Description:

Charles II, in exile in France, appeals for support in Scotland to mount an invasion of England to overthrow Oliver Cromwell, "whereby we may suppresse those wicked rebels, and relieve our good Subjects..."

Document Signed "Charles R" as King, in exile, 1 page, 8.75" x 13.25" with blank integral leaf, Paris, June 25, 1652, to an unknown recipient promoting support for an uprising against the Cromwellian dictatorship. Expected folds, with light toning and soiling, seal remnants and mild dampstain on verso, professionally cleaned and restored and in overall very good condition.

The document reads in full (with period spelling and grammar retained): "Trusty and wellbeloved We greete you well. We have received so good information of your affection and zeale to our service, that we are most confident you will_gladly embrace any opportunity to contribute your utmost endeavour to the advacem[en]t thereof and to the recovery of your Countrey from the oppression, misery, and dishonor it now groans under by the insolence and tyranny of our English rebells, who propose to themselves the absolute charge of the whole Government thereof and the extirpation of the ancient Nobility and Gentry of that our Kingdome and the entire subiecting [?] of it so their Arbitrary and Lawless Jurisdiction; which every true Scotchman must from his heart abhorre; And therefore we have appointed Lieuten[an]t General Middleton (to whose fidelity and conduct we have committed the managery of that great affaire) to communicate your purpose unto you, that we are resolved to leave no way unattempted on our part, whereby we may suppresse those wicked rebels, and relieve our good Subjects of that Kingdome. For the better and more effectuall doing whereof We desire you to give him your best assistance, in such manner, as upon conference with him, or with any person intrusted by him to you, he shall make _ appeare unto you to be most conducing thereunto. And whatsoever part you whall beare in this good worke, upon information given us by our said Lieutenant Generall. We shall for the present acknowledge, and gratify and reward assoone as it shallbe in our power. And so we bid you hearty farewell Given at the Louvre in Paris the 25th day of June. In the fourth yeare of R. Reigne."

Smarting from his defeat at the hands of Oliver Cromwell at Worcester and now in exile in Paris, Charles II renews his efforts to secure the English throne. Addressing an unknown Scotsman, Charles invokes the personality of General John Middleton to rally more Scots to the aid of the Stuarts.

Following the execution of his father in 1649 at the hands of Oliver Cromwell, the Scottish Parliament, dominated by the Covenanter faction, declared Charles II "King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland," but refused him entry unless he accepted Presbyterianism thought the realm. At first, Charles II resisted, but after one of his loyal generals, James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, mounted an unauthorized invasion of Scotland which ended in his capture and execution, he acceded to the demands of the Scottish Parliament. Charles arrived in Scotland in in June 1650 where he formally agreed to the Covenanters' demands. In January 1651 he was formally crowned King of Scotland, but following his defeat by Cromwell's forces at Worcester in September 1651, he went into exile in France.

Charles now pinned his hopes on the skills and abilities of John Middleton (1608-1674). Middleton was a professional soldier during the English Civil War and during The Restoration. A Scotsman, Middleton first served in France in 1632 as a pikeman but quickly rose to the ranks. In 1639 he served under James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose during the Bishop's Wars against Charles I. During the English Civil War he served as a colonel in the Parliamentarian army, subsequently leading the cavalry with the rank of lieutenant general. In 1646, he became commander-in-chief of the Army of the Covenant with whom, in 1648 he invaded northern England in an unsuccessful effort to secure the release of Charles I who had been imprisoned by the Parliamentarians. Defeated by Cromwell at Preston, he returned to Scotland and attempted to foment a royalist uprising there. When Charles II landed in Scotland, Middleton became a general in his army, but was wounded and captured at the Battle of Worcester in September 1651 and imprisoned at the Tower of London. He soon escaped and joined Charles II in exile in Paris.

In February 1654, Middleton again travelled to Scotland in commanded of Charles II's troops during the brief Royalist uprising there. After his defeat at the hands of General Monck at Dalnaspidal in July 1654, he returned to exile with Charles II in Paris. Following the restoration of Charles II in 1660, Middleton became 1st Earl of Middleton. In 1668 Charles II made him Governor of Tangier, a post he held until his death six years later.

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