King Charles II
In England, the King and Queen hold the respect and admiration of many people. In earlier days, King Charles II, not only had the respect from the people of England, but of people from Scotland and Ireland. He was the king of all three countries. Charles II had many life changing events that prepared him for what he would face as king.
Charles II was born in London, England, on May 29, 1630. He was the oldest son of Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria. As a teen, Charles did not receive a very good education . When he was only 18, Charles was living at The Hague, the Netherlands. While there, the Royalist forces surrendered and Charles' father was executed. In England, the monarchy was destroyed, but in February of 1649, a month after the execution of Charles I, the Scots proclaimed Charles II their king. He was crowned at Scone on January 1, 1651.
When Charles became King, he owed a big thank you to a lot of people. Eight of those people asked him for a grant of land between Virginia and Spanish Florida in America. This was suppose to be Carolina, which is the feminine form of the name Charles. In 1663, Charles gave them their request. In 1670, the first settlers built Charles Town which is present day Charleston, and worked hard and stayed busy doing many things such as cutting lumber, raising cattle, and trading with the Indians for deerskins. But Charleston soon lost its features. In 1685, the King of France, started persecuting Huguenots, so they were forced to leave France. Most of the people found a new home in Carolina. There they started to farm, and soon turned Charleston into one of the most attractive cities in the colonies. Then, some farmers from Virginia moved South close to present day, North Carolina. But their settlements had little contact because they were so far apart. So the crown took complete control over the two Carolina colonies, North and South. The early years of Charles' reign did not go very well. In 1665, a horrible plague hit the country with 70,000 people dying in London. Then the Great Fire of London occured in 1666 which destroyed many buildings.
In 1662, Charles married a Portuguese princess. Her name was Catherine of Braganza, with the approval of France. They had no children together, but Charles had at least fourteen children from various mistresses.
Religious toleration was something Charles favored, and he remained a member of the Church of England until his death on February 5, 1685, at the age of 54. On his deathbed, Charles was received into the Roman Catholic Church by Father Hudlestone. He was the same priest that helped him escape from England when he was young after the battle of Worcester. Something he apologized for to the courtiers, was for taking "a unconscionable time" dying. James II, his brother, succeeded him as king.
Charles was a strong-minded, ruthless king, but at the same time was considerate, easy to talk to, and really funny. Although Charles liked the pleasures of Restoration society, he was a wise and powerful monarch. He saw namy tragedies during his reign , buta also helped o push Britain's fortunes in the New World. He reigned from 1660 to 1685.
Works Cited
King Charles II - The Merry Monarch http://www.royal.gov.uk/history/stuart.htm. Thursday, November 8, 2001
Charles II . Encyclopedia Americana. Volume 6. 1996. Grolier Incorporated
Charles II. Merit Students Encyclopedia. Volume 14. 1980. P.F. Collier, Inc.
More Colonies, New People. History of the United States. Volume 1. 1992. Houghton Mifflin Company
The British Monarchy. http://www.brittania.com/history/monarchs/mon49.html Thursday, November 8, 2001
Photos To Go http://www.photostogo.com
Created By: Troy F. and Alyssa W.
Last Updated: 3/6/02
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