"The Merry King" Charles II. Charles II - the ugliest Spanish king and the last of the Habsburgs
Execution of the dead
Charles II, heir to the English throne, spent his youth in exile. And this is not surprising: his father, Charles I, was put on trial and executed in 1649. The triumphant return of the eldest son of the deposed monarch to England took place only after more than ten years. He ascended the throne only in 1660, already thirty years old.
Anthony Van Dyck. Charles I from three sides
First of all, the newly-minted king granted an amnesty to everyone who was part of the Cromwell government, with the exception of those who at the trial spoke in favor of the murder of Charles I. Charles II sent the politicians who wanted reprisals against the king to the scaffold. Even those who had previously died due to natural causes were not saved: their remains were exhumed, their bodies were hanged, and then quartered. The same fate awaited the body of Oliver Cromwell.
Tories and Whigs
The Tories and Whigs appeared precisely under Charles II
Two famous English parties, which still exist today, took shape during the reign of Charles II. The first - the Tories - advocated absolute monarchy, the Whigs insisted that relations between the king and the people should be built on the basis of certain agreements that the monarch has no right to violate.
One more important event What happened under Charles II was the adoption of the Habeas Corpus Act in 1679. The full law was called “An Act for the Better Assurance of the Liberty of the Subject, and for the Prevention of Imprisonment Overseas,” and determined the rules of arrest.
Charles II
Charles II almost incurred the wrath of the parliamentary Anglicans - he did not hide his sympathy for Catholics. The king even entered into a secret treaty with France, according to which he promised to return the country to Catholicism and disperse parliament in exchange for a round sum paid annually. At the same time, Charles himself formally remained an Anglican all his life and only a few days before his death converted to Catholicism.
Royal hobbies
However, politics did not interest Charles II as much as the opportunity to take advantage of his position and have fun with his mistresses, of whom there were so many that even the most devoted servants of the monarch could hardly list them without getting lost. Charles had fourteen illegitimate children - and these are only those whom the king recognized. Charles had no children from his official wife, Catherine of Braganza, so after his death he became king younger brother Carla Jacob, Duke of York.
James II
Another hobby of Charles II was alchemy. He was so passionate about learning the secret of turning mercury into gold that he ordered a laboratory to be set up right in the palace. The experiments led to the fact that after death, scientists found that the concentration of mercury in the king’s hair was tens of times higher than the norm. Perhaps this far from harmless hobby brought the day of his death closer: Charles II died at the age of 54.
Charles II (1630-1685), English king (from 1660) from the Stuart dynasty.
During the English Revolution he was forced to leave the country and go to the continent. After the execution of his father (1649), the Scottish Parliament proclaimed Charles king. But in the war with O. Cromwell, the Scots were defeated. Charles, having lost his throne, was forced to settle in exile in Holland.
In 1660, after the death of Cromwell, war broke out in England between his generals. General Monck, having taken London, entered into negotiations with Charles about the restoration of the monarchy. At the invitation of the “convention” convened by Monk, Charles returned to England and assumed the throne.
At first, the king guaranteed the inviolability of the results of the revolution. But when he became convinced that in the newly elected parliament the majority of deputies belonged to the “party of the court,” he refused the promised amnesty to those involved in the regicide in 1649, began to return the lands seized during the revolution, restored the state status of the Anglican Church and its episcopal device.
Charles continued his policy of toleration towards Catholics. His brother and heir, James, Duke of York, was a Catholic. In 1672, Catholics were given the same rights as Puritans.
In 1679, Parliament, the majority of which was the opposition (Whig Party), passed a law according to which no one could be imprisoned except by a court decision.
In 1681-1685. Charles dealt harshly with the Whigs. In his policy, he enjoyed the full support of the King of France, Louis XIV, who promised him armed intervention in the event of a repetition of the unrest. In turn, Charles broke the alliance concluded in 1668 with the enemy of France - Holland and in 1672-1674. waged war with her.
Life story
Charles was born on May 29, 1630. With his charming face he resembled his mother, and in character he resembled his grandfather, King Henry IV. Amorous in childhood, insatiably voluptuous in youth and adulthood, depraved in old age - Charles II gradually turned from an epicurean into a cynic, setting an example of extreme unbridled morals to the entire court.
When Charles I's discord with the people began, the young Prince of Wales was sent to The Hague and given into the care of William of Orange. News of the progress of the struggle between the king of England and his subjects became more alarming day by day; the unfortunate Queen Henrietta went to France to beg for help from the husband of the almighty Richelieu, and then from Cardinal Mazarin. Almost all European sovereigns sympathized with the English king, but not one of them provided him with significant assistance.
While the father was languishing in captivity among his subjects, his eighteen-year-old son spent his time in love affairs, winning victories over beauties of easy virtue.
In 1648, the Prince of Wales met Colonel Robert Sidney's mistress, the charming Lucy Walters, in The Hague, and fell madly in love with her. Moreover, he did not achieve reciprocity immediately. Colonel Sidney reacted to the piquant situation philosophically: having learned about the king’s feelings for his kept woman, he generously decided that Lucy was free to do as she pleased.
The Prince of Wales immediately took Lucy to his place, and she was quick to announce her pregnancy. In 1649, the favorite gave birth to Karl's son Jacob. According to the testimony of the king's inner circle, the real father of the newborn was not the prince, but Robert Sidney, to whom the child was strikingly similar, even marked with a mole on his cheek, just like Lucy's benefactor... But love blinds. The courtesan did not have much difficulty convincing the Prince of Wales that he was the father of her child, and Charles without hesitation recognized him as his own.
He spent whole days in the company of his mistress, obeyed her unquestioningly, and forestalled her slightest desires; he spent the last of the modest subsidies given to him by William of Orange on her whims. The news of the execution of Charles I interrupted this idyll for a while and forced the prince - now inheriting the royal title after his father - to take up matters befitting his rank.
In the spring of 1649, having bid farewell to Lucy Walters, Charles II went to Ireland, where the Marquis of Ormonde was fighting for the royal crown. From here, with a small detachment of soldiers, Charles crossed to Scotland. As if wanting to make amends for the recent betrayal and betrayal of Charles I, the Scots greeted his son with delight, welcoming him as the rightful king.
Returning from Scotland, Charles II granted his son by Lucy Walter the title of Earl of Orkney, Duke of Monmouth and Knight of the Order of the Garter. Dearest Lucy was long forgotten by Charles II - during his trip to Scotland, she behaved inappropriately freely in The Hague and finally earned herself a reputation as a corrupt woman.
It should be said about the king that he was indomitable in his sexual desires. He didn’t care how to woo women; he dealt with husbands quickly and simply. Ugly as mortal sin, the king could, having captured a woman, immediately reject her. He changed women like gloves. But at the same time, Charles II took care of his health, on summer evenings he went to the river in Putney to swim, and in the mornings, when everyone else was resting in bed, exhausted from the night's excesses, the sun rose and played tennis for two hours on the palace court. He was involved in many things, was an intelligent and subtle politician and economist. The king could successfully carry on a conversation about astronomy, architecture, gardening, antiques and beekeeping.
But at the same time, with the accession of Charles II, talk about abstinence and the dangers of illegal connections ceased. The venerable Kapfig, a good-natured panegerist of the blessed old time and all favorites in general, describes the court of Charles II in this way: “It was difficult to find a court more graceful, frivolous, richer in intrigue and beauties. Among the noblest beauties, especially notable were: Countess Castleman, later Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Chesterfield, Countess of Shrewsbury, Countess of Middleton, the maiden Hamilton, who married Count Gramont, and Miss Francis Stuart, the king's mistress. All these brilliant ladies could easily compete with the leading beauties of the Versailles court, which they took as a model. The court was busy with the upcoming marriage of the king with the Infanta of Portugal. Catherine), whose hand the king officially asked from the Lisbon court."
The Infanta did not stand out for her beauty or intelligence: in this choice of Charles II main role politics played; in addition, she was given an excellent dowry in full doubloons, and the king was constantly in need of money. He was distinguished by his extravagance, but he was tired of begging for subsidies from parliament, which every time entered into an argument when it came to issuing money.
Charles II's mistress Miss Francis Stuart deserves special attention. Cavalier Gramon, for the edification of posterity, who left precious information about the court of Charles II, wrote: “Her character was childishly funny; a penchant for fun, befitting only of a twenty-year-old girl. Her favorite game was blind man’s buff. She loved to build houses of cards, while the time when she was in her house big game, and helpful courtiers supplied her building materials and showed her the buildings of the new architecture. She also loved music and singing. The Duke of Buckingham got the hang of building houses of cards, sang beautifully, and composed songs and children's stories, which Miss Stewart was crazy about; but he was especially good at noticing funny features in the manners and conversation of others and skillfully mimicking them. In a word, Buckingham was such an unrivaled actor and pleasant conversationalist that not a single meeting could take place without him. Miss Stewart was inseparable from him in her amusements, and if he did not come to her with the king, she immediately sent for him." The king, his brother Jacob and cousin Charles Stuart Duke of Richmond. The minx cohabited with all three so that no one would be offended. In addition to three admirers from the royal family, her lovers were: Buckingham, a card architect, Mondeville, Carlington and Digby, who committed suicide out of love for her. Karl's relationship with Miss Stewart did not prevent him from cohabiting with Lady Castleman and actresses Nellie Gwyn and Molly Davis...
Francis lived at White Hall Palace, where Charles II visited her quite often. Ruining the treasury to build St. James, the king said that it was hard for him to live in the palace where his father was executed. However, these noble feelings of respect did not prevent Charles II from visiting White Hall almost every day, where such orgies were held that even Messalina could blush. One night, Francis, Lady Barbara Castleman, Nellie Gwyn, Molly Davis and a whole harem of girls imitated the wedding in the presence of the king. Lady Castleman acted as the groom, Francis Stewart as the bride, and the others as priests and witnesses. The ceremony was accompanied by all church and public ceremonies; The newlyweds were put to bed, where they indulged in amorous pastimes. The king himself sang freestyle songs, accompanying himself on the guitar, naked favorites danced in front of him, swaying their hips; the wine flowed like a river, and the holiday ended in a complete bacchanalia...
The Duke of Richmond, blinded by passion for Francis, finally decided to secretly marry her. Then jealousy awoke in the heart of Charles II. He disbanded his harem; spent days and nights with Franziska. It was even rumored that he wanted to divorce the queen and marry his beloved. Francis immediately realized that it was much more profitable for her to marry Richmond than to live with the king. She feigned illness and stopped seeing Charles II, preparing to elope with Richmond. The distressed Charles II complained about her to his other favorite, Lady Castleman. She advised him to visit the patient and meet with Babiani’s attending physician. Karl, following her advice, literally burst into the favorite’s bedroom and saw... Francis in Richmond’s arms. The king began to curse like a drunken sailor. The lovers froze in horror.
Richmond was sent from the bedroom to the Tower, where he spent three weeks (from March 31 to April 21, 1655). Immediately after liberation, Richmond and Francis Stuart fled to Kent and were secretly married there. Miss Stewart returned to the king all the diamonds he had given him.
Charles II did not sulk at the traitor for long, then he took steps towards reconciliation, and the Duchess of Richmond, his young wife, again found herself in the arms of her lover, assuring the king of unfailing fidelity and, on occasion, fleecing him. Francisca's husband died in 1670, and she died in 1700 or 1701, leaving behind a huge fortune.
Before Charles II in English theaters female roles the plays were performed by young men and sometimes by adult men; prim Presbyterian women considered it a mortal sin to appear on the stage. In the first year of his reign, Charles II expressed a desire to include women in theater troupes. Among the first to appear on stage were the charming Nellie Gwyn and Molly Davis, who almost immediately found themselves in the royal harem. Beauty and talent replaced their noble diplomas. Noble ladies looked with contempt at comedians who dared to compete with them in the fight for the king's attention. It took the intervention of Charles II to make his noble mistresses reconcile with the plebeians. They sat at the same table. Nelly, dexterous, graceful, danced and sang beautifully. Her influence on the king was so great that if she had asked Charles II to execute someone, the king would, without a doubt, fulfill her whim. Fortunately, Nellie was not bloodthirsty, and together with Molly Davis she lured jewelry and gifts from the king...
Nellie Gwin, according to chroniclers, was born in the attic; As a child, she sold fish, then sang on the street and in taverns. Finally, the actors Garth and Lacey noticed her, and with their help she ended up in the royal theater. Here Lord Dorset noticed her and took her into his custody. Charles II, having given him a position at the embassy in France, lured the beauty to him for an annual fee of 500 pounds sterling. Four years later, this salary increased to 60,000. It is noteworthy that the king sympathized with Nellie until his death in 1685 and, thanks to her concerns, patronized the theater. The theater artists, by order of Charles II, were called courtiers and were listed as public service. When parliament considered the issue of taxing actors, this proposal was rejected on the pretext that the actors served for the amusement of the king.
"Actors or actresses?" - one of the members of the lower house joked carelessly. Why careless? Yes, because for this impudent joke the member of parliament had his nose cut off, which replaced him with a convict brand.
Actress Molly Davis was in the pay of the Duke of Buckingham, who recommended her to Charles II. She was famous for singing frivolous songs, accompanying them with completely indecent body movements. But this is exactly what the English padishah liked. Molly Davis had a daughter from Charles II, named Mary Tudor and subsequently married to the earl.
Two titled ladies competed with the actresses: the famous Miss Francis Stuart and Countess Barbara Castleman, with whom the king became close during his campaign in Holland. The countess was at least not inferior to her rivals in beauty and debauchery.
Barbara devoted herself to serving Venus from the age of fifteen. Her seducer was Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, a married and monstrously ugly man; but this beauty always had a special penchant for freaks. Barbara, without any embarrassment, asserted that ugly people indulge in love with greater passion than beautiful ones. They idolize a woman, value her, are jealous... while handsome men, even loved by beauties, are rarely constant. In a word, Barbara had her own philosophy.
To hide the consequences of her affair with the Earl of Chesterfield, she married Rogers, Earl of Castleman, a disgusting dwarf, but fabulously rich; Only in religious beliefs could these dear spouses agree, since both were Catholics. Soon after the wedding, the couple went to Holland to visit Charles II, who was in exile. The husband opened his wallet to him, the wife - a passionate embrace.
On his arrival in London, Charles II rewarded the good cuckold by giving him, at his request, the position of keeper of the king's bench prison; then made him a baron, and finally an earl of Castleman. Two months later his son was born. The countess, in the hope that Charles II would recognize him as one of his own, wanted to baptize him according to the Protestant rite, the count - according to the Catholic one. Despite Barbara's protests, the baby was anointed with myrrh and baptized, giving him a Catholic name. The offended mother complained to the king, and he ordered his son to be baptized a second time as a Protestant, and he himself was his successor, and the Countess of Suffolk was his godmother.
Perhaps King Solomon himself could not have resolved this dispute better. The newborn had two fathers: a Catholic and a Protestant - and he had to be baptized twice. True, it was not entirely Christian when one’s own father was also godfather, but in the eyes of Charles II it was a trifle unworthy of attention. Soon the couple quarreled and separated. The husband went to France, the wife moved to her brother in Richmond.
Three years later, Earl Castleman returned to his homeland and was greeted by his wife, who presented him, in addition to his eldest son, with one more - Henry, Earl of Grifton, and two months later she gave him a third - George... This was too much, and the count demanded a formal divorce, to which Charles II expressed his gracious consent, but on the condition that the count immediately go abroad and under no circumstances return to England. Castleman obeyed; however, six months later he came to London to publish, with the English Jesuits, the “Apology of English Catholics,” written in a rather outrageous spirit.
The author was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower. Charles II was outraged not so much by the book as by the count’s unauthorized return. Castleman's arrest served as a signal to the king's ill-wishers: many lampoons and caricatures appeared on the shelves, about which the royal favorite deigned to pout. Fearing her wrath, Charles II ordered the prisoner to be released, and the count retired to Holland.
At this time, Barbara Castleman changed lovers daily, almost hourly; like Messalina, having changed clothes, she went around the brothels, choosing beautiful sailors, artisans, lackeys as her lovers, buying their caresses for gold, generously lavished on her by the king. Blinded by love, he obeyed her unquestioningly. She demanded money - and golden rain fell on her; wished to be a duchess - the ducal crown was granted to her; asked the king to recognize as his children the children she had born from someone unknown - Charles II legitimized them by giving them ducal titles. This lovely lady died at an advanced age during the reign of William III. Before Louise de Keroual (later Duchess of Portsmouth) appeared at the court of Charles II, Barbara Castleman had enormous influence on him.
The servants and servants of the royal mistresses were Saint-Evremond, Gramont and the Duke of Buckingham. For Nellie Gwyn and Molly Davis, Buckingham composed songs and danced with them at royal orgies; lovely Miss Stewart built houses of cards, told funny stories and kissed the feet; Barbara Castleman kissed her hands and looked after her dogs...
Until 1668, the king was content with homegrown beauties. He recklessly spent his treasury on them, and his health in orgies with them. At the end of 1668, a great revolution took place in his harem, which had a huge impact both on himself and on state affairs. And it was like this...
Parliament tried with all its might to persuade the king to enter into an alliance with Holland, England’s recent enemy and rival. This proposed alliance was dangerous to France, and Louis XIV decided to disrupt it at any cost. His envoy in England, the Marquis of Tallard, notified that Charles II was leaning towards parliament, and advised him to accept emergency measures, Louis XIV turned to the mediation of Charles II's sister, who lived in France, Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orleans. He counted, firstly, on the tender friendship of brother to sister, secondly, on her diplomatic abilities, thirdly, on her ladies-in-waiting, beautiful, flirtatious and crafty. Among them stood out Mademoiselle Louise de Keroual, a Brittany noblewoman, her family descended almost from the Druids. Judging by the portraits that have come down to us, Louise was a fiery brunette, with cheerful black eyes, a childishly plump face and luxurious, curly hair. She entered Henrietta's court at a very young age, and this school of debauchery served her well. The Kerual girl studied the theory (partly and practice) of coquetry to perfection; She had no end to her admirers, but she was so smart and knew her worth that all the efforts of the court ladies' men to win the beauty's heart were in vain. She was waiting for a profitable buyer, and soon such a buyer was found. To veil the real reason Henrietta's trip to England, Louis XIV invited her to accompany him to the newly conquered Flemish regions. Arriving in Ostend, the Duchess of Orleans with her best ladies-in-waiting boarded a ship and arrived in London, where Charles II, notified in advance by letter, was already waiting for her. From the very first meeting, his amorous eyes focused on Louise Kerual. He was captivated and enchanted. The Frenchwoman's graceful manners, her smart, lively speech, coquettish modesty and appropriate swagger - all these qualities that neither Miss Stewart, nor Nellie, etc. had, could not help but catch the eye of Charles II. A helpful sister offered him the maiden Kerual as a reward for an alliance with France, and the king was unable to resist the temptation. The Cavaliers Gramont and Saint-Evremond successfully assumed the roles of pimps, and the Anglo-French alliance was completed. “The silk belt of the maiden Keroual connected France with England!” - wrote Saint-Evremond. For the courtesan, women's belts and garters served as ties that connected the powers with each other!.. Leaving the maiden Querual in England, Henrietta returned to France and a few months later, poisoned on June 30, 1670, she died.
On the instructions of the Duchess of Portsmouth (Louise Querual), the king declared freedom of religion. He allowed Presbyterians, Puritans and Catholics to build churches and preach sermons everywhere. The Duke of York, the king's brother, who had attended English churches for five years, declared himself a follower of the Roman Catholic Church. Neither parliament nor the people could react favorably to this royal decree. English priests spread rumors that Charles II, obeying his Catholic mistress, intended to betray the faith of his parents.
The subsidies paid by Louis XIV to Charles II finally brought down the king in the eyes of the people. The ministers urged him to act with the people like Cromwell, in other words, to take them into iron claws; The Duchess of Portsmouth was of the same opinion; could a king in love refuse her anything? Could he contradict her, especially at a time when she announced her interesting position. The son born to her, upon his birth, received the ducal titles of Richmond, Lennox, and was granted the royal coat of arms.
The king's affection for the Duchess of Portsmouth increased day by day. Blinded by love, he left his former favorites... He had long forgotten to even think about his wife. She, poor thing, attributed her husband’s indifference to her not to his love of voluptuousness, but solely to the fact that she did not bear him heirs. In the most difficult moments of loneliness, the queen was consoled by the thought that Charles II would become mentally attached to her if she pleased him with the birth of a son; but could she be a mother, being a wife only in name? She prayed constantly, went on pilgrimage to Tiburn in the hope that God would show a miracle, and Charles II would burn with love for her. But these hopes were not destined to come true. The rivals of the Duchess of Portsmouth were jealous of the king and would not spare money to overthrow the powerful favorite. Francis Stuart and Barbara Castleman, themselves unfaithful to Charles II, loudly reproached him for treason and inconstancy; but Nellie Guin was more just and logical in her indignation. She dared to enter into an open fight with the foreign beauty, and at first she was a dangerous rival to Louise de Kerual in her ingratiation and courtship of the king.
The rapprochement with Holland quickly affected the social and court life of England. The king, and after him the nobles, stopped imitating the French in dress and lifestyle; patriarchal simplicity has replaced recent luxury; velvet, lace, brocade, diamonds disappeared, and they were replaced by cloth, linen, woolen fabrics, steel, and ivory. Balls and performances, recognized as demonic entertainment, were replaced by sermons, readings of Paradise Lost, and the Bible.
Charles II turned from a sybarite almost into a stoic or, even more surprising, a trapist. Almost all the royal mistresses had married by this time, with the exception of the Duchess of Portsmouth. She, imitating La Vallière, the favorite of King Louis XIV, told Charles II about her repentance, about her desire to enter a monastery... As for the favorites who got married, it is noteworthy that they chose their pimps as their wives; So, Lord Lyttleton married Miss Temple, Chevalier Gramon married Miss Hamilton...
When Parliament passed a bill to expel Catholics from England, Charles II was indignant. According to this bill, the Queen and Duchess of Portsmouth were supposed to leave the country? Of course, it was not the fate of the queen that worried Charles II. A subtle politician, without mentioning her, the king stood up for his wife: “I am not Henry VIII,” he told the House of Commons, “I will not divorce my kind and honest wife for her infertility...” “And I will not let my mistress go!” - his tender heart told him.
Having dissolved parliament, the king again entered into friendly relations with France, corresponded with Louis XIV, and the duchess with the latter’s mistress, the Duchess of Montespan.
Decrepit from debauchery and drunkenness, in the last two years of his life Charles II looked like a living, tinted and toasted mummy: he moved his legs with difficulty, walked hunched over and generally provided a living, or rather, half-dead example of what debauchery can bring a person to.
On February 6, 1685, a stroke of paralysis ended the life of Charles II in the fifty-fifth year of his birth and the twenty-fifth of his reign. The Duchess of Portsmouth played her role to the end: during the life of Charles II, she forced him to change the oath given to the people, and on his deathbed she convinced him to change his religion. At her insistence, the king, dying, confessed to a Catholic, almost Jesuit priest, and the Duchess of Portsmouth said with tears after his death: “For all the mercies of my late benefactor, I saved his soul, converting him from heresy and returning to the bosom of the one-saving church!"
CHARLES II Stuart CHARLES II Stuart
CHARLES II Stuart (29 May 1630, London - 6 February 1685, ibid.), king of England and Scotland from 1660. Eldest son of Charles I Stuart (cm. CHARLES I Stuart) and Henrietta Maria of France, daughter of Henry IV of Bourbon (cm. HENRY IV Bourbon). The proclamation of Charles II as king meant the restoration of the monarchy in England.
At the beginning of the English Revolution (cm. ENGLISH REVOLUTION) Prince Charles of Wales was taken to Holland into the care of William II of Orange. After his father's execution in 1649, Charles was proclaimed the leader of the English royalists and Irish rebels who fought against the government of Oliver Cromwell (cm. CROMWELL Oliver). In the autumn of 1649, the Prince of Wales signed an agreement with the Scottish Presbyterians recognizing the Covenant (cm. COVENANT), was proclaimed King of Scotland. In response, Cromwell's troops invaded Scotland and defeated the Scottish army at the Battle of Denbar on September 3, 1650.
The Presbyterian government of Scotland fell, and Charles II united around himself Scots of different political and religious beliefs on January 1, 1651, he was crowned at Scone. Having collected new army, he moved towards England. But the inhabitants of the northern English counties did not join him, and on September 3, 1651, the army of Charles II was completely defeated in the battle of Worcester. Charles II himself narrowly escaped capture and was forced to hide for a month and a half before he managed to leave Britain and reach the continent.
Until Cromwell's death, the Royalists' efforts were in vain. But his son and successor, Richard Cromwell, could not control the army, in which many were inclined to restore the monarchy. At the beginning of 1660, General Monck and his army occupied London, and the Long Parliament he restored (cm. LONG PARLIAMENT) declared illegal all the decisions adopted after 1648, including the bill on the abolition of the monarchy. And in May 1660, the new parliament decided to transfer power to Charles II. 29 May 1660 new king entered London.
Restoration
Charles II returned to England, providing his subjects with guarantees of the impossibility of returning to royal tyranny. In the Declaration of Breda, which he signed even before ascending the throne, he promised an amnesty to all participants in the revolution, guaranteed the new owners of those confiscated during civil war land ownership rights, as well as religious tolerance. After the return of the king, Parliament confirmed the provisions of the declaration by issuing a statute of amnesty, from which 30 people were excluded (republicans who had once sentenced Charles I to death).
Through a compromise, the issue of the redistribution of property that occurred in 1642-1660 was resolved: all lands confiscated in favor of the government were returned to their former owners, but those that were sold privately remained with the new owners. In this way, Charles II managed to partially return property to his supporters without simultaneously alienating those who had enriched themselves during the revolution.
Charles II defended the interests of the Church of England (cm. ANGLICAN CHURCH). Its ranks were purged of former Puritans (cm. PURITANS). In turn, the Anglican Church became a faithful support for the Stuarts. The day of the king's return to England, May 29, was honored as a holiday, along with January 30, the feast day of Charles I, which was celebrated with an annual fast. Charles II had no inclination to engage in public affairs, usually entrusting them to his ministers. In the early years of his reign (1660-1667), the prime minister was the Earl of Clarendon, Charles's comrade-in-arms since his exile. Then his government was replaced by the Cabal government, named after the first letters of the ministers' surnames. The king himself only intervened in matters foreign policy, as well as in matters of religion, considering them their prerogative. But it was precisely these actions that gradually deprived him of the popularity that he enjoyed in the first years of his reign.
Anglo-Dutch Wars
Ever since the time of Cromwell, England entered into a protracted conflict with Holland, caused by the rivalry of two sea powers fighting each other for colonies and trade privileges. Having come to power, Charles II first continued the confrontation, which resulted in the Second Anglo-Dutch War of 1665-1667. But military operations were not very successful for the British, and the country was suffering from an epidemic bubonic plague and the consequences of the London fire of 1666. Under pressure from public opinion, the king was forced to make peace with Holland and later, in 1668, enter into an alliance with it.
However, already in 1670, Charles II, who needed money to pay for the entertainment of his court, entered into a secret agreement with the French king Louis XIV (cm. LOUIS XIV Bourbon): in exchange for providing subsidies, the English king became an ally of France and pledged to oppose Holland. The Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-1674) was extremely unpopular in English society; although the Dutch were rivals of the English merchants, they remained brothers in faith, unlike Catholic France. In addition, the British were rightly wary of excessively strengthening the power of France and depriving England of an independent role in political affairs.
Charles II and Catholicism
The religious policy of Charles II also caused concern among the British. The king himself remained an adherent of the Anglican Church, but in 1662 his wife became a Catholic - the Portuguese princess Catherine (1638-1705). Among the king's ministers and courtiers there were also many Catholics, and in 1668 the Duke of York, the younger brother and heir of the childless Charles II, converted to Catholicism. Many Englishmen, not without reason, suspected Charles II himself of Catholic sympathies. Therefore, all his attempts to repeal or suspend repressive anti-Catholic legislation were received with hostility.
In 1672, the king issued the Declaration of Toleration, which granted freedom of worship to Catholics and sectarians. It caused a protest from the majority of parliament and Charles II was forced to cancel the declaration. In addition, in 1673 Parliament passed a statute according to which any official or an officer of the royal army had to take an oath of allegiance to the Church of England. Many Catholics were forced to leave their posts, including one of the king's ministers, as well as the Duke of York, who headed the admiralty.
Having defeated the king, parliament intervened in foreign policy affairs. New war with Holland did not bring victory to England and caused a financial crisis in the country. In 1674, Charles II was forced to conclude a peace treaty with Holland and married his eldest niece Maria to the ruler of Holland, William of Orange. (cm. WILLIAM III of Orange)(1677). But the authority of the king's government remained extremely low. The Cabal government collapsed, some of its members (Duke of Buckingham (cm. BUCKINGHAM George (son))) joined the ranks of the opposition.
The new government, headed by the Earl of Danby, tried to correct the situation and raise the prestige of the monarchy. The new minister managed to improve the country's finances; he also tried to create in the eyes of his subjects the image of a king - a defender of the Protestant faith. To do this, he again began to apply punitive laws against Catholics. However, it was impossible to dispel prejudices. The minister tried to break the unpopular alliance with France in the country, but he failed, and in 1678 he resigned.
The so-called discovery of the Catholic conspiracy in 1678 also contributed to the further decline in the authority of the monarch and the court. Appearing before the Privy Council in August 1678, the former Catholic priest Titus Oates spoke about an alleged Catholic conspiracy to kill Charles II and place the Duke of York on the throne. Although the information reported by Oates was unreliable, it caused a wave of anti-Catholic hysteria in the country.
Fighting the Whigs
The parliament that met after the elections of 1679 consisted mainly of oppositionists - Whigs (cm. WIGI in the UK). In the wake of anti-Catholic sentiment, Parliament began considering a bill to deprive the Duke of York of his rights of succession to the throne as a Catholic. Charles II, ready to make compromises in order to maintain power, in this case went against parliament in the name of the principles of legitimism. He dissolved parliament and called new elections. But also new line-up The parliament of 1680 turned out to be rebellious and again returned to the bill against the Duke of York. Having dissolved parliament, the king called new elections and moved the meetings of the chambers to Oxford, famous for its royalism.
The Parliament of 1681 again consisted of Whigs, who also arrived in Oxford accompanied by armed supporters. It seemed that the country was on the verge of a new civil war. In this situation, Charles II dissolved parliament and did not convene again until the end of his reign.
IN recent years During the reign of Charles II, his government, headed by Lord Hyde, and in fact the Duke of York, managed to suppress the Whig resistance. Its success was facilitated by the position of the country's population, who feared a repetition of the horrors of the revolution. Many accused the Whigs of exceeding their powers. The leadership of the army and most of the officers remained on the side of the king. Charles II deprived many cities of their charters, where the Whigs were especially influential, and appointed new judges from among the Tories.
Outside the walls of Parliament, the Whigs lost the legal opportunity to resist the king. Some of them switched to conspiratorial activities. In 1683, the so-called Republican conspiracy was discovered. Their ideologue, Whig Algernon Sidney, was executed, Whig leaders were forced into exile, and the opposition was disorganized.
During the reign of Charles II, England recovered from the turmoil of the mid-century. The country's economy was experiencing a period of rapid growth, facilitated by the development navy and protectionist government policies. The peaceful period contributed to the development of culture, especially natural sciences. Charles II himself provided patronage to the Royal Society created in 1662 (cm. ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON), which united in its ranks the best scientists of the country (including Isaac Newton (cm. NEWTON Isaac)), who developed a new experimental science. The court of Charles II was distinguished by its love of the theater, and the Restoration became an era of revival of drama, so unpopular with the Puritans. The revival of English drama is associated with the names of Dryden (cm. DRYDEN John), Congriva (cm. CONGREVE William), Wycherley (cm. WICHERLEY William).
Despite the difficulty political situation In the post-revolutionary period and strong, sometimes militant opposition, Charles II managed to maintain his power. This was greatly facilitated by the personality of the monarch himself, who had the ability to win people over. Charles II was an intelligent and amiable man, with extraordinary personal charm. He loved festivities and knew how to communicate easily with ordinary people, who forgave him for his extravagance and endless love affairs (for which he received the nickname The Merry Monarch). The experience of exile taught Charles to find allies, take into account the interests of different political forces, and make compromises with his opponents, although in general he strove for unlimited power. In 1685, Charles II died and was buried in Westminster Abbey (cm. WESTMINSTER), in the chapel of Henry VII.
Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .
See what "CHARL II Stuart" is in other dictionaries:
- (Charles I Stuart) (November 19, 1600, Dunfermline, Scotland January 30, 1649, London), English king from 1625, the first monarch in European history to be condemned to public execution. Second son of the Scottish king James VI Stuart and Anne of Denmark. Beginning... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary
James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart ... Wikipedia
Prince Charlie Charles Edward Stuart, December 31, 1720 January 31, 1788, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender, the penultimate representative of ... ... Wikipedia
One of the most probably loving kings was the son of the executed Charles 1st English king.
I got hold of portraits here online (I think of all his mistresses). True, not in color, but I’m still glad.
I offer it for wide acquaintance along with a short note about the personality of Charles 2 himself.
Charles II (eng. Charles II, May 29, 1630 - February 6, 1685) - king of England and Scotland from 1660,
The only warning! It's still hard to read the names in the enlarged image. I barely figured out the glasses. It's a shame :(
Official title of the episode: The beauties of the court of Charles the Second; a series of portraits, illustrating the diaries of Pepys, Evelyn, Clarendon, and others contemporary writers. With memoirs, biographical and critical, by Mrs. Jameson. The portraits from copies made for Her late Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte, by Mr. Murphy. (published 1833)
Prince of Wales, son of King Charles I and Henrietta of France. English king (since 1660), from the Stuart dynasty. His proclamation as king meant the restoration of the monarchy in England.
Charles was born on May 29, 1630. With his charming face he resembled his mother, and in character he resembled his grandfather, King Henry IV. Amorous in childhood, insatiably voluptuous in youth and adulthood, depraved in old age - Charles II gradually turned from an epicurean into a cynic, setting an example of extreme unbridled morals to the entire court.
When Charles I's discord with the people began, the young Prince of Wales was sent to The Hague and given into the care of William of Orange. News of the progress of the struggle between the king of England and his subjects became more alarming day by day; the unfortunate Queen Henrietta went to France to beg for help from the husband of the almighty Richelieu, and then from Cardinal Mazarin. Almost all European sovereigns sympathized with the English king, but not one of them provided him with significant assistance.
While the father was languishing in captivity among his subjects, his eighteen-year-old son spent his time in love affairs, winning victories over beauties of easy virtue.
In 1648, the Prince of Wales met Colonel Robert Sidney's mistress, the charming Lucy Walters, in The Hague, and fell madly in love with her. Moreover, he did not achieve reciprocity immediately. Colonel Sidney reacted to the piquant situation philosophically: having learned about the king’s feelings for his kept woman, he generously decided that Lucy was free to do as she pleased.
The Prince of Wales immediately took Lucy to his place, and she was quick to announce her pregnancy. In 1649, the favorite gave birth to Karl's son Jacob. According to the testimony of the king's inner circle, the real father of the newborn was not the prince, but Robert Sidney, to whom the child was strikingly similar, even marked with a mole on his cheek, just like Lucy's benefactor... But love blinds. The courtesan did not have much difficulty convincing the Prince of Wales that he was the father of her child, and Charles without hesitation recognized him as his own.
He spent whole days in the company of his mistress, obeyed her unquestioningly, and forestalled her slightest desires; he spent the last of the modest subsidies given to him by William of Orange on her whims. The news of the execution of Charles I interrupted this idyll for a while and forced the prince - now inheriting the royal title after his father - to take up matters befitting his rank.
In the spring of 1649, having bid farewell to Lucy Walters, Charles II went to Ireland, where the Marquess of Ormonde was fighting for the royal crown. From here, with a small detachment of soldiers, Charles crossed to Scotland. As if wanting to make amends for the recent betrayal and betrayal of Charles I, the Scots greeted his son with delight, welcoming him as the rightful king.
Returning from Scotland, Charles II created his son by Lucy Walters the title of Earl of Orkney, Duke of Monmouth and Knight of the Order of the Garter. Dear Lucy was long forgotten by Charles II - during his trip to Scotland, she behaved inappropriately freely in The Hague and finally earned herself a reputation as a corrupt woman.
It should be said about the king that he was indomitable in his sexual desires. He didn’t care how to woo women; he dealt with husbands quickly and simply. Ugly as mortal sin, the king could, having captured a woman, immediately reject her. He changed women like gloves. But at the same time, Charles II took care of his health, on summer evenings he went to the river in Putney to swim, and in the mornings, when everyone else was resting in bed, exhausted from the night's excesses, he rose with the sun and played tennis for two hours on the palace court. He was involved in many things, was an intelligent and subtle politician and economist. The king could successfully carry on a conversation about astronomy, architecture, gardening, antiques and beekeeping.
But at the same time, with the accession of Charles II, talk about abstinence and the dangers of illegal connections ceased. The venerable Kapfig, a good-natured panegerist of the blessed old time and all favorites in general, describes the court of Charles II in this way: “It was difficult to find a court more graceful, more frivolous, richer in intrigue and beauties. Among the most notable beauties, especially notable were: Countess Castleman, later Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Chesterfield, Countess of Shrewsbury, Countess of Middleton, Maid Hamilton, who married Earl Gramont, and Miss Francis Stuart, the king's mistress. All these brilliant ladies could easily compete with the leading beauties of the Versailles court, which they took as a model. The court was busy with the upcoming marriage of the king to the Portuguese infanta (Catherine), whose hand the king officially asked from the Lisbon court.” The Infanta did not stand out for her beauty or intelligence: politics played the main role in this choice of Charles II; in addition, she was given an excellent dowry in full doubloons, and the king was constantly in need of money. He was distinguished by his extravagance, but he was tired of begging for subsidies from parliament, which every time entered into an argument when it came to issuing money.
The mistress of Charles II, Miss Francis Stuart, deserves special attention. Cavalier Gramon, for the edification of posterity, who left precious information about the court of Charles II, wrote: “Her character was childishly funny; a penchant for amusements befitting only a twenty-year-old girl. Her favorite game was blind man's buff. She loved to build houses of cards when there was a big game in her house, and helpful courtiers supplied her with building materials and showed her the buildings of new architecture. She also loved music and singing. The Duke of Buckingham got the hang of building houses of cards, sang beautifully, and composed songs and children's stories, which Miss Stewart was crazy about; but he was especially good at noticing funny features in the manners and conversation of others and skillfully mimicking them. In a word, Buckingham was such an unrivaled actor and pleasant conversationalist that not a single meeting could take place without him. Miss Stewart was inseparable from him in her amusements, and if he did not come to her with the king, she immediately sent for him.”
The king, his brother James and Charles Stuart's cousin, the Duke of Richmond, were all in love with this girl at the same time. The minx cohabited with all three so that no one would be offended. In addition to three admirers from the royal family, her lovers were: Buckingham, a card architect, Mondeville, Carlington and Digby, who committed suicide out of love for her. Karl's relationship with Miss Stewart did not prevent him from cohabiting with Lady Castleman and actresses Nellie Gwyn and Molly Davis...
Francis lived at White Hall Palace, where Charles II visited her quite often. Ruining the treasury to build St. James, the king said that it was hard for him to live in the palace where his father was executed. However, these noble feelings of respect did not prevent Charles II from visiting White Hall almost every day, where such orgies were held that even Messalina could blush. One night, Francis, Lady Barbara Castleman, Nellie Gwyn, Molly Davis and a whole harem of girls imitated the wedding in the presence of the king. Lady Castleman acted as the groom, Francis Stewart as the bride, and the others as priests and witnesses. The ceremony was accompanied by all church and public ceremonies; The newlyweds were put to bed, where they indulged in amorous pastimes. The king himself sang frivolous songs, accompanying himself on the guitar, naked favorites danced in front of him, swaying their hips; the wine flowed like a river, and the holiday ended in a complete bacchanalia...
The Duke of Richmond, blinded by passion for Francis, finally decided to secretly marry her. Then jealousy awoke in the heart of Charles II. He disbanded his harem; spent days and nights with Franziska. It was even rumored that he wanted to divorce the queen and marry his beloved. Francis immediately realized that it was much more profitable for her to marry Richmond than to live with the king. She feigned illness and stopped seeing Charles II, preparing to elope with Richmond. The distressed Charles II complained about her to his other favorite, Lady Castleman. She advised him to visit the patient and meet with Babiani’s attending physician.
Karl, following her advice, literally burst into the favorite’s bedroom and saw... Francis in Richmond’s arms. The king began to curse like a drunken sailor. The lovers froze in horror.
Richmond was sent from the bedroom to the Tower, where he spent three weeks (from March 31 to April 21, 1655). Immediately after liberation, Richmond and Francis Stuart fled to Kent and were secretly married there. Miss Stewart returned to the king all the diamonds he had given him.
Charles II did not sulk at the traitor for long, then he took steps towards reconciliation, and the Duchess of Richmond, his young wife, again found herself in the arms of her lover, assuring the king of unfailing fidelity and, on occasion, fleecing him. Francisca's husband died in 1670, and she died in 1700 or 1701, leaving behind a huge fortune.
Before Charles II, in English theaters, female roles in plays were played by young men and sometimes by adult men; prim Presbyterian women considered it a mortal sin to appear on the stage. In the first year of his reign, Charles II expressed a desire to include women in theater troupes.
0 Among the first to appear on stage were the charming Nellie Gwyn and Molly Davis, who almost immediately ended up in the royal harem. Beauty and talent replaced their noble diplomas. Noble ladies looked with contempt at comedians who dared to compete with them in the fight for the king's attention. It took the intervention of Charles II to make his noble mistresses reconcile with the plebeians. They sat at the same table.
Nelly, dexterous, graceful, danced and sang beautifully. Her influence on the king was so great that if she had asked Charles II to execute someone, the king would, without a doubt, fulfill her whim. Fortunately, Nellie was not bloodthirsty, and together with Molly Davis she lured jewelry and gifts from the king...
Nellie Gwin, according to chroniclers, was born in the attic; As a child, she sold fish, then sang on the street and in taverns. Finally, the actors Garth and Lacey noticed her, and with their help she ended up in the royal theater. Here Lord Dorset noticed her and took her into his custody. Charles II, having given him a position at the embassy in France, lured the beauty to him for an annual fee of 500 pounds sterling. Four years later, this salary increased to 60,000. It is noteworthy that the king sympathized with Nellie until his death in 1685 and, thanks to her concerns, patronized the theater. Theater artists, by order of Charles II, were called courtiers and were included in the public service. When parliament considered the issue of taxing actors, this proposal was rejected on the pretext that the actors served for the amusement of the king.
"Actors or actresses?" – one of the members of the lower house joked carelessly. Why careless? Yes, because for this impudent joke the member of parliament had his nose cut off, which replaced him with a convict brand.
Actress Molly Davis was in the pay of the Duke of Buckingham, who recommended her to Charles II. She was famous for singing frivolous songs, accompanying them with completely indecent body movements. But this is exactly what the English padishah liked. Molly Davis had a daughter from Charles II, named Mary Tudor and subsequently married to the earl.
Two titled ladies competed with the actresses: the famous Miss Francis Stuart and Countess Barbara Castleman, with whom the king became close during his campaign in Holland. The countess was at least as good as her rivals in beauty and debauchery.
Barbara devoted herself to serving Venus from the age of fifteen. Her seducer was Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, a married and monstrously ugly man; but this beauty always had a special penchant for freaks. Barbara, without any embarrassment, asserted that ugly people indulge in love with greater passion than beautiful ones. They idolize a woman, value her, are jealous... while handsome men, even loved by beauties, are rarely constant. In a word, Barbara had her own philosophy.
To hide the consequences of her affair with the Earl of Chesterfield, she married Rogers, Earl of Castleman, a disgusting dwarf, but fabulously rich; Only in religious beliefs could these dear spouses agree, since both were Catholics. Soon after the wedding, the couple went to Holland to visit Charles II, who was in exile. The husband opened his wallet to him, the wife - a passionate embrace.
On his arrival in London, Charles II rewarded the good cuckold by giving him, at his request, the position of keeper of the king's bench prison; then made him a baron, and finally an earl of Castleman. Two months later his son was born. The countess, in the hope that Charles II would recognize him as one of his own, wanted to baptize him according to the Protestant rite, the count - according to the Catholic one. Despite Barbara's protests, the baby was anointed with myrrh and baptized, giving him a Catholic name. The offended mother complained to the king, and he ordered his son to be baptized a second time as a Protestant, and he himself was his successor, and the Countess of Suffolk was his godmother.
Perhaps King Solomon himself could not have resolved this dispute better. The newborn had two fathers: a Catholic and a Protestant - and he had to be baptized twice. True, it was not entirely Christian when one’s own father was also godfather, but in the eyes of Charles II it was a trifle unworthy of attention. Soon the couple quarreled and separated. The husband went to France, the wife moved to her brother in Richmond.
Three years later, Earl Castleman returned to his homeland and was greeted by his wife, who presented him, in addition to his eldest son, with one more - Henry, Earl of Grifton, and two months later she gave him a third - George... This was too much, and the count demanded a formal divorce, to which Charles II expressed his gracious consent, but on the condition that the count immediately go abroad and under no circumstances return to England. Castleman obeyed; however, six months later he came to London to publish, with the English Jesuits, the “Apology of English Catholics,” written in a rather outrageous spirit.
The author was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower. Charles II was outraged not so much by the book as by the count’s unauthorized return. Castleman's arrest served as a signal to the king's ill-wishers: many lampoons and caricatures appeared on the shelves, about which the royal favorite deigned to pout. Fearing her wrath, Charles II ordered the prisoner to be released, and the count retired to Holland.
At this time, Barbara Castleman changed lovers daily, almost hourly; like Messalina, having changed clothes, she went around the brothels, choosing beautiful sailors, artisans, lackeys as her lovers, buying their caresses for gold, generously lavished on her by the king. Blinded by love, he obeyed her unquestioningly. She demanded money - and golden rain fell on her; wished to be a duchess - the ducal crown was granted to her; asked the king to recognize as her own the children born to her from God knows whom - Charles II legitimized them by giving them ducal titles. This lovely lady died at an advanced age during the reign of William III. Before Louise de Keroual (later Duchess of Portsmouth) appeared at the court of Charles II, Barbara Castleman had enormous influence on him.
The servants and servants of the royal mistresses were Saint-Evremond, Gramont and the Duke of Buckingham. For Nellie Gwyn and Molly Davis, Buckingham composed songs and danced with them at royal orgies; lovely Miss Stewart built houses of cards, told funny stories and kissed feet; Barbara Castleman kissed her hands and looked after her dogs...
Until 1668, the king was content with homegrown beauties. He recklessly spent his treasury on them, and his health in orgies with them. At the end of 1668, a great revolution took place in his harem, which had a huge impact both on himself and on state affairs. And it was like this...
Parliament tried with all its might to persuade the king to enter into an alliance with Holland, England’s recent enemy and rival. This proposed alliance was dangerous to France, and Louis XIV decided to disrupt it at any cost. His envoy in England, the Marquis Tallard, notified that Charles II was leaning towards parliament, and advised him to take emergency measures. Louis XIV turned to the mediation of Charles II's sister, who lived in France, Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orleans. He counted, firstly, on the tender friendship of brother to sister, secondly, on her diplomatic abilities, thirdly, on her ladies-in-waiting, beautiful, flirtatious and crafty. Among them stood out Mademoiselle Louise de Keroual, a Brittany noblewoman, her family descended almost from the Druids. Judging by the portraits that have come down to us, Louise was a fiery brunette, with cheerful black eyes, a chubby childish face and luxurious, curly hair. She entered Henrietta's court at a very young age, and this school of debauchery served her well. The Kerual girl studied the theory (partly and practice) of coquetry to perfection; She had no end to her admirers, but she was so smart and knew her worth that all the efforts of the court ladies' men to win the beauty's heart were in vain. She was waiting for a profitable buyer, and soon such a buyer was found.
To disguise the true reason for Henrietta's trip to England, Louis XIV invited her to accompany him to the newly conquered flâneur regions. Arriving in Ostend, the Duchess of Orleans with her best ladies-in-waiting boarded a ship and arrived in London, where Charles II, notified in advance by letter, was already waiting for her. From the very first meeting, his amorous eyes focused on Louise Kerual. He was captivated and enchanted. The Frenchwoman's graceful manners, her smart, lively speech, coquettish modesty and appropriate swagger - all these qualities that neither Miss Stewart, nor Nellie, etc. had, could not help but catch the eye of Charles II. A helpful sister offered him the maiden Kerual as a reward for an alliance with France, and the king was unable to resist the temptation. The Cavaliers Gramont and Saint-Evremond successfully assumed the roles of pimps, and the Anglo-French alliance was completed. “The silk belt of the maiden Keroual connected France with England!” – wrote Saint-Evremond. For the courtesan, women's belts and garters served as ties that connected the powers with each other!.. Leaving the maiden Querual in England, Henrietta returned to France and a few months later, poisoned on June 30, 1670, she died.
On the instructions of the Duchess of Portsmouth (Louise Querual), the king declared freedom of religion. He allowed Presbyterians, Puritans and Catholics to build churches and preach sermons everywhere. The Duke of York, the king's brother, who had attended English churches for five years, declared himself a follower of the Roman Catholic Church. Neither parliament nor the people could react favorably to this royal decree. English priests spread rumors that Charles II, obeying his Catholic mistress, intended to betray the faith of his parents.
The subsidies paid by Louis XIV to Charles II finally brought down the king in the eyes of the people. The ministers urged him to act with the people like Cromwell, in other words, to take them into iron claws; The Duchess of Portsmouth was of the same opinion; could a king in love refuse her anything? Could he contradict her, especially at a time when she told him about her interesting position? The son born to her, upon his birth, received the ducal titles of Richmond, Lennox, and was granted the royal coat of arms.
The king's affection for the Duchess of Portsmouth increased day by day. Blinded by love, he left his former favorites... He had long forgotten to even think about his wife. She, poor thing, attributed her husband’s indifference to her not to his love of voluptuousness, but solely to the fact that she did not bear him heirs. In the most difficult moments of loneliness, the queen was consoled by the thought that Charles II would become mentally attached to her if she pleased him with the birth of a son; but could she be a mother, being a wife only in name? She prayed constantly, went on pilgrimage to Tiburn in the hope that God would show a miracle, and Charles II would burn with love for her. But these hopes were not destined to come true.
The rivals of the Duchess of Portsmouth were jealous of the king and would not spare money to overthrow the powerful favorite. Francis Stuart and Barbara Castleman, themselves unfaithful to Charles II, loudly reproached him for treason and inconstancy; but Nellie Gwyn in her indignation was more just and logical than them. She dared to enter into an open fight with the foreign beauty and at first was a dangerous rival to Louise de Keroual in her ingratiation and courtship of the king.
The rapprochement with Holland quickly affected the social and court life of England. The king, and after him the nobles, stopped imitating the French in dress and lifestyle; patriarchal simplicity has replaced recent luxury; velvet, lace, brocade, diamonds disappeared, and they were replaced by cloth, linen, woolen fabrics, steel, and ivory. Balls and performances, recognized as demonic entertainment, were replaced by sermons, readings of Paradise Lost, and the Bible.
Charles II turned from a sybarite almost into a stoic or, even more surprisingly, a trapist. Almost all the royal mistresses had married by this time, with the exception of the Duchess of Portsmouth. She, imitating La Vallière, the favorite of King Louis XIV, told Charles II about her repentance, about her desire to enter a monastery... As for the favorites who got married, it is noteworthy that they chose their pimps as their wives; So, Lord Lyttleton married Miss Temple, Chevalier Gramont married Miss Hamilton...
When Parliament passed a bill to expel Catholics from England, Charles II was indignant. According to this bill, the Queen and Duchess of Portsmouth were supposed to leave the country? Of course, it was not the fate of the queen that worried Charles II. A subtle politician, without mentioning her, the king stood up for his wife: “I am not Henry VIII,” he told the House of Commons, “I will not divorce my kind and honest wife for her infertility...” “And I will not let my mistress go!” - his tender heart told him.
Having dissolved parliament, the king again entered into friendly relations with France, corresponded with Louis XIV, and the duchess with the latter’s mistress, the Duchess of Montespan.
Decrepit from debauchery and drunkenness, in the last two years of his life Charles II looked like a living, tinted and toasted mummy: he moved his legs with difficulty, walked hunched over and generally provided a living, or rather, half-dead example of what debauchery can bring a person to.
On February 6, 1685, a stroke of paralysis ended the life of Charles II in the fifty-fifth year of his birth and the twenty-fifth of his reign. The Duchess of Portsmouth played her role to the end: during the life of Charles II, she forced him to change the oath given to the people, and on his deathbed she convinced him to change his religion. At her insistence, the king, dying, confessed to a Catholic, almost Jesuit priest, and the Duchess of Portsmouth said with tears after his death: “For all the mercies of my late benefactor, I saved his soul, converting him from heresy and returning him to the bosom of the one-saving church! »
