History of King Charles the Second of England

In Short

Jacob Abbott presents a clear-eyed account of King Charles the Second of England, tracing his life from a sheltered childhood through years of perilous fugitive wandering to his restoration and ultimate reign. Abbott strips away romantic myth to reveal how early trauma, factional strife, and self-preservation shaped a ruler who traded principle for ease. Driven from his homeland as a teenager, Charles returns to command a nation desperate for stability, only to govern with cynical indifference. It is a portrait of power inherited, lost, and regained without ever being turned toward the public good.

The Story

The narrative opens with the turbulent marriage of Charles I and his French Catholic queen, Henrietta Maria, whose headstrong political advice accelerates the rift between the crown and Parliament. As civil war breaks out, the young Prince Charles is swept into a world of sudden instability. Separated from his father and driven into exile, he comes of age in foreign courts where his poverty and uncertain prospects render him a pawn in European diplomacy.

Following his father's execution, the young prince attempts to reclaim his heritage. He strikes a uneasy bargain with the Scottish Covenanters, who demand strict religious conformity in exchange for their support. Coronated at Scone, Charles leads an army into England, only to be utterly defeated by Oliver Cromwell's forces. What follows is a desperate sequence of flight. Disguised as a woodcutter and later as a servant, Charles eludes capture through the fierce loyalty of rustic allies, hiding in the boughs of the Royal Oak at Boscobel and riding across England with brave protectors like Jane Lane until he secures passage to the Continent.

Years of impoverished wandering in France and the Low Countries foster in Charles a deep cynicism and an unyielding desire for personal comfort. When the Commonwealth collapses following Cromwell's death, England recalls the prince. General Monk arranges his bloodless return, and on his thirtieth birthday, Charles enters London to overwhelming public acclamation as King Charles II.

Yet the monarch who ascends the throne possesses no grand vision for his realm. His reign is defined by a pursuit of indulgence and a calculated avoidance of conflict. He marries Catharine of Braganza for geopolitical advantage while openly prioritizing his mistresses, most notably Lady Castlemaine. He neglects the grave duties of state to play with his spaniels, feed ducks in the park, and sport in the tennis courts. When religious panics like the Popish Plot shake the nation, Charles treats the revelations with weary detached skepticism, more interested in structural renovations at Windsor than court intrigues. In his final hours, suffering from a stroke, he quietly receives extreme unction from a hidden Catholic priest, ending a life defined by accommodation, secrecy, and self-preservation.

How It Unfolds

The flight of the queen Henrietta Maria flees across the English Channel amidst naval pursuit and violent storms, ordering the ship’s captain to detonate the powder magazine rather than surrender to Parliamentary forces.

The escape of the prince Young Prince James disguises his escape from house arrest by playing prolonged games of hide-and-seek to accustom his guards to his absence, while Prince Charles secures safe harbor in France.

The monarch in the woods Defeated in battle, Charles cuts his hair, soils his garments, and hides in the rainy forests of Boscobel, relying on the unswerving fidelity of the working-class Penderel brothers to evade searching troops.

The return in triumph General Monk negotiates the bloodless collapse of the Commonwealth, allowing Charles to land at Dover and make a grand entry into London to claim his birthright.

The cynical courtier Reestablished upon the throne, Charles writes glowing love letters to his prospective bride while simultaneously plotting to install his mistress as a lady of the queen's bedchamber.

The quiet exit Stripped of speech and strength by a sudden stroke, the dying king privately accepts Catholic sacraments from a disguised priest before passing away at noon.

The People

• King Charles II: The central figure, who evolves from a hunted, resourceful youth into a cynical, pleasure-seeking sovereign. He wants personal security and uninhibited freedom, avoiding any political stand that might force him to travel his father's path to the scaffold.
• Queen Henrietta Maria: Mother to Charles II, whose uncompromising pride and Catholic devotion alienate Parliament. She works tirelessly to secure foreign support and royal marriages for her children, yet her headstrong advice frequently triggers disaster.
• The Penderel Brothers: A family of rustic loyalists who risk their lives to shelter the fugitive king in the woods of Boscobel, demonstrating unyielding fidelity without expectation of grand reward.
• General Monk: The pragmatic military commander whose deliberate, calculated maneuvers clear the path for the Restoration, earning him a dukedom and the lasting gratitude of the crown.
• Lady Castlemaine: The king's primary mistress, who exerts immense influence over the court, compelling Charles to compromise his public standing and private marriage to retain her favor.

In Its Own Voice

"The French women shrieked and cried, and filled the court yard of the palace with their clamor; but the officer paid no regard to this noise."

Context: King Charles I orders the forcible removal of his wife's noisy French entourage from Whitehall Palace.

"Could it be really true that he, the monarch of three kingdoms, so recently at the head of a victorious army, and surrounded by generals and officers of state, was now a friendless and solitary fugitive, without even a place to hide his head from the cold autumnal storm?"

Context: Prince Charles reflects on his sudden downfall while hiding alone in the wet woods of Boscobel.

"He read his speeches at Parliament... in a ridiculous manner, and at church, instead of attending to the service, he would play at peep with Lady Castlemaine between the curtains which separated his box from that of the ladies of the household."

Context: Abbott describes the king's habitual disregard for the formal solemnities of his high office.

What It's Really About

Abbott’s biography examines how early adversity and severe trauma shape political character. Rather than producing a wise or noble leader, the terror of exile and the execution of his father teach Charles II that moral principles are dangerous liabilities. The book explores the tension between royal pretense and human weakness, demonstrating how a monarch's personal moral failings inevitably degrade the governance of a nation. Underneath the dramatic escapes and courtly rituals lies a sobering meditation on power: that those who survive great political catastrophes often care for nothing beyond their own continued comfort and survival.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy straightforward, narrative history will appreciate Abbott’s clear-sighted approach. He avoids romanticized royalism and high-flown academic jargon, presenting historical figures with straightforward candor. The book excels during the mid-section escape sequences, where the tension of Charles’s life as a fugitive reads with the speed of an adventure novel.

The prose reflects its mid-nineteenth-century origins, occasionally pausing for moral reflections or period explanations of social rank that modern readers might find quaint. Abbott does not mask the vices of the era; the systemic hypocrisy, marital infidelity, and religious bigotry of the seventeenth-century English court are presented directly. Yet the work remains remarkably accessible, offering a grounded and engaging portrait of a king who chose easy indulgence over duty, leaving behind a legacy defined more by charm and survival than by true achievement.