Charles the Second: King of England, Scotland, and Ireland

by Ronald Hutton

In Charles II , Ronald Hutton, Britain's foremost historian of the English Restoration, offers a comprehensive biography of the king who returned to England in triumph after the death of Cromwell, re-establishing the monarchy that continues to reign to this day. Hutton reveals the excitement
and tragedy of Charles's youth, as the realm erupted into savage civil war, leading to the execution of his father King Charles I at the hands of the rebellious Parliament. He offers a vivid account of Charles's long, desperate struggle to claim his crown, which included the catastrophic invasion
of Cromwell's England that ended in a lonely flight, as he hid in orchards, ditches, and the famous Boscobel Oak. Yet Charles persevered, and was finally recalled from exile by an exhausted nation in 1660.
Charles emerges in this narrative as a "monarch in a masquerade," a charming, duplicitous, and astonishingly lucky king who spent less time governing than he did at play (when he wasn't hunting, racing, or sailing he was with one of a series of mistresses--he acknowledged seventeen bastards
during his lifetime). His reign endured catastrophe and unrest, from the plague and the Great Fire of London, to defeat at the hands of the Dutch, to Protestant hysteria about a Catholic plot to seize the throne, to the disastrous results of his own secret diplomacy. But Charles in his good
fortune survived it all, and this lively, eminently readable book presents an unmatched account of the private life and dramatic public career of a fascinating and enduring king, while capturing the politics and personalities of a mometentous era.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Politics, British Literature, Biography Memoir, 17th Century

568 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Ronald Hutton (born 1953) is an English historian who specializes in the study of Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and contemporary Paganism. A professor of history at the University of Bristol, Hutton has published fourteen books and has appeared on British television and radio.

Reviews

[Jodi]

Trying to keep track of the life of Charles II could be an unbelievable task. Hutton does an excellent job explaining the ins and outs of Charles' life as a Prince of England, a refugee on the Continent and finally King of England. His path to kingship was, obviously, not smooth nor straight, and Hutton takes care to document and explain multiple theories and views to Charles' personality and decisions he took.
At this point, I would still consider this the definitive study on Charles II.

[Emilija]

I love this topic, but this book was incredibly dry and a bit of a slog to get through. I really loved that it was obviously so well researched, and how the author refers to other historians regularly, but his writing style was a bit of a drag.

[A.K. Frailey]

Interesting and informative but a little dry at times. I preferred reading Samuel Pepys diaries to get a feel for the personalities and the historical setting.

[Nana P.]

it should have been called "Politics in the restoration era". If you are interested in those said politics, this book might be for you, I personally wanted to learn more about Charles and I took only little information out of it. I had to torture myself through the book, and to be honest, I forgot most of it already. I am sure there is more to say about Charles than this.

[Debbie]

A good revisionist history of the reign of Charles II, concentrating particularly on the political side. A good starting point for any exploration of politics during his reign.

[Ruth]

VERY detailed and written in a very readable style

[Vincent Lombardo]

Very dry. Hutton toggles between narration and analysis, making for a choppy, incoherent read. I slogged through it, did not enjoy it, and learned little.

[Larry Hostetler]

I am not the person to comment on the scholarship of this biography, but I was impressed by a couple of aspects of the research: 1. There are considerable references throughout, and 2. There are also the author's comparisons of his opinions (where there is a legitimate difference of opinion) to other respected biographers. Hutton in his postlude explains that he limited himself to contemporary resources even though (or because of) extensive posthumous anecdotes and attributions.

For a historical biography it fluctuated between being reference work and being a good story. For engaging reading it had too much explanation, but for understanding the historical situation particularly of the court it is well to include as much as could be documented.

The outcome is that I know much more about King Charles II than I wanted to know, but appreciate the time and effort that went into the work. It is not a book for the mildly interested.

Not being familiar with the history of the life and times of Charles I had some difficulty keeping up with the plethora of courtiers, especially as Charles sought to rule England, Scotland, and Ireland.

I would give it a rating of 77 out of 100, which rounds up to four stars. Not the most engaging of reads, but valuable for the integrity of the scholarship.

[imngrer]

Who says Ronald Hutton is the foremost historian of the Restoration? I suspect it was Mr Hutton himself.

I know the Restoration is under-represented in scholarly works but there are several other note-worthy historians on the subject out there.

[Arbitrista]

A nice, well-researched biography of a man with a witty reputation and a selfish, self-interested personality. I suppose the two often go together.

[Heather De armas]

Very readable - I'd like to read his one about Druids.

[Gilbert Wesley Purdy]

More thorough than 600 pages would generally suggest. Hutton's text is well researched, highly knowledgeable and well written.

[Susan Abernethy]

Link to my review of this book:

https://flhwnotesandreviews.com/2019/...

[Mills College Library]

Biog C475h 1989