Charles arrived in London to claim the throne on his 30th birthday, May 29, 1660. He was extremely tolerant of those who had condemned his father to death: only nine of the conspirators were executed. He was also tolerant in religious matters, but more from political wisdom than overwhelming morality. England was overjoyed at having a monarch again. However, royal powers and privileges had been severely limited by Parliament. He was forced to fund his administration from customs taxes and a healthy pension paid to him by France's Louis XIV. Royal prerogative, the soul of the Tudor monarchs, James I and Charles I, had all but vanished. This moment was a turning point in English political history, as Parliament maintained a superior position to that of the king, and the modern concept of political parties formed from the ashes of the Cavaliers and Roundheads. The Cavaliers evolved into the Tory Party, royalists intent on preserving the king's authority over Parliament, while the Roundheads transformed into the Whig Party, men of property dedicated to expanding trade abroad and maintaining Parliament's supremacy in the political field.

The first decade of Charles' reign was beset by many problems. Defeat at the hands of the Dutch in a mishandled war over foreign commerce cost him domestic support. The Great Plague of 1665 and the Fire of London in the following year left much of the city in ruins. In 1667, the Dutch sailed up the Medway, sunk five battleships and towed the Royal Charles back to Holland. King and Council were ridiculed for not having enough interest in the affairs of government.

The 1670's saw Charles' forging a new alliance with France against the Dutch. French support was based on the promise that Charles would reintroduce Catholicism in England at a convenient time - apparently, that convenient time never came, as Charles did nothing to bring England under the Catholic umbrella, although he made a deathbed conversion to the Roman faith. The Whigs used Catholicism to undermine Charles; England was in the throes of yet another wave of anti-Catholicism, with the Whigs employing this paranoia in an attempt to unseat the heir apparent, Charles' Catholic brother James, from succeeding to the throne. Titus Oates, a defrocked Anglican priest, stoked the fires of anti-Catholicism by accusing the queen and her favorites of attempting to murder Charles; ten men fell prey to false witness and Oates' manipulation of the anti-Catholic movement, and were executed. Many accused Anthony Cooper, Earl of Shaftsbury and founder of the Whig Party, of inciting the anti-Catholic violence of 1679-80; this has remained one of the greatest mysteries in British history. The Whig-dominated Parliament tried to push through an Exclusion Bill barring Catholics from holding public office (and keeping James Stuart from the throne), but Charles was struck down by a fever and opinion swayed to his side. His last years were occupied with securing his brother's claim to the throne and garnering Tory support.

Charles' era is remembered as the time of "Merry Olde England". The monarchy, although limited in scope, was successfully restored - the eleven years of Commonwealth were officially ignored as nothing more than an interregnum between the reign of Charles I and Charles II. Charles' tolerance was astounding considering the situation of England at the time of his ascension, but was necessary for his reign to stand a chance at success. He was intelligent and a patron of scientific research, but somewhat lazy as a ruler, choosing to wait until the last moment to make a decision. The British attitude towards Charles II is humorously revealed in this quote from 1066 and All That: "Charles II was always very merry and was therefore not so much a king as a Monarch. During the civil war, he had rendered valuable assistance to his father's side by hiding in all the oak-trees he could find. He was thus very romantic and popular and was able after the death of Cromwell to descend to the throne."

Charles II's Genealogy
A guide to the monarch's ancestors and offspring. These trails can lead you through the history of Europe's royal houses and to some unexpected places.
http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon49.html

The BBC is to broadcast a £4m drama about the life of King Charles II, which is being described as an "historical West Wing".

King Charles II forms part of an ambitious new batch of period dramas, including one about the life of Lord Byron starring Jonny Lee Miller as the rebel poet, ordered by the BBC controller of drama, Jane Tranter.

The Charles II drama will provide plenty of uncomfortable parallels with today's royals, featuring the monarch's squabbling family and his glamorous mistresses, who included 17th century sex symbol Nell Gwynne and French spy Louise de Keroualle.

"It's going to be a racy, visceral, violent, modern and no holds barred look at what being king meant to Charles II," Ms Tranter said.

"Charles II was the first monarch who had to work with parliament and it will be a bit of a historical West Wing. I also expect it to invoke memories of I, Claudius," she added.

"It will be one of the most ribald things we've done on BBC1. He had more mistresses in five years than most people get through in a lifetime. Then there's the great plague and the great fire of London."

Charles II came into power following the death of Oliver Cromwell and the restoration of the monarchy and although there was censorship at the time, the era and his decadent court has been well documented by diarist Samuel Pepys.

King Charles II will go out as a two-part drama on BBC1 next year.

The drama is being written by Adrian Hodges, whose credits include David Copperfield and The Lost World.

Ms Tranter said Byron, which is a two-parter for BBC2, would take "an utterly modern look" at the romantic poet's life.

"Byron was one of the first overnight celebrities in London. He was the Robbie Williams of his day," she added.

"The drama will look at what it meant to be both blessed and cursed with genius."

Ms Tranter is talking to Trainspotting star Jonny Lee Miller about playing Byron, but no contract has been signed.

Byron is being written by Nick Dear, whose previous screenwriting work has included adapting Jane Austen's Persuasion.

It will be directed by Julian Farino, who most recently shot critically lauded BBC2 disability drama Flesh and Blood.

Ms Tranter has also given the green light to two children's drama adaptations for BBC1.

Jim Broadbent is being lined up to star in Patrick Barlow's adaptation of The Young Visiters, the 1919 novel by child prodigy Daisy Ashford.

The Young Visiters was published when Ashford was just nine, complete with spelling mistakes - hence the title.

Pauline Quirke will star in an adaptation of Nina Bawden's novel, Carrie's War, which tells the story of London evacuees in Wales during the second world war.