Monarch of the Month: King Charles I

Charles I is one of those English monarchs that gets a lot of space in political history but I find that people are less familiar with him overall. I fully admit, I do find him to be a tragic and sympathetic figure. He made a lot of mistakes and misjudged a lot of people and a lot of situations. However, to be the only English monarch convicted of treason and beheaded, and then for your sons to be invited back to reform the monarchy is a lot on one person’s plate. So, ahead of the anniversary of his execution, let’s look at our January Monarch of the Month: King Charles I. 

Monarch of the Month: Charles I Fast Facts

Birth Date: 19 November 1600

Death Date: 30 January 1649

Reign: 27 March 1625 – 30 January 1649

Coronation Date: 2 February 1626

Predecessor: James I

Successor: Charles II

House: Stuart

Father: James I

Mother: Anne of Denmark

Spouse(s): Henrietta Maria of France

Why Do We Know Charles I? 

Quite frankly, I will say that 99% of people know him because he was beheaded. The English tend to be proud of their lack of revolutions but the seventeenth century was a doozy in England, revolution-wise, and that kicks off with Charles. He is the only English monarch to be charged and convicted of treason, and depending on how you define monarch, is the only English monarch to be beheaded. (I’m not taking a stance on Lady Jane Grey either way, I will leave that for you.) 

King Charles I’s Early Life

Charles was born while he father was King of Scotland, at Dumfermline Palace in Fife on 19 November 1600. He was baptised in December at Holyrood and was created Duke of Albany, which was the traditional title of the Scottish King’s second son. After his father became King of England in 1603, Charles was also made Duke of York in 1605, the traditional title of the English monarch’s second son. 

Unlike his older brother, Henry Frederick, Charles was a sickly infant. He stayed in Scotland after the family left for England out of fear that he wouldn’t survive the journey, but was able to join them in the summer of 1604.

He continued to grow stronger, and eventually became a strong horseback rider and fencer. Charles grew up like many aristocratic children, and was tutored in several subjects. However, he was not given an heir’s education- that was reserved for his older brother. And unfortunately, the Prince of Wales died (most likely of typhoid) when Charles was 12, leaving him first in line for the throne. 

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Buckingham

Charles was created the Prince of Wales in 1616, and in the following years was given more responsibility. He spent much of his time with the Duke of Buckingham, one of his father’s favourite courtiers. Buckingham was a contentious figure at court; while the king loved him, many others did not. He accompanied Charles to Spain in 1623 to negotiate a marriage treaty, and to say it did not go well was an understatement. The proposed match with Spain was unpopular to start with but the actual negotiations went horribly and they returned back in England empty-handed.

Upon their return, Charles and George pushed James to declare war on Spain. James had been struggling with parliament for quite some time, and Charles and Buckingham together essentially controlled the country. 

A Reign of Taxes…

James died in March of 1625, leading to the reign of King Charles I. Charles married Henrietta Maria of France by proxy in May of that year. Much of Parliament was against the Catholic marriage, so Charles waited to call Parliament until after the couple had consummated the marriage. Though not quite as unpopular as the Spanish match, people were still suspicious of Catholics so it was not a popular match. 

Charles did not have any better of a relationship with Parliament than his father did. Charles continually pushed to raise taxes for plans for war with Spain, but Parliament was not on board with it. Parliament also was done with Buckingham- they had no patience for his control or scheming. In August of 1628, Buckingham was assassinated and Charles was devastated. While he shifted his focus away from Spain, he took the loss personally. 

Personal Rule

For 11 years, Charles ruled without calling a parliament (aka Personal Rule). He last called Parliament in January 1629, but upon facing criticism on a number of matters, he prorogued parliament. He imprisoned several leading MPs after that, which did not endear him to anyone. 

Given that he wouldn’t call for a parliament, Charles had essentially no money to work with during the period and was forced into peace for the most part. He relied on different statutes to provide money, including one that allowed him to fine any man earning £40 or more a year from land who did not attend his coronation to be knighted. 

The Bishops Start It…

While not Catholic like his wife, Charles was what we would refer to now as a High Anglican. As Head of the Church of England, he worked with his appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, to instate religious reforms and limit religious dissenters. For a lot of people in England, this was dangerously close to Catholicism. 

And in Scotland, it was disastrous. He attempted to impose Anglicanism on the Scottish church, as well as introduce a new book of prayer that was very similar to the English Book of Common Prayer. Neither the Scottish government nor church agreed to this. 

The First Bishops’ War was in 1639; Charles felt that their rejection of his religious policies was tantamount to rebellion. Without calling a parliament to do so, Charles raised an army and marched to the Scottish border. His troops quickly withdrew so he didn’t lose many, but he did spend a great deal of money he didn’t have. The Bishops’ Wars really led into the Civil War which would consume England for years to come. 

The Civil War

I’m not going to get into the English Civil War in too much detail, for a few reasons. For one, it was incredibly complex, far more than a blog post can sum up. And secondly, I think that political and military history steal the spotlight a lot. However, we do need to touch up on it. 

From 1642 to 1651, the Cavaliers (aka Charles’ side) and the Roundheads (aka Parliament’s side) fought a series of civil wars now known collectively as the English Civil War. (You also have the Coventers in Scotland.) Notably, it touched on governance issues in England, Scotland, and Ireland. 

Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentary forces won for the most part, and ruled the kingdom as a Commonwealth and a Protectorate (at different periods) from 1649 to 1660. 

A Whitehall Execution

Charles found himself in the Parliamentarians’ hands in 1647. In January of 1649, a small parliament (aka the Rump Parliament) charged him with treason; according to them, he was not working for the good of England but rather personal power. His trial began on 20 January 1649 at Westminster Hall, and notably only 68 out of 135 men called to attend the trial did. 

Charles was found guilty, though he refused to plead at all- he believed that a monarch was only answerable to God and no court had the authority to challenge him. 

On 30 January 1649, Charles walked from St. James’s Palace to Banqueting House at the Palace of Whitehall for his execution. As the tale goes, he requested two shirts as he didn’t want to shiver and appear scared. He was led out onto a raised scaffold, and at 2:00pm was cleanly executed with one sword stroke. His head was sewn back onto his body later and he was buried in a lead coffin in the Henry VIII vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. 

A Lasting Legacy

Despite his execution, Charles actually has quite a lasting legacy. To start with, his son, Charles II, was invited back as monarch in 1660. (His brother, the future James II, also returned). Quite the opposite of his father, Charles II is known as the Merry Monarch and had a markedly different reign. 

Charles also left an incredible artistic legacy behind him and ironically this can be best seen at the site of his execution. If you are in London, you absolutely must visit Banqueting House- the Peter Paul Rubens’ panels on the ceiling are breathtaking. Charles commissioned these in the 1630s- you can see his father, James I, as well as several allegorical scenes. And his collection did not stop there; his collection actually formed the basis for the Royal Collection. In 1627/1628, Charles purchased the Duke of Mantua’s entire collection, including several Italian masters. 

Charles I: Interesting Facts

-Most likely stemming from his poor health as a child, Charles had a life-long stammer. 

-Henrietta Maria did not attend her husband’s coronation, as she did not agree with the Protestant ceremony. 

-The name of his executioner was never revealed; there are theories as to who it was, but no firm answers. 

-Charles’ prorogation of parliament is regularly brought up any time any Commonwealth parliament in prorogued. (Even though his prorogation clearly happened in a very different political system…)

Further Readings on Charles I

Kishlansky, Mark A. Charles I: An Abbreviated Life. London: Penguin Books, 2018. 

Lisle, De Leanda. White King: Traitor, Murderer, Martyr. London: Vintage Publishing, 2018. 

Spencer, Charles Spencer. Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I. London: Bloomsbury, 2015. 

The Rex Factor podcast. Charles I episode. 

♠

Looking for my earlier Monarch of the Month posts? Read about: 

Mary I  

Anne  

Edward the Confessor 

William IV 

Edward IV  

James I 

George V 

Mary, Queen of Scots 

George IV

Henry VII

Mary II

James II

Edward VII

George III

George I

Louis XIV of France

Elizabeth I

Catherine the Great

Edward VIII

How do you feel about our Monarch of the Month: King Charles I?

Cheers,
The Historian
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