I love this end scene because it tells what happened to the people involved in Charles's life, a good idea to some who are a little rusty about their history
Charles II, by far, my favorite English monarch, spent his life protecting his brother James (who did not have a clue as to what the English public would tolerate).
I have a lot of affection for James II. He could have been a king as good as his brother, had he been given the chance. I agree about the mistresses. We tend to romanticise the gold-diggers of the past, but let us not forget "pretty, witty Nell" holding her own baby over a stream and threatening to drop him unless Charles gave him a title.
To be fair, we don't know if that story about Nell threatening to drop her child is even true. There's another that says he got the title because Nell said "Come here you little bastard", and when the King protested, Nell said that the King had given him no other name to call him by. Either or neither might be true, and both suggest careful calculation to gain a title. Personally, I doubt she'd have dropped him, and I suspect the King knew it - it was a strong push to get a title, and the King perhaps simply played along.
Don't be too hard on James II. He was deeply scarred emotionally by the Civil War and lacked his brother's ability both to forgive and to make himself liked. He was overthrown because of anti-Catholic bigotry, not because he deserved to be. Charles I, the Martyr and Charles II were two of our best Kings and James II was far from the worst.
Charles I was so bad at being king that all three of his kingdoms rebelled against him for entirely separate reasons. Charles II was okay. And James II couldn’t read the room.
@lichtbroeder Yes he was. His Brother said years before he died that James would end up losing the crown. King Charles on his death bed ended his life as a catholic. James on the other hand flaunted his catholicism in a Protestant country. I call that STUPID!
I agree but he was also an authoritarian who wanted to rule without parliament. Therefore without the people, the system we have now is not perfect but is the best form of government to secure people's freedom and maintain a constitutional monarchy!
@odinkey76 Not really 'James III' was widely said and perceived to have been illegitimate. James II had been married to Mary of Modena for 15 years when they allegedly had their child which seemed bizarre at a time when a marriage was traditionally consummated as soon as possible. It would have been more scandalous to put 'James III' on the throne than William of Orange and Mary.
Stop lying, the marriage was consummated soon after. James II (when he was Duke of York) and Mary of Modena had 5 stillbirths and lost an additional 5 children in infancy before James III's birth.
@@cg8397 I don’t think OP means that the lateness of the baby meant the marriage took a decade and a half to be consummated, only that it make it look very sus.
@odinkey76 Not really 'James III' was widely said and perceived to have been illegitimate. James II had been married to Mary of Modena for 15 years when they allegedly had their child which seemed bizarre at a time when a marriage was traditionally consummated as soon as possible. It would have been more scandalous to put 'James III' on the throne than William of Orange and Mary.
Stop lying, the marriage was consummated soon after. James II (when he was Duke of York) and Mary of Modena had 5 stillbirths and lost an additional 5 children in infancy before James III's birth.
Catherine of Braganza? Probably not. Remember, he had a lot of mistresses and there was one that kept jumping in the King and Queen's relationship. Barbara Palmer kept bullying her to no end and she actually had the King make her one of her ladies in waiting. I would've hated being in her position, if I couldn't get the marriage to work out if I was in charles's position I would've made the marriage annulled and sent her straight back to Portugal.
Catherine of Braganza brought a large dowry in the form of land in India. Charles ii had a heart,but was also pragmatic and wasnt about to return that dowry.@AthenaMinerva-bn4xf
