scotland and
   Ireland under military occupation and de facto martial law. In 1660,
   shortly after Cromwell's death, the monarchy was restored under Charles
   II. He was popularly known as the "Merry Monarch" in reference to the
   liveliness and hedonism of his court.

   The exact date at which Charles became King is vague due to the
   uncertain political situation of the time. His father was executed on
   30 January 1649, making him in theory King Charles II from that moment.
   He was immediately proclaimed King in Scotland on 5 February and Jersey
   on 16 February 1649—but also recognised in a few British colonies
   (especially the Colony and Dominion of Virginia). In Scotland Charles
   was for some time King in title only. It took two years of negotiation
   with the Presbyterians before he was finally crowned King of Scots in
   Scone on 1 January 1651. However, his reign there was shortlived as he
   was soon driven out by the republican armies, led by Oliver Cromwell.
   His coronation in England would not be until after Cromwell's death and
   the monarchy's restoration in May 1660, Charles spending most of the
   intervening time exiled in France.

   Much like his father, Charles II struggled for most of his life in his
   relations with Parliament, although the tensions between the two never
   reached the same levels of hostility. He was only able to achieve true
   success towards the end of his reign, by dispensing with Parliament and
   ruling alone. Unlike his father's however, this policy did not lead to
   widespread popular opposition, as he avoided the imposition of any new
   taxes, thanks in part to money he received as a result of his close
   relationship with the French king, Louis XIV. The principal conflicts
   of his reign revolved around a number of interlinked issues in domestic
   and foreign policy, most of which were related to the conflict between
   Protestants and Catholics then raging across Europe. As a consequence
   of this, Charles' reign was racked by political factions and intrigue,
   and it was at this time that the Whig and Tory political parties first
   developed.

   He famously fathered numerous illegitimate children, of whom he
   acknowledged fourteen, but no legitimate children who lived. Charles
   was also a patron of the arts, and he and his court were largely
   responsible for the revival of public drama and music, after their
   virtual prohibition under the earlier Protectorate. Some historians,
   such as Maurice Ashley, believe that Charles was secretly a Roman
   Catholic for much of his life like his brother James while others, such
   as Antonia Fraser, disagree. All that is known for certain is that he
   had converted to Roman Catholicism by the time of his death.
   Charles presented with the first pineapple grown in England (1675
   painting by Hendrik Danckerts).
   Charles presented with the first pineapple grown in England (1675
   painting by Hendrik Danckerts).

Early life

   Charles, the eldest surviving son of Charles I of England and Henrietta
   Maria of France, was born Charles Stuart in St. James's Palace on 29
   May 1630. At birth, he automatically became (as the eldest surviving
   son of the Sovereign) Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay; shortly
   after his birth, he was crowned Prince of Wales. Due to the disruption
   caused by the English Civil War, he was never formally invested with
   the Honours of the Principality of Wales.
            British Royalty
            House of Stuart
               Charles I
      Charles II
      James II & VII
       Henry, Duke of Gloucester
       Mary, Princess Royal
       Henrietta, Duchess of Orléans
              Charles II

   During the 1640s, when the Prince of Wales was still young, his father
   Charles I fought parliamentary and Puritan forces in the English Civil
   War. The prince accompanied his father during the Battle of Edgehill
   and, at the age of fifteen, participated in the campaigns of 1645, when
   he was made titular commander of the English forces in the West
   Country. In 1647, due to fears for his safety, he left England, going
   first to the Isles of Scilly, then to Jersey, and finally to France,
   where his mother was already living in exile. (His cousin, Louis XIV
   sat on the French throne.) In 1648, during the Second Civil War,
   Charles moved to The Hague, where his sister Mary and his
   brother-in-law Prince of Orange seemed more likely to provide
   substantial aid to the Royalist cause than the Queen's French
   relations. However Charles was neither able to use the royalist fleet
   that came under his control to any advantage, nor to 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.

   At the Hague, Charles II had an affair with Lucy Walter (whom, some
   alleged, he secretly married). 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 English political life, and
   famously led a rebellion on Charles' death, aimed at placing himself (a
   staunch Protestant) on the throne instead of Charles' Catholic brother
   James.

   Charles I was captured in 1647. He escaped and was recaptured in 1648.
   Despite his son's efforts to save him, Charles I was executed in 1649,
   and England was proclaimed a republic.
   Charles II when Prince of Wales by William Dobson, circa 1642 or 1643.
   Charles II when Prince of Wales by William Dobson, circa 1642 or 1643.

   At the same time, however, Scotland recognized Charles as his father's
   successor—even the Covenanters (led by the Marquess of Argyll), the
   most extreme Presbyterian group in Scotland, proved unwilling to allow
   the English to decide the fate of their monarchy. Consequently, on 5
   February 1649, Charles II was proclaimed King of Scots in Edinburgh. He
   would not be allowed to enjoy the powers that followed from his title
   until such time as he signed the Solemn League and Covenant (an
   agreement between England and Scotland that the Church of Scotland
   should not be remodelled on Anglican lines but should remain
   Presbyterian – the form of church governance preferred by most in
   Scotland – and that the Church of England and the Church of Ireland
   should be reformed along the same lines) (see also Treaty of Breda
   (1650)). Upon his arrival in Scotland on 23 June 1650, he formally
   agreed to the Covenant; his abandonment of Anglicanism, although
   winning him support in Scotland, left him unpopular in England. Charles
   himself soon came to despise his Scottish hosts (or "gaolers", as he
   came to see the dour Covenanters), and supposedly celebrated at the
   news of the Covenanters' defeat at Dunbar in September 1650.
   Nevertheless, the Scots remained Charles's best hope of restoration,
   and he was crowned King of Scots at 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 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 is said to have
   hidden in the Royal Oak at Boscobel House, subsequently escaping to
   France in disguise. Parliament put a reward of £1,000 on the king's
   head, and the penalty of death for anyone caught helping him. Through
   six weeks of narrow escapes Charles managed to flee England. (See also
   Escape of Charles II.)

   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,
   forcing Charles to turn to Spain for aid. He attempted to raise an
   army, but failed due to his financial shortcomings.

Restoration


                                            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

   After the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658, Charles' chances of
   regaining the Crown seemed slim. Oliver Cromwell was succeeded as Lord
   Protector by his son, Richard Cromwell. However, the new Lord
   Protector, with no power base in either Parliament or the New Model
   Army, was forced to abdicate in 1659. The Protectorate of England was
   abolished, and the Commonwealth of England re-established. During the
   civil and military unrest which followed, George Monck, the Governor of
   Scotland, was concerned that the nation would descend into anarchy.
   Monck and his army marched into the City of London and forced the Long
   Parliament to dissolve itself. For the first time in almost twenty
   years, the members of Parliament faced a general election.

   A predominantly Royalist House of Commons was elected. The Convention
   Parliament, soon after it assembled on 25 April 1660, received news of
   the Declaration of Breda ( 8 May 1660), in which Charles agreed,
   amongst other things, to pardon many of his father's enemies. It also
   subsequently declared that Charles II had been the lawful Sovereign
   since Charles I's execution in 1649.

   Charles set out for England, arriving in Dover on 23 May 1660 and
   reaching London on 29 May (which is considered the date of the
   Restoration, and was Charles' thirtieth birthday). Although Charles
   granted amnesty to Cromwell's supporters in the Act of Indemnity and
   Oblivion, this made specific provision for people to be excluded by the
   indemnity through act of Parliament. In the end 13 people were
   executed: 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 were subjected to the
   indignity of posthumous executions.

Cavalier Parliament

   Charles II was restored as King of England in 1660.
   Charles II was restored as King of England in 1660.

   The Convention Parliament was dissolved in December 1660. Shortly after
   Charles's coronation at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661, the second
   Parliament of the reign—the Cavalier Parliament—assembled. As the
   Cavalier Parliament was overwhelmingly Royalist, Charles saw no reason
   to dissolve it and force another general election for seventeen years.

   The Cavalier Parliament concerned itself with the agenda of Charles'
   chief advisor, Lord Clarendon (Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon).
   Lord Clarendon sought to discourage non-conformity to the Church of
   England; at his instigation, the Cavalier Parliament passed several
   acts which became part of the "Clarendon Code". The Conventicle Act
   1664 prohibited religious assemblies of more than five people, except
   under the auspices of the Church of England. The Five Mile Act 1665
   prohibited clergymen from coming within five miles of a parish from
   which they had been banished. The Conventicle and Five Mile Acts
   remained in effect for the remainder of Charles' reign. Other parts of
   the Clarendon Code included the Corporation Act 1661 and the Act of
   Uniformity 1662.

   Charles agreed to give up antiquated feudal dues which had been revived
   by his father; in return, he was granted an annual income of £1,200,000
   by Parliament. The grant, however, proved to be of little use for most
   of Charles' 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 amount actually in the coffers was much lower.
   To avoid further financial problems, Charles appointed George Downing
   (the builder of Downing Street) to reform the management of the
   Treasury and the collection of taxes.

Foreign policy

   In 1662 Charles married a Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza,
   who brought him the territories of Bombay and Tangier as dowry. During
   the same year, however, he sold Dunkirk—a much more valuable strategic
   outpost—to his first cousin King Louis XIV of France for £40,000.

   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.

   Whereas the Navigation Acts (1650), which hurt Dutch trade, started the
   First Dutch War (1652-1654), responsible for starting the Second Dutch
   War (1665-1667) was mainly the King's new advisor Lord Arlington, who
   hoped for much personal gain if the Dutch possessions in Africa and
   America could be conquered. This conflict began well for the English,
   with the capture of New Amsterdam (later renamed New York in honour of
   Charles' brother James, Duke of York, the future James II of
   England/James VII of Scotland), 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 the better part of the English
   fleet was docked. 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. (The ship's transom remains on display, now at
   the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.) The Second Dutch War ended with the
   signing of the Treaty of Breda in 1667.

   As a result of the Second Dutch War, Charles dismissed his advisor Lord
   Clarendon, whom he used as a scapegoat for the war. Clarendon fled to
   France when impeached by the House of Commons for high treason (which
   carried the penalty of death). Power passed to a group of five
   politicians known as the Cabal— Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford,
   Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, George Villiers, 2nd Duke of
   Buckingham, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley (afterwards Earl of
   Shaftesbury) and John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale.

   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 was forced to make peace with the Triple Alliance, but he
   continued to maintain his aggressive intentions. In 1670, Charles,
   seeking to solve his financial troubles, agreed to the Treaty of Dover,
   under which Louis XIV would pay him £200,000 each year. In exchange,
   Charles agreed to supply Louis with troops and to convert himself to
   Roman Catholicism "as soon as the welfare of his realm will permit."
   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. It remains
   unclear if Charles ever seriously intended to follow through on the
   conversion clause.

   Meanwhile, by a series of five acts around 1670, 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. Earlier in 1668
   he leased the islands of Bombay for a paltry sum of ten pounds sterling
   paid in gold.

Great Plague and Fire

   In 1665, Charles II was faced with a great health crisis: an outbreak
   of Bubonic Plague in London commonly referred to as the Great Plague.
   Believed to have been introduced by Dutch shipping vessels carrying
   cotton from Amsterdam, the plague was carried by rats and fleas and the
   death toll at one point reached up to 7000 per week. Charles, his
   family and court fled London in July 1665 to Oxford. Various attempts
   at containing the disease by London public health officials all fell in
   vain and the disease continued to spread rapidly.

   On 2 September 1666, adding to London's woes was what later became
   famously known as the Great Fire of London. Although effectively ending
   the spreading of the Great Plague due to the burning of all
   plague-carrying rats and fleas, the fire consumed about 13,200 houses
   and 87 churches, including St. Paul's Cathedral. Charles II is famously
   remembered for joining the fire-fighters in combating the fire.

   At the time, a comet was visible in the night sky. The supposition of
   the day claimed it was God's message, and that the above crises were as
   a result of God's anger. Blame was placed upon Charles and his Court,
   but later the people shifted their blame to the hated Roman Catholics.
   The situation was not helped by Charles's brother, James II's
   conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1667.

Conflict with Parliament

   Half-Crown of Charles II, 1683. The inscription reads CAROLUS II DEI
   GRATIA (Charles II by the Grace of God).
   Half-Crown of Charles II, 1683. The inscription reads CAROLUS II DEI
   GRATIA (Charles II by the Grace of God).

   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 laws punishing Roman Catholics and
   other religious dissenters. In the same year, he openly supported
   Catholic France and started the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

   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 II
   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, but also forced them to denounce
   certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as " superstitious and
   idolatrous." The Cavalier Parliament also refused to further fund the
   Anglo-Dutch War, which England was losing, forcing Charles to make
   peace in 1674.

   Charles' wife Queen Catherine was unable to produce an heir, her
   pregnancies instead ending in miscarriages and stillbirths. Charles'
   heir-presumptive was therefore his unpopular Roman Catholic brother,
   James, Duke of York. In 1678, Titus Oates, a former Anglican cleric,
   falsely warned of a " Popish Plot" to assassinate the king and replace
   him with the Duke of York. Charles did not believe the allegations, but
   ordered his chief minister Thomas Osborne, 1st Earl of Danby to
   investigate. Danby was highly sceptical about Oates' revelations, but
   reported the matter to Parliament. The people were seized with an
   anti-Catholic hysteria; judges and juries across the land condemned the
   supposed conspirators; numerous innocent individuals were executed.

   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 II had secretly negotiated with Louis XIV,
   trying to reach an agreement under which England would remain neutral
   in return for money. Lord Danby was hostile to France, but reservedly
   agreed to abide by Charles' 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 in the House of Lords, Charles
   dissolved the Cavalier Parliament in January 1679.

   A new Parliament, which met in March of the same year, was quite
   hostile to the king. Lord Danby was forced to resign the post of Lord
   High Treasurer, but received a pardon from the king. In defiance of the
   royal will, Parliament declared that a dissolution did not interrupt
   impeachment proceedings. When the House of Lords seemed ready to impose
   the punishment of exile—which the House of Commons thought too mild—the
   impeachment was abandoned, and a bill of attainder introduced. As he
   had had to do so many times during his reign, Charles II bowed to the
   wishes of his opponents, committing Lord Danby to the Tower of London.
   Lord Danby would be held without bail for another five years.

Later years

   Another political storm which faced Charles was that of succession to
   the Throne. The Parliament of 1679 was vehemently opposed to the
   prospect of a Catholic monarch. Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of
   Shaftesbury (previously Baron Ashley and a member of the Cabal, which
   had fallen apart in 1672) introduced the Exclusion Bill, which sought
   to exclude the Duke of York from the 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
   opposed the Exclusion Bill—would develop into the Tory Party, whilst
   the "Petitioners"—those who supported the Exclusion Bill—became the
   Whig Party.

   Fearing that the Exclusion Bill would be passed, Charles dissolved
   Parliament in December 1679. Two further Parliaments were called in
   Charles' reign (one in 1680, the other in 1681), but both were
   dissolved because they sought to pass the Exclusion Bill. During the
   1680s, however, popular support for the Exclusion Bill began to
   dissolve, and Charles experienced a nationwide surge of loyalty, for
   many of his subjects felt that Parliament had been too assertive. For
   the remainder of his reign, Charles ruled as an absolute monarch.

   Charles' 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. A great fire, however, destroyed much of Newmarket
   and caused the cancellation of the races; thus, the planned attack
   could not take place. Before news of the plot leaked, the chief
   conspirators fled. Protestant politicians such as Algernon Sydney and
   the Lord William Russell were implicated in the plot and executed for
   high treason, albeit on very flimsy evidence.

   Charles suffered an apopleptic fit and died suddenly on Wednesday, 6
   February 1685 (at the age of 54) at 11:45am at Whitehall Palace of
   uremia (a clinical syndrome due to kidney dysfunction). He is purported
   to have said to his brother, the Duke of York on his deathbed: 'Let not
   poor Nelly starve.' and to his courtiers: 'I am sorry, gentlemen, for
   being such a time a-dying.' He was buried in Westminster Abbey 'without
   any manner of pomp' and was succeeded by his brother who became James
   II of England and Ireland, and James VII of Scotland.

Posterity and legacy

   This statue of Charles II stands in the Figure Court of the Royal
   Hospital Chelsea.
   This statue of Charles II stands in the Figure Court of the Royal
   Hospital Chelsea.

   Charles II left no legitimate issue. He did, however, have several
   children by a number of mistresses (many of whom were wives of
   noblemen); many of his mistresses and illegitimate children received
   dukedoms or earldoms. He publicly acknowledged fourteen children by
   seven mistresses; six of those children were borne by a single woman,
   the notorious Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine, for whom the
   Dukedom of Cleveland was created. His other favourite mistresses were
   Nell Gwynne and Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille, Duchess of
   Portsmouth. Charles also acknowledged children by Lucy Walter,
   Elizabeth Killigrew, Viscountess Shannon and Catherine Pegge, Lady
   Greene. 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. Charles' relationships, as well as the
   politics of his time, are depicted in the historical drama Charles II:
   The Power and The Passion (produced in 2003 by the British Broadcasting
   Corporation).

   Diana, Princess of Wales was descended from two of Charles'
   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). Thus Diana's son Prince William of Wales,
   currently (2006) second in line to the British Throne, is likely to be
   the first monarch descended from Charles I since Queen Anne.

   Charles II'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 II, however, was eventually dethroned in
   1688 in the course of the Glorious Revolution. James was the last
   Catholic monarch to rule England.

   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. Charles was the personal patron of
   Sir Christopher Wren, the architect who helped rebuild London after the
   Great Fire in 1666. Wren also constructed the Royal Hospital Chelsea,
   which Charles founded as a home for retired soldiers in 1681. 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.

   The anniversary of Charles' Restoration (which is also his birthday) —
   29 May — is recognised in the United Kingdom as " Oak Apple Day", after
   the Royal Oak in which Charles is said to have hid to escape from the
   forces of Oliver Cromwell. Traditional celebrations involved the
   wearing of oak leaves, but these have now died out. The anniversary of
   the Restoration is also an official Collar Day.
   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.
   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.

Style and arms

   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." (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.) His arms 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).

Ancestors

   CAPTION: Charles II's ancestors in three generations

   Charles II of England Father:
   Charles I of England Paternal Grandfather:
   James I of England Paternal Great-grandfather:
   Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
   Paternal Great-grandmother:
   Mary I of Scotland
   Paternal Grandmother:
   Anne of Denmark Paternal Great-grandfather:
   Frederick II of Denmark
   Paternal Great-grandmother:
   Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
   Mother:
   Henrietta Maria of France Maternal Grandfather:
   Henry IV of France Maternal Great-grandfather:
   Antoine of Navarre
   Maternal Great-grandmother:
   Jeanne III of Navarre
   Maternal Grandmother:
   Marie de' Medici Maternal Great-grandfather:
   Francesco I de' Medici
   Maternal Great-grandmother:
   Johanna of Austria

The children of Charles II

   Charles left no legitimate heirs but fathered an unknown number of
   illegitimate children. He acknowledged fourteen children to be his own,
   including Barbara Fitzroy, who almost certainly was not his child.
    1. By Marguerite or Margaret de Carteret
         1. Some accounts say that she bore Charles a son named James de
            la Cloche in 1646. James de Carteret/de la Cloche is believed
            to have died sometime around the year 1667.
    2. By Lucy Walter (1630 - 1658)
         1. James Crofts "Scott" (1649 - 1685), created Duke of Monmouth
            (1663) in England and Duke of Buccleuch (1663) in Scotland.
            Ancestor of Sarah, Duchess of York.
         2. Mary Crofts (born c. 1651 - ?), not acknowledged. She married
            a William Sarsfield and later a William Fanshaw and became a
            faith healer operating in Covent Garden.
    3. By Elizabeth Killigrew (1622 - 1680)
         1. Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria Boyle (FitzCharles) (1650 -
            1684), Countess of Yarmouth
    4. By Catherine Pegge, Lady Green
         1. Charles Fitzcharles (1657 - 1680), known as "Don Carlos",
            created Earl of Plymouth (1675)
         2. Catherine Fitzcharles (born 1658, died young)
    5. By Barbara Palmer (1640 - 1709) (née Villiers), Countess of
       Castlemaine and Duchess of Cleveland
         1. Anne Palmer (Fitzroy) (1661 - 1722)
         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 (1709), also 7th Great-Grandfather of Lady
            Diana Spencer, mother of Prince William of Wales
         4. Charlotte Fitzroy (1664 - 1718), Countess of Lichfield. She
            married Benedict Leonard Calvert, 4th Baron Baltimore.
         5. George Fitzroy (1665 - 1716), created Earl of Northumberland
            (1674), Duke of Northumberland (1683)
         6. Barbara (Benedicta) Fitzroy (1672 - 1737) - She was
            acknowledged as Charles' daughter, but was probably the child
            of John Churchill, later Duke of Marlborough
    6. By Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn (1650 - 1687)
         1. Charles Beauclerk (1670 - 1726), created Duke of St Albans
         2. James Beauclerk (1671 - 1681)
    7. By Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kéroualle (1648 - 1734), Duchess of
       Portsmouth (1673)
         1. Charles Lennox (1672 -1723), created Duke of Richmond (1675)
            in England and Duke of Lennox (1675) in Scotland. Ancestor of
            Lady Diana Spencer, The Duchess of Cornwall, and Sarah,
            Duchess of York.
    8. By Mary 'Moll' Davis, courtesan and actress of repute
         1. Mary Tudor (1673 - 1726), married to Edward Radclyffe (1655 -
            1705), the Second Earl of Derwentwater from 1687 - 1705. Upon
            Edward's death, she married Henry Graham (son and heir to Col.
            James Graham), and upon his death she wed James Rooke in 1707.
            Mary bore four children to Edward, which continued the house
            of Derwentwater.
    9. By Unknown mistress
         1. Elizabeth Fitzcharles (1670-1731), married Sir Edward Morgan
            (1670-1734), the son of Sir James Morgan, 4th Earl Baronet of
            Llantarnam and his wife Lady Ann Hopton. She bore her husband
            ten children. Some sources give her surname as Jarman,
            however, that remains inconclusive .
   10. Other mistresses
         1. Cristabella Wyndham
         2. Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin
         3. Winifred Wells - one of the Queen's Maids of Honour
         4. Mrs Jane Roberts - the daughter of a clergyman
         5. Mary Sackville (formerly Berkeley, née Bagot) - the widowed
            Countess of Falmouth
         6. Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Countess of Kildare
         7. Frances Teresa Stewart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox

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