How did charles ii manage to escape to europe after his defeat in the civil war?
Answers
The King reached Bentley Hall in the early hours of 9 September. Bentley Hall was the residence of Colonel Lane who had been an officer in the Royalist Army since 1642, and sister was Jane Lane. At Moseley, Wilmot learned that Jane had obtained a permit from the military for herself and a servant to travel to Abbots Leigh, Somerset to visit Mrs. George Norton, a friend of Jane's who was having a baby. Abbots Leigh also lay just across the Avon Gorge from the important seaport of Bristol. Lord Wilmot saw the opportunity of escaping through Bristol in the guise of the servant. On learning of the King's failure to reach Wales, Wilmot decided that the King should take advantage of the military pass and travel to Bristol as Jane Lane's servant, and then find a ship to take him to France.
Early on 10 September, Charles was quickly dressed as a tenant farmer's son and adopted the alias 'William Jackson' for the next part of his journey. The party then set out, Charles riding the same horse as Jane Lane. They were accompanied by Withy Petre (Jane Lane's sister), her husband John Petre, and Henry Lascelles, another related Royalist officer. Lord Wilmot refused to travel in disguise; he rode openly half a mile ahead of the party and if challenged he said he would claim to be out hunting. This was a brave and useful decoy. The party rode through Rowley Regis then Quinton to Bromsgrove. When they arrived at Bromsgrove they found that the horse ridden by Charles and Jane had lost a shoe. The King, playing the role of servant, took the horse to a blacksmith.
After the final Royalist defeat of the English Civil War against Cromwell's New Model Army at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, Charles the son of Charles I (who was at that time King of Scotland and who was later to become Charles II of England) was forced to flee, famously avoiding detection by hiding in an oak tree in a wood that was being searched by Parliamentarian soldiers. A £1,000 reward was announced for information leading to Charles's capture. Relying on the support of a network of Royalist gentry, Charles first attempted to escape into Wales, then to Bristol disguised as a servant, then to the south coast at Charmouth disguised as an eloping lover. Finally, he rode east to Shoreham from where he took a coal boat to France on 15 October 1651.