What is "charles"

masc. proper name, from French Charles, from Medieval Latin Carolus, from Middle High German Karl, literally "man, husband" (see carl).

Charles is a masculine given name from the French form Charles of a Germanic name Karl. The original Anglo-Saxon was Ċearl or Ċeorl, as the name of King Cearl of Mercia, that disappeared after the Norman conquest of England.

The corresponding Old Norse form is Karl, the German form is also Karl. The name was notably borne by Charlemagne (Charles the Great), and was at the time Latinized as Karolus (as in Vita Karoli Magni), later also as Carolus.

Charles (825/830 – 4 June 863) was the second son of Pepin I of Aquitaine and Engelberga.

He lived at the court of his uncle Lothair until 848, when, hearing of the deposition of his brother, he set out in March 849 with a band of followers to claim the Aquitainian realm. He was captured by Vivian, count of Maine at the Loire and sent to Charles the Bald. He was put in the monastery of Corbie as either a monk or a deacon.

He escaped in 854 to recruit an army to fight for his brother. He had little success and fled to the court of Louis the German, who made him the archbishop of Mainz and archchancellor on 8 March 856. He made a respectable bishop and died on 4 June 863 and was buried in St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz.

Charles is a surname, and may refer to:

"Charles" is a short story by Shirley Jackson, first published in Mademoiselle in July 1948. It was later included in her 1949 collection, The Lottery and Other Stories, and her 1953 novel, Life Among the Savages. This story is a prime example of dramatic irony where many times the reader can figure out that Charles and Laurie are one and the same but Laurie's father and mother in this story don't realize this until the ending.

Charles is a given name.

Charles may also refer to:

Alfonso Adolfo José Troisi Couto, nicknamed Charles (born January 21, 1954) is an Argentine former football striker.

Shanmuganathan Ravishankar ( Caṇmukanātaṉ Ravicaṅkar; died 5 January 2008; commonly known by the nom de guerre Charles) was a leading member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist Tamil militant organisation in Sri Lanka.

Ravishankar was from Point Pedro. He joined the LTTE in December 1985, whilst still at school, and took on the nom de guerre Charles. His first duty was to be a sentry near Point Pedro army camp after school. He abandoned his education in 1987. He then worked in a shop run by the LTTE. Charles' first armed combat was in May 1987 during the Vadamarachchi Operation (Operation Liberation) in which the Sri Lankan military recaptured most of Vadamarachchi. He took part in the LTTE's retaliatory attack on the army camp at Nelliady Central College on 5 July 1987.

Charles then served under Captain Morris, the LTTE's commander for Point Pedro, taking part in operations against the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). Charles then served in Manal Aru before returning to Jaffna peninsula. He was the LTTE's commander for Vadamarachchi when the IPKF withdrew to India in 1990.

Charles was introduced to the LTTE's intelligence head Pottu Amman by his body guard Kili. Pottu Amman chose Charles to prepare a base in southern Sri Lanka for attacks. Charles and some other intelligence operatives were sent to Colombo in early 1990. He returned to the north after war broke out again between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan military in June 1990. The LTTE then received intelligence that Deputy Defence Minister Ranjan Wijeratne and the Joint Operations Command were planning to assassinate LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran as he and his wife Mathivathani were praying at the Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna. Charles was sent back to Colombo in January 1991 to deliver the LTT's response to the assassination plot. Wijeratne was assassinated on 2 March 1991 and the Joint Operations Command building was blown up on 22 June 1991. Charles is alleged to have taken part in both attacks. He is also alleged to have taken part in the assassinations of Clancy Fernando (16 November 1992); Lalith Athulathmudali (23 April 1993); President Ranasinghe Premadasa (1 May 1993); and Gamini Dissanayake, Ossie Abeygunasekera, Weerasinghe Mallimarachchi, G. M. Premachandra and Gamini Wijesekara (24 October 1994). He is also alleged to have taken part in the attacks on the Kolonnawa fuel storage complex (20 October 1995) and Kelanithissa power plant (14 November 1997). Charles is alleged to have masterminded the Central Bank bombing on 31 January 1996. Prabhakaran is alleged to have given Charles a Mitsubishi Pajero as a reward for the Central Bank attack.

After the Sri Lankan authorities became aware of his presence in Colombo, Charles moved to the East, serving as the LTTE's intelligence head in Batticaloa-Ampara between 1997 and 2000. During this time he is alleged to have masterminded the assassinations of Neelan Tiruchelvam (29 July 1999); Lucky Algama (8 December 1999); and C. V. Gunaratne (7 June 2000). He is also believed to have been behind the unsuccessful assassination attempt on President Chandrika Kumaratunga on 18 December 1999. He led the successful commando raid on Bandaranaike International Airport on 24 July 2001 in which no civilians were hurt.

After the 2002 ceasefire Charles started expanding the LTTE's intelligence network in the Colombo region, particularly Sinhalese members of the police and armed forces. He is also worked to eliminate members of Tamil paramilitary groups and Tamils spying for the Sri Lankan authorities. In 2004 he was made head of the newly created Military Intelligence Wing of the LTTE. He is alleged to have been behind the Habarana bombing (16 October 2006) and attack on Galle Harbour (18 October 2006). He took part in gathering intelligence about the Anuradhapura air base prior to it being attacked on 22 October 2007. He was later placed in charge of all external operations and made commander of a special combat unit in Mannar District.

In early 2008 Charles was assisting Sea Tigers leader Soosai fortify the Sea Tiger base at Vidattaltivu, Mannar District. Lieutenant Colonel Charles and three other LTTE members were killed on 5 January 2008 by a claymore mine placed by the Army's Deep Penetration Unit (LRRP) as they travelled in van between Iluppaikkadavai and Pallamadu in Mannar District. There were conflicting reports about his age - the Sri Lankan military claimed he was 35 whilst others reported that he was 43. His remains were buried in the LTTE's heroes cemetery at Kanakapuram, Kilinochchi District. He was posthumously promoted to Colonel.