After the death of Charles I, who was beheaded outside Whitehall,
his son went to Sctland, the birthplace of his line, where his
followers proclaimed him King.
In 1660, just as the fortunes of the Stuarts seemed to be
finally broken, Charles II, who had been wandering on the Continent
for several years, benefited by the weariness of the opposing
parties: he was called back to London and ascended the Throne.
Reprisals immediately followed the restoration.
For, despite a formal amnesty, the scaffold was set up for those
who had taken part in the beheading of Charles I, and the most cruel
tortures were devised for them. As for Cromwell, his remains were dug
up from Westminster Abbey and buried under the gallows at Tyburn.
 A reminder of these events cannot fail to give a deeply
moving character to the accompanying letter, in which Charles I
announces to his ill-fated sister Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, known
to history as the "Winter Queen", the birth of a son, the future
Charles II, who was destined, thirty years after, to avenge his
father on thse who took the most active part in his execution.
(Royal Library, Windsor Castle)
[Charles I (1600-1649) became king in 1625. During the
next four years, he called three Parliaments and dissolved each one
because the members would not submit to his demands. In 1628, he
accepted the Petition of Right drawn up by the third Parliament. But
he violated it by raising money unlawfully.]
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