2-692-933 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'King Charles the 2nd in Disguise rideing before Mrs Lane by which he made his escape: the Lord Wilmot at a distance', (early 18th century). After the execution of his father, Charles I, Charles II (1630-1685) claimed the throne and invaded England in 1651. He was defeated by the Parliamentarian army at the Battle of Worcester and was forced to hide in a hollow oak tree near Boscobel House in Shropshire to elude the Parliamentarian forces trying to capture him. Charles escaped into exile in disguise but returned when the monarchy was restored after the death of Oliver Cromwell and the end of the Protectorate.