Episode Details

Charles II hid in an oak tree while Cromwell's soldiers hunted him, fled to France disguised as a servant, and spent nine years in impoverished exile. When he returned to claim the English throne, the man the court called the Merry Monarch proved far more ruthless and calculating than his easygoing reputation suggested.

This episode traces Charles from his fugitive years through the Restoration, his secret dealings with Louis XIV, and the political maneuvering that kept him on the throne while his father had lost his head.

• He hid in the Royal Oak at Boscobel after the Battle of Worcester in 1651
• He signed a secret treaty with Louis XIV of France promising to convert to Catholicism
• He fathered at least fourteen illegitimate children but no legitimate heir
• He converted to Catholicism on his deathbed, fulfilling a promise he had kept secret for decades