Charles I

1600-1649. Son of King James I of England, King of England, Scotland and Wales from 1625 to his execution in 1649.

Biography

He was born as the second son to James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark in Dunfermline, Fife, on 16 November 1600. He was raised in the belief that the king rules by the grace of God. His older brother Henry who Charles adored, died in 1612 which - according to the laws of primogeniture - made him the legal successor to the throne. He became King in 1625. He married Henrietta Mary of France on 13 June 1625 with whom he had nine children:

• Charles James (*/† 13 May 1629)

• Charles (1630–1685)

• Mary (1631–1660) ∞ William II, Prince of Orange

• James (1633–1701)

• Elisabeth (29 December 1635–13 September 1650)

• Anne (17 March 1637–15 November 1640)

• Katherine (*/† 29 June 1639)

• Henry, Duke of Gloucester (8 July 1640–8 September 1660)

• Henrietta Anne (1644–1670) ∞ Philipp I, Duke of Orleans.

He was beheaded on 30 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, which did not go down well with both Parliament and public. He furthermore allied with religiously controversial figures, among them William Laud, who Charles I appointed Archbishop in 1633.

Like his father James before him, Charles I also came into conflict with Parliament and tried to rule without it. He managed to do so from 1629 to 1640. Due to the war with Scotland in 1639, he had to call Parliament after all. And this is where the problems started.

Civil War

For more on this topic, see Civil War.

1st Civil War

In 1639, Charles I asked the parliament for extra money for the war against Scotland. Parliament was only willing to accept his enquiry if in return Charles was willing to accept an infringement of his prerogative. He refused and as a consequence parliament did not give any money.

In wrath and in desire to demonstrate his power Charles I dissolved Parliament after only three weeks (hence the name Short Parliament). In November 1640 a new Parliament convened which proved as stubborn as its predecessor (and which was to exist until 1660, hence the name Long Parliament). This Parliament directly went against Charles I and refused everything. It passed a law which forbade a dissolution of parliament without the agreement of parliament. It declared ship money illegal.

During the Civil Wars, Charles I and his troops (the "Royalists" or "Cavaliers") fought against the Parliamentarian faction (also known as "Roundheads"). The First Civil War started in 1642 and lasted until 1645. The Royalists lost. Parliament wanted Charles to accept an infringement of his prerogatives, which he 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 high treason.

Execution

Charles I was the first of the English kings to be put on trial. He was accused on 1 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. He was executed on 30 January 1649 followed by the abolition of the monarchy.

Aftermath

Parliament confirmed that the monarchy was an unnecessary institution and had therefore to be replaced by a republic called the Commonwealth of England (1649-1653), often also referred to as the Cromwellian Interregnum, which gave way to a Protectorate (1653-1658) under Oliver Cromwell.

After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles I’s son Charles II returned as King of England.

External links

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

"Charles I (1600 - 1649)." BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/charles_i_king.shtml.

References and Further Reading

• Carlton, Charles. Charles I: The Personal Monarch. London. Routledge, 1995.

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

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

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

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

Britannia Staff Article. "Charles I: 1625-49 AD." Britannia: America's Gateway to the British Isles since 1996, 2017, http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon47.html.

Cutch, Richard. "The Personality and Political Style of Charles I." BBC, last updated 17 Feb 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/personality_charles_01.shtml.

Plant, David. "King Charles the First, 1600-1649." BCW Project: British Civil Wars, Commonwealth & Protectorate 1638-1660, http://bcw-project.org/biography/charles-the-first.