Here I am, on the Monarch Trail, a 615 mile walking trail that follows the escape of Charles II after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. On January 1, 1651 Charles II was crowned King of Scots by the Marquis of Argyll at Scone.
On August 5, 1651, Charles led a 14,000 strong Scottish army crossed the border between Scotland and England. Charles was confident that English Royalist and Presbyterians would rise up to support his advance towards London, but they didn't. By the time Charles II occupied the city of Worcester on August 22, the total strength of his army was less than 16,000 troops. A battle ensued between Oliver Cromwell and Charles II's forces resulting in the eventual defeat of Charles II and the Royalist cause.
The English civil war ended at the place where it had started 9 years previously. Charles escaped from the battlefield and eluded capture for 45 days until he was able to slip away to France.
Oliver Cromwell described Worcester as a "crowning mercy". It was his final battle as an active commander. I think Charles should have stayed home and stuck to distilling whiskey!
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