There are three men who have the first name Charles who have ruled as monarchs in England and its realms. The first British monarch called King Charles was a shy man with a stammer. He was the second child of James VI of Scotland (and, starting in 1603, James I of England) and Anne of Denmark.
He wasn’t supposed to be King, but when his brother Prince Henry died in 1612, he succeeded to the crown.
His father had long-standing issues with Parliament, and those issues persisted under King Charles, particularly after he wed a Catholic.
His reign was anything but smooth. There were civil wars, first with the Scots starting in 1637, then in Ireland starting in 1641, and then in England (1642–46 and 1648). Charles was not a successful ruler even though historians continue to argue about what exactly caused the wars that greatly split the people of that time.
By 1642, the monarch had been expelled from London by Parliament, and civil war had broken out in England. He was beheaded in 1649.
King Charles II
Charles the Second was just 18 years old and living in exile when his father, Charles I was killed.
He wasn’t supposed to be King, but when his brother Prince Henry died in 1612, he succeeded to the crown.
After that, the English Parliament declared England a republic and abolished the monarchy; only Scotland recognized him as King Charles II.
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During the next ten years, the Puritan, Oliver Cromwell, seized power, established a dictatorship, and outlawed all forms of entertainment, including sports, festivals, cosmetics, and cursing. He even outlawed Christmas.
When Oliver Cromwell passed away in 1658, his son attempted to take over, but no one was interested, they had sucked the fun out of life.
On the occasion of his 30th birthday, Parliament invited King Charles II to reclaim the throne. Charles wasn’t one to avenge his father, he saw to it that anybody who signed his father’s death sentence was put to death; even Cromwell’s body was dug up and beheaded.
Charles II spent the rest of his reign solving religious tension, he had no children.
