Charles II
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Charles II was the King of England and Scotland from 1649 to 1685. He was the oldest son of Charles I. He was born on May 29, 1630 and lived in exile in France after his father was executed and Britain was run as a republic by [[Oliver Cromwell]. He led the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and ushered in an era of pleasure and excess. He was notorious for his love of theater, music, hunting, and beautiful women, and did little to smooth over the divisions in politics and society which exploded after his death.
He established the rights of prisoners not to be held unless there was a good reason (the Habeas Corpus Act) in 1679. His policgy of religious toleration failed in the face of intense oppositrion from the Church of England.
Further reading
- Uglow, Jenny. A Gambling Man (2009), popular biography.