WI: Charles I in Exile

A weird little idea I had: what if Charles I, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland had fled into exile, maybe setting up a court-in-exile perhaps in the Netherlands or in France, during the Civil War? What effects would it have on Cromwell's regime? Would we see more military expeditions to attempt to recover the lost crowns during the Commonwealth?
 
A weird little idea I had: what if Charles I, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland had fled into exile, maybe setting up a court-in-exile perhaps in the Netherlands or in France, during the Civil War? What effects would it have on Cromwell's regime? Would we see more military expeditions to attempt to recover the lost crowns during the Commonwealth?

I think we could well see Cromwell's commonwealth sitting on very unstable ground. Perhaps more expeditions as well.

The query I have is how does he escape?
 
Well considering that Charles I of England was pretty much incompetent if he did manage to flee into exile, his attempts at getting his country back would probably end in failure. Basically he'd do more to discredit the concept of monarchy than a cartload of political theorists.
 
I think we could well see Cromwell's commonwealth sitting on very unstable ground. Perhaps more expeditions as well.

The query I have is how does he escape?

Maybe from the Isle of Wight to France or something?


Well considering that Charles I of England was pretty much incompetent if he did manage to flee into exile, his attempts at getting his country back would probably end in failure. Basically he'd do more to discredit the concept of monarchy than a cartload of political theorists.

I don't doubt he would, which would mean that the Restoration would (if) occur under some VERY different circumstances? Perhaps at the head of an invading army? Parliament crushed beneath their boots? And how long before the next Civil War?
 
I don't doubt he would, which would mean that the Restoration would (if) occur under some VERY different circumstances? Perhaps at the head of an invading army? Parliament crushed beneath their boots? And how long before the next Civil War?

My thinking is that Charles I would never give up trying to get 'his rightful throne' back, but again he was an idiot with a talent for making enemies out people that could have been his friends. So all in all he's wind up like 'the Old Pretender' and 'the Young Pretender' in RL. However he might be able to get continental backing for his ventures, after all what right-minded European monarch would even LIKE an English Republic?

All in all I could see Charles I's attempts to get 'Britain' back failing, though he might succeeded in landing in Britain a few times, maybe even seize London once or twice, but he'd never be able to really secure his holdings before being driven back by Cromwell's forces.

And due to Charles I being at the head of foreign forces, attacking his (so-called) nation, over and over again, I could see it doing A LOT of damage to the concept of monarchy in Britain. It would be even worse if/when one of his sons publicly became Catholic. Oliver Cromwell would REALLY milk that and use it to portray the Commonwealth as the ONLY bulwark against the return of the 'Tyrannical CATHOLIC Stuarts'.
 
Tbf I reckon Cromwell would probably do something that would piss someone off. The man was an absolute ass hat, more so than Charles
 
I agree that neither Cromwell nor Charlie were the sharpest tools in the shed in certain regards, but would that mean that the Parliamentarians would continue supporting Queen Dick when Ollie dies, if Charles is still living? Or would they attempt to restore Charles II instead of his father? And how might Charles II's personality be different if they DON'T behead his dad?
 
Maybe his survival would mean that the English royals would choose another country for their exile. Maybe they could go in exile in Denmark instead, Charles I's mother was Danish. Charles may not survive a long time (his children didn't became especially old), but if English royals spend their exile in Denmark instead, they will almost certainly not convert to Catholicism, in worst case they may become Lutherans. Princess Henrietta could marry Christian V instead of her OTL husband. Of course Frederik III would not be a guy funding any adventures in England.

But how would it affect England if the Stuarts stay Protestants. Even if they convert to Lutheranism.
 
Maybe his survival would mean that the English royals would choose another country for their exile. Maybe they could go in exile in Denmark instead, Charles I's mother was Danish. Charles may not survive a long time (his children didn't became especially old), but if English royals spend their exile in Denmark instead, they will almost certainly not convert to Catholicism, in worst case they may become Lutherans. Princess Henrietta could marry Christian V instead of her OTL husband. Of course Frederik III would not be a guy funding any adventures in England.

But how would it affect England if the Stuarts stay Protestants. Even if they convert to Lutheranism.

I could see one of Charles I's sons being offered the Polish Throne at some point, especially if one of them does become Catholic. If James gets the offer and the family is still in exile, I could see him taking it (unlike in RL when he refused it).
 
Maybe his survival would mean that the English royals would choose another country for their exile. Maybe they could go in exile in Denmark instead, Charles I's mother was Danish. Charles may not survive a long time (his children didn't became especially old), but if English royals spend their exile in Denmark instead, they will almost certainly not convert to Catholicism, in worst case they may become Lutherans. Princess Henrietta could marry Christian V instead of her OTL husband. Of course Frederik III would not be a guy funding any adventures in England.

But how would it affect England if the Stuarts stay Protestants. Even if they convert to Lutheranism.

I think that there's a good chance that Charlie will see 60, his dad and sister both did, and if we exclude his three daughters (Elizabeth, Anne and Katherine), his kids that died young didn't have their deaths set in stone, their final illnesses could've easily gone the other way.
I could see one of Charles I's sons being offered the Polish Throne at some point, especially if one of them does become Catholic. If James gets the offer and the family is still in exile, I could see him taking it (unlike in RL when he refused it).

James refused the offer of the Polish throne OTL cause he had his hopes pinned on another French invasion, and was scared that if he accepted the Polish throne, he would alienate his British subjects.
 
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