Charles II
FATHER: Charles I(
MOTHER: Henrietta Maria of France(
SIBLINGS: (
CHARLES II
He was born on 29 May, 1630, at St James’s Palace, London, and was Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay from birth. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 21 May, 1638, and around the same time was designated Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, although he was never formally so created. He succeeded his father as King of Great Britain in name only on 30 January, 1649; Charles I was executed on that day, and Charles II was then an exile in France, whilst Cromwell took up the reins of government in Britain under the title Lord Protector. The Scots rallied to Charles’ cause, and he was crowned on 1 January, 1651, at Scone Abbey, Perthshire. He was formally restored to the throne of Great Britain, Cromwell having died, on 29 May, 1660, and was crowned on 23 April, 1661, at Westminster Abbey.
Charles II married,on 21/22 May, 1662, at the Church of St Thomas à Becket, Portsmouth:
Katherine Henrietta
She was the daughter of John IV, Duke of Braganza and King of Portugal, by Louisa Maria, daughter of John Manuel Domingo Perez de Guzman, 8th Duke of Medina-Sidonia, and she was born on 15 (O.S.) or 25 (N.S.) November, 1638, at Vila Viçosa, Lisbon, Portugal. She was never crowned as Queen Consort because she was a Roman Catholic and could not take part in the Anglican coronation ritual. She died on 30 November or 1 December, 1705, at Belém Palace or at Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal, and was buried in the monastery of Belém, Lisbon.
Issue of marriage:
1 Miscarriage
This occurred in 1662.
2 Stillborn child
It was born in February, 1666, at Oxford.
3 Stillborn child
It was born on 7 May, 1668.
4 Stillborn child
It was born on c.7 June, 1669.
Charles II also had the following illegitimate issue:
By Margaret de Carteret of Jersey:
1 James, a Jesuit (1646–1667?).
By Lucy (1630?–1658), daughter of Richard Walter of Haverfordwest:
2 James Crofts, who took his wife’s surname of Scott upon marriage, Duke of Monmouth (1649–executed 1685); he married Anne (1651–1732), daughter of Francis Scott, Earl of Buccleuch, and had issue.
Monmouth always claimed that his parents had been married, and that he was therefore legitimate; he also claimed to possess their marriage lines, but never produced them.
Lucy Walter bore another child, Mary, but Charles II was not her father.
By Elizabeth, afterwards Lady Shannon, daughter of Sir Robert Killigrew:
3 Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria FitzRoy (1650–1684); she married firstly James Howard, Earl of Suffolk ( d.1669). She married secondly William Paston, 2nd Earl of Yarmouth (1653–1732), and had issue.
By Katherine, daughter of Thomas Pegge of Yeldersley, Derbyshire:
4 Charles FitzCharles, Earl of Plymouth (1657–1680); he married Bridget ( d.1718), daughter of Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds.
5 Katherine (1658–1759); she was a nun at Dunkirk, France.
6 Unnamed daughter (?) (Katherine?); her existence is conjectural. She is said to have died young.
By Barbara (1641–1709), daughter of William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison, and wife of Roger Palmer, Earl of Castlemaine; she was later created Duchess of Cleveland in her own right:
7 Anne FitzRoy (1661–1722); she married Thomas Lennard, Earl of Sussex (1654–1715). She was possibly the daughter of Roger Palmer, although the King acknowledged her as his own.
8 Charles FitzRoy, Duke of Southampton and Cleveland (1662–1730); he married firstly Mary (1664–1680), daughter of Sir Henry Wood. He married secondly Anne (1663–1745), daughter of Sir William Poultney of Misterton, Leics., and had issue.
9 Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Grafton (1663–1690); he married Isabella ( d.1723), daughter of Henry Bennett, 1st Earl of Arlington, and had issue.
10 Charlotte FitzRoy (1664–1717); she married Edward Henry Lee, Earl of Lichfield (1663–1716), and had issue.
11 George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland (1665–1716); he married firstly Katherine ( d.1714), daughter of Robert Wheatley of Bracknell, Berks., and secondly Mary ( d.1738), daughter of Henry Dutton.
12 Barbara (who later assumed the name Benedicte when she entered the religious life) Prioress of Hôtel Dieu, Pontoise, France (1672–1737). She had illegitimate issue. Although Lady Castlemaine claimed that Charles II was Barbara’s father, other evidence makes it more probable that she was the daughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.
By Eleanor, known as ‘Nell’ (1650–1687), daughter of Thomas Gwyn or Gwynne:
13 Charles Beauclerk, Duke of St Albans (1670–1726); he married Diana ( d.1742), daughter of Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford, and had issue.
14 James, Lord Beauclerk (1671–1680).
By Louise Renée de Penencoët de Quérouialle (or Kérouaille), Duchess of Portsmouth in her own right (1649–1734):
15 Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond, and Duke of Aubigny in France (1672–1723); he married Anne, daughter of Francis, Lord Brudenell, and had issue.
By Mary, or ‘Moll’, Davies, an actress:
16 Mary Tudor (1673–1726); she married firstly Edward Ratcliffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater (1655–1705), and had issue. She married secondly Henry Graham of Levens ( d.1707), and thirdly James Rooke.
CHARLES II
He died on 6 February, 1685, at Whitehall Palace, London, of the effects of a stroke, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
He was succeeded by his brother James.
James II
FATHER: Charles I(
MOTHER: Henrietta Maria of France(
SIBLINGS: (
JAMES II
He was born on 14 (O.S.) or 24 (N.S.) October, 1633, at St James’s Palace, London, and was designated Duke of York from birth. He was made a Knight of the Garter on 20 April, 1642. He was created Duke of York on 27 January, 1644, and Earl of Ulster on 10 May, 1659. He was created Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV of France on 31 December, 1660. He succeeded his brother Charles II as King of Great Britain on 6 February, 1685. Having converted to Roman Catholicism sometime previously, he was privately crowned by Catholic rites on 22 April, 1685, at Whitehall Palace, London; he was crowned by the traditional Anglican ritual on 23 April, 1685, at Westminster Abbey.
James II married firstly, in secret in November or on 24 December, 1659, at Breda, Holland (although doubts exist as to whether this ceremony ever took place), and publicly on 3 September, 1660, at Worcester House, The Strand, London:
Anne
She was the daughter of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, by Frances, daughter of Sir Thomas Aylesbury, and she was born on 12 or 22 March, 1637, at Cranbourne Lodge, Windsor. She died on 31 March, 1671, at St James’s Palace, London, of cancer, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.