CHARLES II
1630 - 1685

Charles II was king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1660 - 1685.

Charles II's family
Charles's father was Charles I. His mother was Henrietta Maria of France. His brother was James II.

Charles II had an affair of consequence with Lucy Walter. The liaison resulted in son James, who later became James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth.

What was interesting about Charles II?
His reign became known as the Restoration period in England. What was being restored? The monarchy in general and he himself as king specifically.

What HAPPENED?
Because of the English Civil Wars (also called the Great Rebellion), which were fought 1642 until 1651, the monarchy was temporarily abolished. 

In context, the rulers of England were:

James I - ruled 1603 - 1625
Charles I - ruled 1625 - 1649
Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth - 1649 - 1660
Charles II - ruled 1660 - 1685
James II - ruled 1685 - 1688

What's with the Civil Wars?
The Civil Wars were fought between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians. The Royalists allied with the Irish and the Parliamentarians allied with the Scottish.

The Parliamentarians, led by Oliver Cromwell, won. They executed Charles I, Charles II fled to France in 1651, and the Commonwealth was established.

Oliver Cromwell died in 1658 and the country was in danger of falling into political chaos. Thus, it was arranged for Charles II to be restored.

RELIGION
Charles II was a Protestant but converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. His mother and aunt were Catholics all along. During Charles II's reign, the Puritans were persecuted.

CHARLES II AND OUR TIME
In 1675, Charles ordered the construction of a Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.  Sharp brains discovered in Charles's observatory that the earth is not at a constant speed.

And if you wonder where our Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) had its origin, well, there it is.

During Charles' reign, the Hudson's Bay Company was incorporated.

You can read Charles's story online for free.