Charles I was a great patron of the Arts and Sciences. A great breakthrough in the research of physiology came in 1628, when a correct explanation of how blood circulated was supplied by William Harvey (1578-1657). During the Civil War, Harvey had been supplied with animals for his research by Charles I, who had taken an intense interest in his work. Harvey became a tutor for Charles\'s sons and probably made substantial contribution to Charles II\'s life-long interest in scientific affairs. Charles II was a patron of the arts and science, and both flourished following his succession to the throne. A group of Oxford men formed the nucleus of the Royal Society, founded under royal patronage.
These men included Robert Boyle, (1627-1691), who demonstrated that the volume of gases varied in precisely inverse proportion to the pressure upon them.Other scientists of this century included Isaac Newton (1642-1727), who laid the foundations of physics as a modern discipline, making many discoveries (including the law of gravity) and Edmund Halley, the Astronomer Royal, (1656-1742).
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