The King's Revenge

by Don Jordan

Overview

When Charles I was executed, his son made it his role to seek out retribution, producing the biggest manhunt Britain had ever seen, one that would span Europe and America and would last for thirty years. When he ascended to the throne in 1660 as Charles II, his search for revenge intensified, with show trials in London and assassination squads scouring foreign countries. Many of the most senior figures in England were hanged, drawn and quartered; imprisoned for life; or consigned to a self-imposed exile, in constant fear of the assassin's bullet.History has painted the regicides and their supporters as fanatics, but among them were exceptional men, including John Milton, poetic genius and political propagandist; Oliver Cromwell's steely son-in-law, Henry Ireton; and the errant son of an earl, Algernon Sidney, whose writings helped inspire the founders of the American Revolution. Cromwell himself was subjected to the most bizarre symbolic revenge when—though long-dead—his body was disinterred and beheaded.Set in an age of intrigue and betrayal, The King's Revenge brings these remarkable figures vividly to life in an engrossing tale of ambition, double agents, and espionage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681772028
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Don Jordan has twice won a Blue Ribbon Award at the New York Film and Television Festival and has written four books with Michael Walsh. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Preface 1

1 The Watchtower 7

2 'That Man of Blood': January 1647-January 1649 18

3 A Wicked Design: 8 January-27 January 1649 34

4 Execution: 29 January-7 February 1649 54

5 Propaganda and Assassination: January 1649-October 1651 67

6 'The Honour of Dying for the People': April 1653-August 1658 87

7 Alter Oliver: September 1658-October 1659 109

8 The Invader: October 1659-February 1660 123

9 The Round-up begins: February-April 1660 145

10 Exodus: April-May 1660 161

11 Death List: May-September 1660 180

12 'The Guilt of Blood': 8-12 October 1660 209

13 Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't: 13-19 October 1660 228

14 Disinterred: November 1660-April 1661 243

15 Bloodhounds: May-September 1661 255

16 On the Word of a King: September 1661-July 1663 273

17 The Tightening Net: 1663-1665 288

18 Plans to Invade and Hopes Dashed: 1665-1692 311

19 Epilogue: the Legacy of the Regicides 325

Appendix I The Regicides and their Fate 329

Appendix II People 337

Notes 341

Bibliography 357

Acknowledgements 361

Index 363

Editorial Reviews

06/13/2016
Jordan and Walsh follow The King’s Bed with a further examination of the Merry Monarch’s English court, this time focusing on Charles II’s mission to find the parties responsible for the execution of Charles I. Charles II reveled in his court, which teemed with beautiful women and other tempting diversions, but the newly restored king also diligently hunted and brutally punished dozens of men who played roles in executing his father and temporarily banishing the monarchy. The authors see Charles as primarily motivated by pleasure and punishment, with little nuance in between; this gives their book an emphasis on the pre- and post-restoration lives of the regicides rather than the king. They admiringly assert that the regicides’ contributions to free health care, legal rights, and political reforms outlasted their failed experiment, which was marred by repressive Puritanism and post-Commonwealth chaos. As in their previous work, Jordan and Walsh showcase their wit throughout a clear disentangling of alliances and betrayals. The book’s strength is humanizing this diverse group of hunted men, and Jordan and Walsh give readers good reason to revisit the infamous and implacable revolutionaries who murdered a monarch and later lost everything. Agency: Charlie Viney Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

This is a terrific read.

The Spectator

A thoroughly entertaining account of these extraordinary events. A vivid and consuming piece of historical narrative.

The Sunday Times (London)

A fast-paced, lively work.

BBC History Magazine

In this beautifully detailed and seamlessly written book Jordan and Walsh shine a new light on Charles II. Their energetic and masterful account makes for a Restoration romp worth reading.

The Sunday Express

An absorbing history packed with more plotting than an episode of The Borgias.

Booklist

An absorbing history packed with more plotting than an episode of The Borgias.

Booklist

A fast-paced, lively work— BBC History Magazine

This is a terrific read— Spectator

Jordan and Walsh provide a thoroughly entertaining account of these extraordinary events . . . a vivid and consuming piece of historical narrative— Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times

In this beautifully detailed and seamlessly written book Jordan and Walsh shine a new light on Charles II . . . their energetic and masterful account makes for a Restoration romp worth reading— Sunday Express

An absorbing history packed with more plotting than an episode of The Borgias.— Booklist

From the Publisher

06/01/2016
In their follow-up to The King's Bed: Ambition and Intimacy in the Court of Charles II, historians and coauthors Jordan and Walsh meticulously chronicle the trial and execution of Charles I of England (1600–49) and the vengeance that his son, Charles II (1630–85) sought as he fought his way back into power. While The King's Bed provided insight into Charles II's obsessions during his reign, readers will gain further understanding of the torments that defined him as a young man as well as a look into the political upheaval that befell 17th-century England. A helpful appendix lists the names and fates of the 59 men labeled regicides after signing Charles I's death warrant. For a thorough investigation of the lives of these regicides, see Charles Spencer's Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I. Jordan and Walsh focus primarily on Charles II's story as revenge became his utmost priority. VERDICT Crafted like a spy novel as Charles II set about to find the living regicides, this work will intrigue readers with the breadth and ruthlessness of the king's search. For readers interested in this thrilling period in British history.—Katie McGaha, County of Los Angeles P.L.

Library Journal

2016-05-15
A bloody history of treachery and retribution told with zest.Jordan and Walsh (The King's Bed: Ambition and Intimacy in the Court of Charles II, 2016, etc.) follow their examination of Charles II's sexual escapades with a close look at his career after claiming the throne in 1660. Vowing revenge, Charles set out "to chase, pursue, kill and destroy" the 59 men who executed his father. The authors reprise the downfall of Charles I, who ruled tyrannically, incurring the wrath of Parliament, the gentry, and the aristocracy, inciting many to question the legitimacy of the monarchy. Civil wars ensued, resulting in the rise of Oliver Cromwell as "Lord Protector for life." Cromwell's reign—he staged his own coronation—infuriated his enemies. When he died in 1658 from malaria (he "had survived myriad battles, intrigues and assassination plots only to be laid low by an insect"), Charles II saw his chance to return from exile. The authors characterize Charles as a cynical pragmatist who handily quashed his opponents, claimed the property and estates of those he identified as threats, and refused any compromise to his royal power. He was not beloved: among his detractors was John Milton, who bitterly condemned a restored monarchy. Edmund Burke derided Charles as "dissolute, false, venal, and destitute of any positive good quality whatsoever." Still, Burke noted, England yearned for a king, to promote "peace and liberty." As king, Charles displayed traits "developed over long years of exile and futility": predilection for philandering, inattentiveness to governing, and laziness. His court was "wonderfully corrupt and licentious." The authors chronicle the arrest of the regicides and their sensational mass trial, and they focus especially on the lives of 20 fugitives in America and Europe, eluding capture by Charles's henchmen. The authors praise the "odd coalition" of regicides as "men of principle" who ushered in Britain's modern constitutional monarchy. An absorbing narrative that shifts the focus from monarchs to rebels.

Kirkus Reviews