Chapter V: Like a Pheonix
Final Map of London, circa 1680
With the nasty business of war finally over, the King is free to turn to his cherished dream and hope, rebuilding London as a Grand Baroque city to rival that of Paris and the other continental Capitals. The time seemed ripe for such a massive undertaking. The British Isles are at peace, trade is flourishing, the Exchequer is full for the first time in Charles' reign and London needs to recover. Charles unveils the plans of his favorite architect Christopher Wren (to be created Baron Wren in 1675 for his accomplishments in rebuilding London) to the Corporation of London (the government of the City) in July.
A combination of Renaissance planning and large-scale French garden design, the plan's central streets connect public squares and landmarks, while a narrower street grid fills the residual space. Wren's design, inspired by the Gardens of Versailles, imagined a well-ordered London with vistas and wide, straight streets. The Royal Exchange, Gold Smiths, the Royal Mint and Post Office were all to be found clustered around the main piazza (already dubbed Royal Exchange Piazza) with the Customs House sitting next to the Tower of London. And all of this would be buit in brick and stone.
These plans were both ambitious and expensive. The London Corporation objected that the Act of Parliament passed for the rebuilding gave them no powers to compensate the owners for the required land, and by August the entire enterprice was in danger of failing before it even began and it would have if not for the King. Charles is indigent at the Rulers of London for trying to block his vision of the Capital and decides to do something about it. Summoning the Lord Mayor and Aldermen to Whitehall, the King offers a compromise: In exchange for a reasonable rate being set for the Land, the King will by it himself. The Common Council (the governing body of the Corporation of London) is surprised and bit shocked. They themselves had been reluctant to support such radical changes to London, but with the King willing to (literally) put his money where his mouth is, the Council folds. Agreeing to set a fair price for compensation for the land owners of London, the dream of a Baroque London now begins to take shape.
Changes are also taking place in the Government as well. August would also see the departure of the venerable statesmen, Sir Edward Hyde Earl of Carendon from the halls of Government. The Lord Chancellor and effective leader of the Government sense the Restoration, Hyde had began to lose the support of the King in recent years. Between his criticisms of the King's personal life, openly calling the king lazy when it came to Government business and his opposition to both the Dutch war and the new Pro-French foreign policy, Clarendon now found himself on the outside of government affairs. Though some, like the Duke of Buckingham and Countess of Castlemaine, wanted to impeach him, the King declined to allow it and, via Clarendon's son-in-law the Duke of York, asked him to resign. Seeing the writing on the wall, Clarendon consented, formally leaving the Government at the end of August. Though Clarendon retains his seat in the House of Lords, and continues to receive communications from contacts abroad and from friends still in government, the Earl would never return to his previous power, dieing in 1674.
The government is now led by the Cabal, a group of ministers including the Duke of Buckingham, Henry Benet Baron Arlington (to be elevated to Earl in 1672), Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper (created Earl of Shaftesbury in 1672), John Maitland Earl of Lauderdale (elevated to Duke in 1672) and Sir Thomas Clifford (created Baron Clifford in 1672). These Ministers would remain the leaders of the Government for the next 6 years.
Finally, August sees the growth of family, with the announcement of the Queens second Pregnancy, with her due date in January. The rest of the year passes peacefully, with construction beginning on the new City of London. However, it also marks the first forlay of Queen Catherine into the world of politics, in the form of a Royal marriage. At the beginning of the year, shortly before the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon formally recognizing her beloved Portugal's independence, Dom Alfonso VI and the Count of Castelo Melhor were overthrown by Dom Pedro and Queen Maria Francisca of Savoy. This bit of family drama had little effect on Europe, but much on the Queen. Though distraught at her brothers fighting, Catherine is well aware of Alfonso's mental health and ultimately supports Pedro's actions. However, the death of Queen Maria Francisca from smallpox (shortly after her annulment from her husband Alfonso) leads to Catherine looking for a bride to help secure her nation's independence. For if Pedro were to die childless Portugal would again lost its independence, this time to England. In this the Queen turns to France.
D. Pedro Prince Regent of Portugal
Catherine's choice of bride for her brother is Élisabeth Marguerite d'Orléans, Dowager Duchesse de Guise. The daughter of Gaston Duc d'Orleans and Princess Marguerite of Lorraine, Élisabeth, called Isabelle at Court, is the widow of Louis Joseph, Duc de Guise, who died shortly after their marriage, also of smallpox. King Louis is intrigued at the match, as it would help return Portugal to the French Sphere of influence, and potentially give the French King two direct corridors of influence. One, in Portugal, threw his cousin the potential Queen of Portugal and another in England, throw Queen Catherine, who would be indebted to the French King for bestowing a Royal bride on her brother the Prince Regent D. Pedro. The King consents and broaches the match to the Portuguese Ambassador. Uninformed of the English Queen's plans, the Ambassador is surprised at the offer but quickly writes to Lisbon. The Prince Regent accepts and the pair is married by proxy in February 1669, with the new Queen arriving in Lisbon at the end of April. The Queen's first attempt at foreign diplomacy was successful.
1669 sees the continuing growth of family, with the the Queen giving birth to a boy on January 17th, named Henry-Sebastian at the insistence of the Queen and Queen Mother (January 17h is Saint Sebastian's feast day) and given the title of Duke of Kendal. In April Maria Duchess of Cumberland also gives birth, to a girl, named Elizabeth Amelia after the Duke and Duchess's mothers. The baby Prince and Princess joins their respective siblings and cousins at Richmond, under the care of the Duchess of Buckingham.
The year's political problem, however, is a serious one. In 1667, in preparation for a possible invasion of the Netherlands, the King had raised 9 new Infantry Regiments and 7 new Cavalry Regiments. When the war ended, these Regiments should have been dissolved, at least in Parliament's eyes. However, this opinion is not shared by the King. With most Continental nations expanding their armies, King Charles sees a larger standing army as necessary for the safety of his Dominions. To solve the dispute, the King pulls a masterful act of intrigue. He transformed the bulk of the regiments from English into Scottish and Irish. 5 regiments of Foot and 2 regiments of Horse (as Infantry and Cavalry regiments were termed in the English Army) were sent to Ireland, 2 foot and 1 Horse to Scotland and 1 Foot and 1 Cavalry are sent to the port of Tangiers (a city on the coast of Africa, it along with Bombay in India were part of Queen Catherine of Braganza's dowry), with the remaining 1 Foot and Cavalry remaining in England. Parliament is indignant at being outsmarted but, with the majority of the new army outside England, they are appeased for the time being.
Greenwich Palace in the 1690s
On a more pleasant note, 1669 also extensive construction at Greenwich Palace. The site of so many happy memories of his childhood, Charles II had decided to focus some of his new wealth into restoring the country Palace as a summer residence for his wife and children. Though the renovations wouldn't be finished until 1672, Greenwich would represent the new found domestic bliss in the Royal relationship, as the Queen begins to exercise more influence over the Court, spurred on by the Queen Mother. Finally, the Queens begin to press the King to revive the old summer progresses. Something straight out of the 1630s, under the previous reign King Charles I and the present Queen Mother would spend the summer months traveling throwout the countryside, staying with Nations various leading aristocrats. Stopped with the political crises of 1640 and 1641, they finally ended in with the coming of the English Civil wars. Now the Queens push for their return. However, it would be several years before the King seriously considers it.
All in all, as a new decade approaches, the future of the British Isles seems to be full of riches and success.
