The disastrous reign of King Charles II, the 'party King' of England
King Charles II was on the throne from 1660 until his death in 1685. There was a lot going on during the King's rule; the plague, a mini-ice age and the Great Fire of London to name just three.
Disasters and politics aside, Charles was known as being something of a "party King." As one of his courtiers famously said, "Charles would have been an excellent King if he had been less addicted to women."
The royal had a colourful range of mistresses, including members of the British and French aristocracy, as well as famous actresses Nell Gwyn and Moll Davis.
Learn more about King Henry II and other rarely-heard stories from the privy chamber in Beyond the Royal Throne from 9Podcasts.
One of the most significant women to share the King's bed was Barbara Palmer, who was his main mistress through the 1600s, in the years before he married Queen Catherine.
It's no wonder Barbara caught the King's eye; she was an outstanding beauty with blue eyes, long brown hair and sensuous features.
She was married at the time she met the King, but that certainly didn't stop him from pursuing her. Barbara gave birth to five of his children, which must have been devastating for Queen Catherine, who suffered multiple miscarriages and was never able to have a baby.
The King also fell in lust with French woman Louise de Kéroualle at the same time he was juggling a high-profile affair with actress Nell Gwyn. The two women despised each other and fought for the right to be the King's main squeeze.
However, Charles was besotted with Nell from the moment he saw her perform onstage in the late 1660s. Their affair that lasted several years, although Nell never really fitted in at court because she was viewed by others as being vulgar (not that she cared at all).
There were fireworks when Charles, who clearly had an eye for the actresses, began chasing one of Nell's rivals, Moll Davis. Moll eventually gave birth to the last of the King's 15 children.
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According to historian Linda Porter, the author of Mistresses: Sex and Scandal in the Court of Charles II there were several pros and cons to consider when talking about the so-called "party King" of England.
"He was a much more complex man than the 'party King' image suggests. I think he should be remembered not just for his mistresses, but for what he did to Great Britain, which was not very positive. He sold his country to the French, he lost various wars with the Dutch…it was not an easy reign to live through," Linda says.
"On the positive side, there was a groundswell of Restoration culture. Restoration drama, particularly comedy is extremely fine and is still enjoyed by people today.
"Charles also had an interest in science, which was more than just dabbling, and the Royal Society was set up during his reign. So, there are positives as well as negatives."
The King's other significant mistress, Louise de Kéroualle had once been in the service of Charles's sister Henrietta. When Henrietta died, King Charles made sure many of her staff were moved to the palace.
Louise, who came from a minor aristocratic French family, held a special place in Charles' heart for many years.
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According to Linda Porter, there were rumours over the years that Louise had been involved in espionage. But, while many politicians tried to romance her, (assuming she'd pass on top secret information), Linda says Louise was far from being an actual spy.
"Louise acted as a kind of social hostess – or, these days, we'd call her an influencer. But I don't think she had as much influence over Charles as politicians thought she had. Charles seems to be a man who kept his thoughts to himself.
"Things whispered over the pillow case he may, or may not have taken any notice of what Louise said to him," Linda says.
"And her grasp of English politics was not very good. So it's colourful to describe her as a spy, but it's really a by-product of what she did, rather than being the reason for her existence."
In 1674 Charles was infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) which he passed to Louise. She was so horrified, she apparently berated him in front of the visiting French ambassador for giving her the dreadful infection.
In those days, the only way to treat an STD was with mercury, arsenic and sulphur, which resulted in dreadful side effects and sometimes death by mercury poisoning.
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Louise was known to be a great love of the King's life, but she was never fully welcomed in court. When Charles died in 1685 after suffering a stroke, Louise returned to France, where she lived a long life.
But of all the women who shared the King's bed, there was just one woman who truly loved him. Queen Catherine, who endured humiliation after humiliation, as Charles had children with his mistresses, was the one woman who was with Charles until the very end.
"She deserves our admiration, as a woman who couldn't compete with Charles' mistresses. She had several miscarriages, and seemed to be unable to have children. But when it became apparent that there weren't going to be any children, by around 1669, she decided to make a life of her own," Linda says.
As for the King's 15 illegitimate children, several of them had many well-known descendants. Princess Diana was descended from two of Charles' illegitimate sons; Henry Fitzroy and Charles Lennox.
This means should her son Prince William, become King, he'd be the first blood descendant of Charles II to do so.
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