Charles II

Charles II and his parties

Charles II: was the king too randy to rule?

Linda Porter. (Photography by Nick Dawe)

Books interview: Linda Porter on the women in Charles II’s life

Queen Victoria on an ivory throne

Top 11 monarchs in British history

Linda Porter.

The mistresses of Charles II

Seismic splits: This map from c1659 shows blood being spilled across the British Isles during the Civil Wars. Charles II's agenda for restoring order to his kingdoms was a cocktail of pragmatism, compromise and brutality.

How Charles II put Britain back together after the Civil War

Now a protected species in many countries, the hedgehog was once also a health food. A German cookbook dating from the mid-15th century recommends the meat of a hedgehog as useful for leprosy and urinary retention. (Photo by Yuri SmityukTASS via Getty Images)

General ancient history

Hedgehogs, cannabis bread and horse placenta: 13 weird and wonderful health foods in history

The Charles II Royal Oak

History explorer: Charles II’s great escape

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Charles II on the run

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Charles II: the king in danger

Evening Party - Time of Charles II, 1850. A satirical illustration of King Charles II (1630?1685). King Charles II (163-?1685) was know as the 'Merry Monarch'. He had a great fondness for women and had many mistresses. From The Comic History of England by Gilbert Abbott A. Beckett, illustrated by John Leech [Bradbury, Agnew & Co., London, 1850.] (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)

Sex, scandals and betrayals: Charles II and his court

An illustration of Colonel Blood

The strange escapades of Colonel Thomas Blood

A portrait of Charles II, by 17th-century painter John Michael Wright

History explorer: The Restoration

The Berlin Wall and the return of Charles II

Picture depicting the Articles of Union being presented to Queen Anne

Q&A Why did Scotland join the 1707 Union with England?

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King Charles II’s oak tree ‘saviour’ to be honoured for first time