Final answer:
The eight men given control of the Carolina charter in 1663 were known as the Lords Proprietors. They were rewarded for their loyalty to the Stuarts and were granted substantial authority over the colony, capable of governing it largely as they wished within the framework of their proprietary charter.
Step-by-step explanation:
The eight men who were given control of the Carolina charter in 1663 were known as the Lords Proprietors. They held near absolute power over the Carolina territory and were responsible for its organization, promotion, governance, and meeting its various logistical needs, which included recruitment of colonists, funding, transportation, and supplies. They were also entitled to receive the profits from the colony and could pass on their roles to their heirs.
These Lords Proprietors were mostly Royalists who had supported the Stuarts before and during the English Civil War and were rewarded for their loyalty when Charles II was restored in 1660. Their ranks included notable figures like William Berkeley, who was Governor of Virginia, and the Earl of Shaftesbury, who had various colonial investments. Their proprietary charter allowed them to essentially govern the colony as they saw fit, subject to the advice and consent of the colonists.
The proprietary charter was an important document that laid the governance framework and depicted the complexities of colonial administration, which later contributed to the growing friction between the colonies and the British Crown as the 18th Century progressed.