The one time when the monarchy failed to keep the armed forces on side resulted in the Civil War and their ejection. The royals got back in track in 1660 with Charles II, but monarchal life was never quite the same. Money, Charles found, was in short supply. Which was embarrassing for a monarch looking across the Channel and seeing the shimmering glory of Louis XIV living the life of a Sun King at Versailles. Not to be outdone, the cunning Charles struck a deal so shady he could have ended the monarchy for good.

At Windsor Castle you can find a small but spectacular silver side-table. The heavily embossed - and therefore totally impractical - object was commissioned by Charles II in about 1670. He believed that a monarch should be surrounded by magnificence in order to command the respect of his subjects and rivals.

But without the money to implement his grand plan he had to do some royal “outside of the box” thinking. He came up with a solution that makes Del Boy’s convoluted and risky schemes appear considered and astute. Charles decided to get Louis XIV to pay. Which, in a roundabout way, he duly did. (Treaty of Dover - 1670)

And, in an ironic reversal of fortunes, while the British monarchy has kept its fabulous silver table, the French have found themselves a bit short. An expensive war with Holland meant that they had to melt down much of their high status silver to fund the war effort.

To come across objects such as these is like finding an old cinema ticket in your pocket - proof, evidence, of what went before. The paintings and artefacts amassed over the centuries by our kings and queens not only shed a fresh light on the monarchy, but also help to bring the past alive.

Tagged as: charles ii. history. 17th Century. British history.


My picture FUCK YEAH CHARLES II
Charles II was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1660 to 1685. Also known as the Merry Monarch, he is infamous for his numerous mistresses and rowdy court- but there's a lot more to Charlie than debauchery and scandal. This blog is here to showcase every aspect of his life, with a generous dollop of humour thrown in.

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