Charles I

A biography of Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, from 1625 to his execution in 1648.

Charles I, born in Scotland but destined to rule England, faced a constitutional crisis that would define his reign. As the son of James I, he inherited a divided kingdom and a growing conflict with Parliament over the limits of royal power. The king's belief in divine right and absolute monarchy clashed with Parliament's growing demands for greater authority. This tension escalated into a civil war that tore England apart, pitting royalists against parliamentarians. Charles's refusal to compromise led to his trial and execution in 1648, making him the first English monarch to be executed by his own subjects. The book explores this pivotal moment in English history, examining how a king's insistence on his divine right to rule led to his downfall and the establishment of a republic. It reveals the complex political and religious forces that shaped the English Civil War and its lasting impact on British governance.