The Life and Times of Charles II

Kings and Queens of England

by Christopher Falkus

Charles II was the most popular of Kings in his lifetime and has remained so to posterity. In this biography of 'the Merry Monarch', Christopher Falkus seeks to show why this is so and indicates that the secret lay not so much in the positive achievements of his reign, as in the essentially human qualities which set him apart from other sovereigns. But Charles, of course, was more than a witty, tolerant, urbane man; he was a ruler of three kingdoms - England, Scotland and Ireland - who came to the throne after years of exhausting Civil War and whose first purpose was to reunite his war torn realms. His was a lifetime crowded with struggle and conflict in which he triumphed to preside over a society whose creative achievements in all fields are almost unparalleled in history.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty, British Literature

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

A graduate of University College, London, Christopher Falkus taught at the University of Queenland from 1965 until 1968. Upon his return to London he went into publishing, first as an editor for the British Publishing Corporation, then from 1970 with Weidenfeld, where he became joint managing director and devised the successful "Kings and Qeens" series. In 1980 he went to Associated Book Publishers, where he became chairman of the General Books Group, before returning to Weidenfeld prior to his retirement in 1992.

Reviews

[Andy Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable and informative short biography of Charles II. It is well-written and has numerous illustrations.

It starts in 1630, the year of his birth, and ends in 1685 when he died (there is a very brief description of what happened to some of the major figures after his death).

When he came to the throne in 1860 the country was still deeply divided on religious grounds. Although a Catholic at heart, he didn’t publicly espouse that religion. He was reasonably tolerant of other religions, believing that was down to individual conscience.

He was probably the most human and likeable of monarchs, affable and easygoing. He enjoyed simple pursuits such as horse racing, and had several mistresses who gave him children, but unfortunately he and his wife had none.

The arts and science flourished during his reign, and England grew more prosperous.

He was opportunistic and not trusted by many powerful people, because of the lax morals of his court and his unwillingness to support a more radical anti-papist agenda. He remained throughout popular with the common people.

If you’re looking for a good introduction to Charles, look no further.

[Bill38silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is useful introduction to another King in the series edited by Antonia Fraser. It is aimed at the general reader not the academic. It has numerous illustrations although sometimes these interrupt the flow (for example four pages of pictures split a sentence). Often the captions accompanying pictures repeat words in the main text.

The main text is a straightforward easy to read narrative. Although reasonably well known the plague and the Great Fire in 1666 receive less coverage than I would have expected. I was also expecting more information on how the country was governed at local level whilst Charles was gallavanting about in the bedroom or at the horse races, and why was there acceptance of so much scandal at court and disrespect of Parliament which had ousted his father.

The author is clearly a fan of the Merry Monarch, not finding much to quibble about his reign, not even his fanatical pursuit of revenge against the regicides in these shores, on the Continent and the Americas. But that is another book....

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful introductory biography, filled with evocative pictures and a pleasant attention to personal detail. The book does somewhat fail to place Charles II within his the greater currents of his era, but it also ably explains the religious tension of the times. Charles II emerges as a humane and flexible monarch, which made him able to combat the more hidebound of his time but without winning a complete victory over their bigotries.

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short biography of the Merry Monarch, Charles II. I really liked the pictures and the writing style, I thought it really added to the book itself. Falkus’s attempt at showing Charles to be a humane monarch really comes across. I really found this book interesting.

[Dr G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work well and truly maintains the standards of this excellent series.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the accessible Kings and Queens series although not about one of my history heroes, nevertheless, erudite and enjoyable as well as highly illustrated. Charles' vindictive treatment of the so-called regicides has always galled somewhat; digging up Cromwell's body, hanging and beheading it, not to mention keeping the head on the roof for twenty five years is perhaps a little excessive? Excess seems to have been Charles' central mode, particularly when it came to a succession of mistresses and loose-moralled ladies of the court such as Nell Gwynne (really don't understand what the modern appeal of that trollop is at all) and the rather unpleasant Lady Castlemaine who liked to be depicted (usually by Sir Peter Lely in his join the dots portraits) as a sort of madonna type with yet another royal by blow.
Charles' queen, Catherine of Braganza has always been a figure of sympathy having to put up with the royal stud muffin and being regarded as a failure in that no legitimate heir was produced, in spite of the constant streams of Fitzcharles, his endless dalliances seemed to produce.
Falkus, like all the others in this series is not out to produce an academic or scholarly biography, rather an introduction to the subject matter. Highly recommended as an opening into such figures, though Charles' infamous charm has never worked here, always preferred Oliver Cromwell.
A tiny quibble, one of the the impressive portraits of Charles as a boy by my wonderful William Dobson is only reproduced in black and white, and that is a shame in that it doesn't allow the reader to see the sheer brilliance of the colours used to depict the teenage solider in all his pomp.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Charles II, but I must have more. I may be getting a tad obsessed with this period in English history. Bring on the Restoration...bring on Cromwell and his Roundheads. I must have more...