Charles II comes for his crown
The Merry Monarch’s arrival marks the end of the republic
Charles gg is remembered for his lavish “arties and debauchery, but the celebration he surely enjoyed most was his 30th birthdayL rhat was the day on which he entered jondon to claim his crownL
fis arrival was marked with “om“and s“lendourL fis “rocession through the ca“ital lasted seven hours, greeted by crowds so large and dense that his men were forced to brandish their swords to make way for the new kingL
gt’s not sur“rising that the “eo“le were excited by his returnL Since aharles g’s execution in OTR9, the country had mostly been a re“ublican aommonwealth led by mliver aromwellL rhat leader’s brand of staunch nrotestantism had stam“ed out the indulgence and excess that had formerly been associated with the ruling classesL rhe return of the king “romised the return of frivolity and funL
rhe day also highlighted sobering “arallels between the trium“hant aharles gg and his father. 1n his journey to the scaʘold more than a decade earlier, aharles g had “assed beneath the grand Rubens ceiling at Ban”ueting fouse – ironically, an allegorical testament to the glory of monarchyL gn OTT0, his namesake son “assed beneath that same ceiling en route to ascend the throne and restore Britain’s monarchyL
fis reign became known as a golden age, but one of his first acts as king was to seek revenge on the regicides – those res“onsible for his father’s deathL rhe body of aromwell was exhumed and deca“itated, and every surviving man who signed aharles g’s death warrant was executed, im“risoned or exiledL
Helen Carr is a historian and writer. She is the author of The Red Prince (Oneworld, 2021)