Charles I of England
Charles Stuart entered the world at Dunfermline Palace on the 19th of November 1600 as the second son of King James VI of Scotland. He was a weak and sickly infant whose fragile health kept him in Scotland while his family moved to England in early 1603. His ankles were so weak that courtiers placed him in boots made of Spanish leather and brass to help him walk. By age three-and-a-half, he could finally traverse the great hall at Dunfermline Palace without assistance. A stammer plagued his speech for the rest of his life, marking him as physically distinct from his elder brother Henry Frederick. The boy adored his older sibling and tried desperately to emulate his strength and stature. When Henry died of typhoid or possibly porphyria in November 1612, Charles became heir apparent at just twelve years old. This sudden shift transformed him from an obscure prince into the future monarch of three kingdoms.
Charles ruled England without Parliament for eleven years starting in January 1629 after dissolving the Short Parliament. He needed money to fund his government but lacked legal authority to levy taxes without parliamentary approval. The king resurrected an ancient law called Distraint of Knighthood to fine men who earned forty pounds annually from land. Ship money proved even more lucrative than previous customs duties, generating between one hundred fifty thousand and two hundred thousand pounds each year from 1634 to 1638. John Hampden challenged this tax in a famous case that ended with judges ruling seven to five against him. Opposition grew steadily across the country as people resented paying these levies during peacetime. Charles also seized silver bullion worth one hundred thirty thousand pounds from the Tower of London mint in July 1640 when he faced bankruptcy. He sold pepper and spices belonging to the East India Company for sixty thousand pounds below market value to raise immediate cash.
William Laud became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 and began implementing reforms to promote religious uniformity throughout England. Charles insisted on using a new prayer book in Scotland that was almost identical to the English Book of Common Prayer without consulting Scottish leaders. On the 23rd of July riots erupted in Edinburgh on the first Sunday of the prayer book's usage and unrest spread rapidly through the Kirk. The public mobilized around a reaffirmation of the National Covenant which pledged to uphold the reformed religion of Scotland. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland met in November 1638 and condemned the new prayer book while abolishing episcopal church government. Charles perceived this unrest as rebellion and launched the First Bishops' War in 1639 by marching an army to Berwick-upon-Tweed. His forces did not engage the Covenanters because he feared defeat against significantly outnumbered troops. The Treaty of Berwick dissolved the Covenanters interim government but required calling both the Scottish Parliament and General Assembly.
On the 3rd of January 1642 Charles directed Parliament to surrender five specific members including Pym John Hampden Denzil Holles William Strode and Sir Arthur Haselrig. He planned to arrest them personally for high treason after learning they had colluded with invading Scots. News reached Parliament before the King arrived and the wanted men slipped away by boat shortly before his arrival. Charles entered the House of Commons with an armed guard and displaced Speaker William Lenthall from his chair. Lenthall knelt and replied that he had neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in that place but as the House was pleased to direct him. The King declared all his birds had flown and retired empty-handed from the chamber. No English sovereign had ever entered the House of Commons before this unprecedented invasion. Parliament quickly seized London while Charles fled to Hampton Court Palace on the 10th of January then moved to Windsor Castle two days later.
Charles raised the royal standard at Nottingham on the 22nd of August 1642 marking the start of open military conflict between king and parliament. His forces controlled roughly the Midlands Wales the West Country and northern England while setting up court at Oxford. The opposing armies met in earnest at Edgehill on the 23rd of October 1642 where Prince Rupert's cavalry charged through parliamentary ranks. Lindsey acted as a colonel and bled to death without medical attention after being wounded during the battle. The war continued indecisively over the next couple of years despite several skirmishes including Newbury and Cropredy Bridge. At Naseby on the 14th of June 1645 Robert Dalzell pulled back Charles from the front lines fearing for the King's safety. Royalist soldiers misinterpreted this action as a signal to retreat leading to a collapse of their position. Charles escaped Oxford disguised as a servant in April 1646 and surrendered to a Scottish Presbyterian army besieging Newark.
Charles was moved to Hurst Castle at the end of 1648 before being transferred to Windsor Castle for his trial. The Rump Parliament House of Commons indicted him for treason but the House of Lords rejected the charge initially. Chief Justices Henry Rolle Oliver St John and John Wilde all opposed the indictment as unlawful under existing law. The High Court of Justice established by the Act consisted of one hundred thirty-five commissioners though only sixty-eight attended the proceedings. John Bradshaw acted as President of the Court while Solicitor General John Cook led the prosecution against the monarch. Charles refused to plead for three days stating he did not know by what power or lawful authority he was called hither. He claimed no court had jurisdiction over a monarch since his authority came directly from God and traditional laws. On the 26th of January the court condemned him to death after hearing more than thirty witnesses in his absence.
Two shirts were ordered for Charles on the 30th of January 1649 to prevent cold weather causing shivers that observers might mistake for fear. He walked under guard from St James's Palace to Whitehall where an execution scaffold stood before the Banqueting House. At about two o'clock in the afternoon Charles put his head on the block after saying a prayer and signaled readiness by stretching out his hands. A clean stroke severed his head from his body in one motion according to contemporary accounts. Philip Henry described a moan rising from the crowd as something never heard before or desired again. Commissioners approached Richard Brandon the common hangman who initially refused despite being offered two hundred pounds. The King's head was exhibited to the crowd but the usual words Behold the head of a traitor were not used. His body was sewn back onto his head then embalmed and placed in a lead coffin for burial at Windsor Castle.
Charles became a passionate art collector inspired partly by his visit to the Spanish court in 1623. He acquired works by Titian Correggio Raphael Caravaggio Andrea del Sarto and Andrea Mantegna among others. By his death there were estimated to be one thousand seven hundred sixty paintings in his collection most sold and dispersed by Parliament. Peter Paul Rubens painted the ceiling of the Banqueting House at Whitehall while Anthony van Dyck created numerous portraits of the monarch. John Milton wrote Eikonoklastes as a Parliamentary rejoinder to the Royal Portrait memoir that appeared ten days after Charles's execution. Anglicans and royalists fashioned an image of martyrdom adding King Charles the Martyr to the Church of England liturgical calendar in 1660. Historians remain divided over whether he was a saintly martyr or the worst king since Henry VI with some calling him incompetent.
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Common questions
When and where was Charles I of England born?
Charles Stuart entered the world at Dunfermline Palace on the 19th of November 1600 as the second son of King James VI of Scotland. He was a weak and sickly infant whose fragile health kept him in Scotland while his family moved to England in early 1603.
How did Charles I of England fund his government without Parliament between 1629 and 1640?
The king resurrected an ancient law called Distraint of Knighthood to fine men who earned forty pounds annually from land. Ship money proved even more lucrative than previous customs duties, generating between one hundred fifty thousand and two hundred thousand pounds each year from 1634 to 1638.
What caused the First Bishops' War involving Charles I of England in 1639?
Charles insisted on using a new prayer book in Scotland that was almost identical to the English Book of Common Prayer without consulting Scottish leaders. On the 23rd of July riots erupted in Edinburgh on the first Sunday of the prayer book's usage and unrest spread rapidly through the Kirk.
Why did Charles I of England enter the House of Commons on the 3rd of January 1642?
On the 3rd of January 1642 Charles directed Parliament to surrender five specific members including Pym John Hampden Denzil Holles William Strode and Sir Arthur Haselrig. He planned to arrest them personally for high treason after learning they had colluded with invading Scots.
When and how was Charles I of England executed in 1649?
Two shirts were ordered for Charles on the 30th of January 1649 to prevent cold weather causing shivers that observers might mistake for fear. At about two o'clock in the afternoon Charles put his head on the block after saying a prayer and signaled readiness by stretching out his hands before a clean stroke severed his head from his body in one motion.