This book studies King Charles II's decision to stop all payments from his royal exchequer a
sordid but little-known event in English history with eerie similarities to the cause of the
Great Recession of 2008. As with any modern banking crisis the financial system in 1672 almost
collapsed day-to-day commerce ground to a halt houses were lost and ordinary investors
suffered-but there was no banking bailout and no mercy for the goldsmith-bankers who had lent
the king millions to fund his unsustainable lifestyle. The royal decision made in the wake of
plagues fires and war with the Dutch left bankers unable to cover their own liabilities and
in the days before bankruptcy they couldn't walk away from their obligations and start fresh.
Many bankers spent the end of their lives in debtors' prison but English commoners had little
sympathy for the plight of rich financiers-a sentiment echoed after the financial crisis of
2008. Ultimately this book tells the complete story of theMerry Monarch's financial default
(England's first and last) using the lens and language of modern financial products and
markets. It covers the precarious history leading up to the infamous day in 1672 the intrigue
surrounding the 'stop'-including those who traded on inside information beforehand-and the
attempt by distressed creditors to gain financial restitution.
