I read that Charles II rewarded a man who tried to steal his crown jewels. Is that true?
This is true. On 9 May 1671, an Irish-born adventurer and ex-soldier, Thomas Blood – sometimes known as “Colonel” Blood – staged a heist, together with several accomplices, at the Tower of London. Their target was the crown jewels, recently reconstituted at vast expense after the originals had been melted down and sold during the 1650s. Security at the Tower of London was lax, and the courtier responsible for their safe-keeping, Talbot Edwards, would supplement his income by hosting private viewings. Posing as a Church of England cleric, Blood had earlier befriended Edwards in a reconnaissance trip. During the raid itself Edwards was stabbed, but Blood and his associates were unexpectedly disturbed and forced to make a quick escape – with some of the jewels – before being pursued, arrested and imprisoned in the Tower. Thereafter, Blood insisted on speaking only with the king about the raid, and to general astonishment he was neither convicted nor punished. Indeed, he was later given crown lands in Ireland and a pension, and was clearly welcomed into court society. As the diarist John Evelyn wondered: “How he came to be pardoned, and even received into favour, not only after this [crime], but several exploits almost as daring both in Ireland and here, I could never come to understand… The only treason of this sort that was ever pardoned.” Historians have speculated that Blood’s treatment probably reflected his willingness to supply intelligence to the government, since he was connected with many dissident Protestant nonconformists, often suspected of plotting against Charles II’s regime. Clare Jackson, historian and author of Devil-Land (Allen Lane, 2021)