Historical and Commemorative
Collection of Benjamin Weiss
EMBARKATION OF CHARLES II AND HIS COURT AT SCHEVENINGEN ON HIS RESTORATION TO ENGLAND
ABEELE, Pieter van: England, 1660, Silver, 70 mm
Charles II (1630-1685) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1660 to1685. After the execution of his father, Charles I, he fled to France but in 1650 was invited to Scotland and crowned king in 1651. Charles' attempted invasion of England was repulsed at the Battle of Worcester by Oliver Cromwell, and he was forced back into exile. In 1660 Charles issued the Declaration of Breda, in which he promised religious toleration and amnesty for his enemies. Parliament agreed to the Declaration, and Charles left Holland on June 2, 1660 and was crowned king in May 1660, ushering in the Restoration. Charles attempted to preserve royal power, accepting secret subsidies from Louis XIV of France in exchange for promoting Roman Catholicism. Charles' support of Louis led to the Dutch Wars (1672-74). Conflict was further fueled by strong anti-Catholic feeling, manifested in the "Popish Plot" rumor and the Exclusion Crisis (1679-81) when attempts were made to exclude Charles' brother, the Catholic Duke of York (later James II), from the succession.
This medal commemorates the event which on June 2, 1660, Charles II and
his court embarked at Scheveningen following his restoration to the English
throne. The King sailed on board the Naseby, which as a result of this
journey was renamed the Royal Charles.
LINK to Battle of Worcester (from British Civil Wars)
LINK to Declaration of Breda (from British Civil Wars)
LINK to Restoration of the Stuart Dynasty (from World History at KMLA)
LINK to Dutch Wars (from World History at KMLA)
LINK to Popish Plot (from britannica.com)