From George Monck to the Duke of Albemarle: His Contribution to Charles II's Government, 1660-1670

George Monck was the architect of Charles II's Restoration in 1660. Thereby he earned fame among royalists and was damned as a traitor by republicans. His personal myth was forever preserved in English history with his Restoration of Charles II. What he did in the remaining ten years of his life (1660-70) has been less studied by historians. This article examines his contribution to Charles II's Government as Duke of Albemarle. Although Albemarle enriched himself and his faction at Charles II's court, he administered his many and various offices efficiently and with some sense of the public weal.