Charles II of England
Charles II was restored to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1660 following the Interregnum and the Commonwealth period established after his father Charles I's execution in 1649, with his return marking the end of republican government in Britain. Pragmatic and hedonistic — nicknamed the 'Merry Monarch' for his lively court culture and numerous mistresses, including Nell Gwyn — he nonetheless navigated dangerous confessional and parliamentary politics with considerable skill. Privately sympathetic to Catholicism, he issued Declarations of Indulgence (1662, 1672) attempting to suspend penal laws against both Catholics and Protestant dissenters, but was forced to withdraw them by a hostile Parliament. His secret Treaty of Dover (1670) with Louis XIV committed him to converting England to Catholicism in exchange for French subsidies — a policy of breathtaking cynicism that was never publicly revealed during his lifetime. He died in 1685, receiving Catholic last rites on his deathbed, and was succeeded by his openly Catholic brother James.
- Lived: 1630 CE – 1685 CE
- Nationality: british
- Roles: king, ruler
