CHARLES II

Charles II (1630-1685), King of Scotland (1649-1651) and King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1660-1685). Document Signed, 'Charles R', Hampton Court, 17 July 1662, brown ink on laid paper, being the king's instructions to Edward, Earl of Manchester and Edward, Earl of Sandwich, on their appointment at Lieutenants of the County of Huntingdon, signed at head of first page by the monarch and countersigned by Sir Edward Nicholas, Secretary of State at foot, some spotting and dust soiling, some fold tears and a little fraying to foremargins without loss of text, trace of seal on first page, 3 pages, folioSir Edward Nicholas (1593-1669), English officeholder and politician who served as Secretary of State to Charles I and Charles II.Edward MONTAGU (2nd Earl of Manchester, 1602-1671, Commander of Parliamentary forces in the Civil War, for a time he was Oliver Cromwell's Superior). Montagu accompanied Prince Charles during his 1623 trip to Habsburg Spain in pursuit of the Spanish Match. Having become a member of the Committee of Both Kingdoms in 1644, he was in supreme command at the Battle of Marston Moor but in the subsequent operations his lack of energy brought him into disagreement with Cromwell, and in November 1644 he strongly expressed his disapproval of continuing the war. He opposed the trial of the king, and retired from public life during the Commonwealth but after the Restoration, which he actively assisted, he was loaded with honours by Charles II. In 1660, he was nominated by the House of Lords to be one of the Commissioners for the Great Seal of England.Edward MONTAGU (1st Earl of Sandwich, 1625-1672, Military Officer, Politician and Diplomat). During the English Civil War, he served with the Parliamentarian army, and was a Member of Parliament at various times between 1645 and 1660. Under The Protectorate, he was also a member of the English Council of State and General at sea.