Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms
of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Although the Parliament of Scotland proclaimed
Charles II King of Great Britain and Ireland in Edinburgh.
the English Parliament instead passed a statute
that made any such proclamation unlawful.
England entered the period known the
English Interregnum or English Commonwealth, and the country
was a de facto republic, led by Oliver Cromwell.
Cromwell defeated Charles II at the Battle of Worcester
and Charles fled to mainland Europe.
Cromwell became virtual dictator of
England, Scotland and Ireland, and Charles spent the next
nine years in exile in France, the United Provinces and the Spanish Netherlands.