Charles II and his Escape into Exile: Capture the King

It’s hard to imagine in this day of public obsession with all things royal that there was a time when the very institution of the English monarchy was so tentative. This was the case during the start of King Charles II’s reign as sovereign of Great Britain. This excellent book covers the perils this young man had to undertake to reclaim his kingship, the desperate escapes he would make after aborted attempts, and the indignity of living in exile.

This book goes to great pains to place the reader in the heart of the action and almost always succeeds masterfully. We read Charles not as a dull historic figure, long removed from modern life, but rather as a real, impatient, and daring youth. A man who quietly mourns the loss of his father and kingdom. The trying tale of a man who was not born into working-class poverty and has to adapt to survive it.

There is a struggle between two different forces seeking to control the people of England during one of the nation’s most revolutionary moods. Charles is a king without a kingdom and a man without direction. He is grasping at whatever straws he can to preserve his identity. He uses every inch of his long frame to escape and reclaim his homeland.

This is a marvelous historical adventure of one man born into power, raised without guidance, with profound determination to reclaim his destiny.