Charles I

Charles I was born in 1600 and died in 1649 on the gallows. He was the son to King James I of England, was an Anglican King of England, Scotland and Wales from 1625 to his execution in 1649.

Biography

He was born to James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark in Dunfermline, Fife, on 16 November 1900. He was raised in the belief that the king is the divine leader of a country and therefore has special powers like curing people and being head of the state and Church. His older brother Henry who Charles adored, died in 1612 which led him to be as the second of the Stuart kings in 1625. He married Henrietta Mary of France on 13th June 1625 with who he had nine children:

• Charles James (*/† 13. Mai 1629) • Charles II (1630–1685) • Mary (1631–1660) ∞ William II, Prince of Orania • James II (1633–1701) • Elisabeth (29th December 1635–13th September 1650) • Anne (17th March 1637–15th November 1640) • Katherine (*/† 29 June 1639) • Heinrich, Duke of Gloucester (8th July 1640–8th September 1660) • Henrietta Anne (1644–1670) ∞ Philipp I., Duke of Orleans.

He was beheaded on 30th January 1649 in London and is buried in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Reign

His reign was marked by religious conflicts. He married a French and Catholic princess against the Parliament and public’s approval. He furthermore allied with religiously controversial figures, among them William Laud, who Charles I appointed Archbishop in 1633. During Charles I’s reign, he had to cope with conflicts against France and Spain as well. From 1629, his reign as King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland was known as a time without parliament. He could then only rely on his counsellors and friends Thomas Wentworth (1st Earl of Strafford) and William Laud (Archbishop of Canterbury). He was known for his pro-war attitude which was opposite to his fathers.

1st Civil War

During the Civil Wars, Charles I and his troops fought against Oliver Cromwell. The First Civil War started in 1642 and lasted until 1645. The outcome was surprising for Parliament that expected Charles to establish a British constitutional monarchy which Charles I refused. Instead, he fostered an alliance with Scotland and escaped to the Isle of Wight.

2nd Civil War

During the 2nd Civil War (1648-1649) Charles I was imprisoned. The Civil War led to the trial and execution of Charles I and the exile of his son Charles II. He was tried, convicted and executed for reasons of high treason.

Execution

In 1639, Charles I asked the parliament for extra money for the war against Scotland as his own methods of earning money were not sufficient. The Parliament was only willing to accept his enquiry if in return Charles was willing to accept their new laws. It was the first time in his reign that Charles came into dependency on his parliament as he was able to make his own money by for example selling titles or inventing special taxes (e.g. ship money). At once he refused and that as a consequence the parliament did not give any money.

In wrath and in desire to demonstrate his power Charles I dissolved the Short Parliament as it only lasted three weeks and in November 1640, new elections for the so-called Long Parliament were held. However this parliament went on countermove against Charles I and refused everything as their aims were to constrain monarchy in England and to become the only power ruling over England. Therefore they passed a law which forbid a dissolution of the new parliament and to confine the king it declared old laws like Ship Money as illegal.

Charles I was dismissed from politics. His supporters were not satisfied and founded the Royalists who fought for the king. As countermove the parliament founded the Parliamentarians, fighting for their desires.

A civil war between those two parties arose which was lost by Charles and his supporters. At once the Parliamentarians accused Charles I of fighting against his own country (high treason) and executed him on 30th January 1649.

Charles I was the first of the English kings to be put on trial. He was accused on 1st January 1649 of being a tyrant, traitor and murderer as well as a public enemy to the Commonwealth of England which eventually led to his execution. His execution was a very controversial issue as no law dealt with the trying a monarch He was executed on 30th January 1649 followed by the abolition of the monarchy.

Aftermath

Parliament confirmed that the monarchy was an unnecessary institution and has therefore to be replaced by a republic called the Commonwealth of England (1649-1653) often also referred to as the Cromwellian Interregnum and then with a Protectorate (1653-1659) under the reign of Oliver Cromwell. Monarchy was likewise changed in 1649 to the so called Council of State with Oliver Cromwell as first chairman.

After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles I’s son Charles II became King of England.

Books on Charles I

As Charles I became a very popular personality during his reign, numerous books have been written about him. A selection of publications is to be outlined here:

• Hibbert, Christopher. “Charles I: A Life of Religion, War and Treason” New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

• Hilaire, Belloc. “Charles I” Norfolk: IHS Press, 2003.

• Carlton, Charles. “Charles I: The Perosnal Monarch” London. Routledge, 1995.

• Sharpe, Kevin. “The Personal Rule of Charles I” Yale: Yale University Press, 1992.

• Cust, Richard. “Charles I: A Political Life” Harlow: Pearson, 2007.

• Partridge, Robert B. “O Horrable Murder: The Trial, Execution and Burial of King Charles I” London: Rubicon Press. 1998.

Novels on Charles I

As Charles I was a prominent figure of his time, several novels on him were written from which a selection is mentioned below:

• Lane, Jane. “The Young and Lonely King.” London: Sphere, 1971.

• Lane, Jane. “The Severed Crown.” London: Peter Davis, 1972.

Films on the Charles I

Several different films such as documentaries, on Charles I have been produced and shown on TV:

Cromwell (1970), directed by Ken Hughes.

Great Kings of England: King Charles I (2000)

Poetry on Charles I

• Percy Bysshe Shelley. “Archie’s Song from Charles I”

• Anonymus. “Upon a Quiet Conscience”

External links

<http://anglicanhistory.org/charles/charles1.html> cites the last speech of Charles I just before his execution in London in 1649.

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/charles_i_king.shtml>

References and Further Reading

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/personality_charles_01.shtml>

<http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/charles1.htm>

<http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon47.html>