Charles I of England

NAME Charles I of England

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Charles I is famous for being the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 until his execution in 1649. He is primarily known for his conflict with Parliament, which led to the English Civil War, and his eventual trial and execution, which marked a significant turning point in British history.

BIRTH Born on November 19, 1600, in Dunfermline Palace, Fife, Scotland.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Charles I was the second son of James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) and Anne of Denmark. He was a member of the House of Stuart and was baptized Charles Stuart. 

Charles I of England was not as highly regarded as his elder brother, Henry, Prince of Wales. Charles himself admired Henry greatly and sought to emulate him. When his older brother passed away from typhoid fever in 1612, Charles became the heir apparent and was subsequently appointed Prince of Wales and Duke of Chester in November 1616. With his sister Elizabeth's marriage in 1613, Charles effectively became an only child.

CHILDHOOD Charles had a frail constitution and suffered from various health issues during his childhood. He struggled with developmental issues, unable to walk or talk by the age of three. When Elizabeth I passed away in 1603 and James VI ascended to the English throne as James I, Charles was initially left in Scotland under the care of nurses and servants due to concerns about his fragile health. In July 1604, he made the journey to England and was placed under the tutelage of Lady Carey, who taught him to walk and talk.

As a boy, Charles I of England was spared punishment for his misdeeds by having a young unfortunate named Mungo Murray stand in for him. This practice gave rise to the term "Whipping Boy."

Charles was considered less robust than his brother Henry and was often overshadowed. Despite these difficulties, he was a bright and observant child who developed a close relationship with his father, King James I,, who was a strong advocate for absolute monarchy. He was also influenced by the teachings of George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who instilled in him a deep sense of religious piety.

Portrait of Charles by Robert Peake, c. 1611

EDUCATION Charles received a comprehensive education, emphasizing theology, languages, history, and the arts. His tutors included some of the leading scholars of the time, and he became well-versed in classical literature and theology. He was fluent in several languages, including Latin, French, and Spanish.

CAREER RECORD Charles became Prince of Wales in 1616. 

He ascended to the throne in 1625 following the death of his father, James I. 

Charles'  reign was marked by a series of conflicts with Parliament over issues of authority, finances, and religious policies. His attempt to rule without Parliament from 1629 to 1640 (the "Personal Rule") and his policies on taxation and religion led to widespread discontent. These tensions eventually resulted in the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642.

APPEARANCE Charles I was relatively short in stature, standing around 5 feet 4 inches tall making him Britain’s shortest ever monarch. He had a slender build, a narrow face, and his eyes were described as large and expressive, often appearing melancholic or contemplative.  He had shoulder-length dark brown hair drawn back from his forehead to reveal a prominent brow. His pointed beard was known as a Van Dyke beard, after the famous painter. It is said that his hair turned gray during his trial.

Charles spoke with a faint Edinburgh Scottish accent and had a slight stammer.

Portrait of Charles by Gerrit van Honthorst, 1628

FASHION Known for his love of fashion, Charles I dressed in the elaborate style of the period. He favored richly decorated clothing made from fine materials, such as silks and velvets, and often wore lace collars and cuffs. His wardrobe was carefully curated to project royal authority and dignity.

On the day of his execution, due to the cold weather, he wore two shirts. His execution shirt is now preserved in the Windsor Castle library, a testament to the durability of clothing from that era. In contrast, the executioner was dressed for the grim task ahead.

CHARACTER Charles was known for his reserved and introverted personality. He was a principled and determined man, often seen as stubborn and inflexible. While he valued loyalty and honor, he was criticized for his inability to compromise and his perceived aloofness.

His cold and distant personality that alienated those who interacted with him. The Roundheads referred to him as the "chief delinquent," while the Puritans labeled him a "man of blood" due to his temper. Despite his challenges, Charles described himself as the "happiest monarch in Christendom."

SENSE OF HUMOUR Charles was known for having a dry sense of humor. However, his humor was often subtle and not easily understood by those outside his immediate circle. He was not known to be a particularly jovial or light-hearted individual.

Charles was the last English king to employ a Fool - a certain "Muckle John." 

RELATIONSHIPS Charles's father sought to strengthen ties with Spain by arranging his son's marriage to a Spanish Infanta. Charles and Buckingham, the king's favorite, embarked on a secret mission to Madrid in 1623 to secure the Infanta's hand. However, their efforts were unsuccessful, leading to popular relief at home.

In 1625, having been rejected by the Spanish Infanta two years earlier, Charles married Henrietta Maria, the youngest Catholic daughter of Henry IV of France. She was sixteen at the time and had a petite stature, dark complexion, and poor dental health. Their wedding took place on May 1, 1625, in Paris, with a French Duke acting as a proxy for Charles due to his absence.

Henrietta arrived in England with a large entourage, including a bishop, 29 priests, and 410 attendants. The couple married in person on June 13, 1625, in Canterbury. 

Charles was crowned on February 2, 1626, at Westminster Abbey, but his wife was unable to attend due to the controversy surrounding her religion. 

They had nine children, of which three sons and three daughters survived infancy. In 1628, she tragically lost a child during childbirth due to a fainting midwife.

Their marriage was initially strained due to religious differences, but they grew to have a close and affectionate relationship. Despite her devotion to Charles, Henrietta often expressed frustration and sadness, leading to frequent arguments. Her French attendants and Roman Catholic beliefs made her unpopular with the English people.

In 1642, under the threat of impeachment, Henrietta fled to Holland to raise funds for the Royalist cause. A year later, she landed at Bridlington and reunited with Charles near Edgehill. In Exeter, she gave birth to Henrietta Anne, but was forced to flee to France shortly after, never to see Charles again. She returned to England in 1660 and lived for some time at Somerset House, London. Henrietta Maria passed away on September 10, 1669.

Queen Henrietta Maria by van Dyck, 1632

Charles' relationships with his courtiers and Parliament were often fraught with tension due to his autocratic style of rule.

MONEY AND FAME Due to his ongoing conflict with Parliament, Charles faced severe financial constraints during the last eleven years of his life. To raise funds, he resorted to various unpopular measures, including levying taxes. His queen, Henrietta Maria, was forced to pawn some crown jewels in the Netherlands to supplement their income. Additionally, Charles sold knighthoods to generate revenue.

In 1642, Charles became the first king to impose income and property taxes, a move that earned him significant criticism. In fact, the only thing he didn't tax was his own intellect.

In Charles's time, the only institution for depositing money was the mint, located within the Tower of London. Seizing an opportunity, Charles appropriated the entire £200,000 deposited there, labeling it a loan.

Charles frequently borrowed money from others without repaying his debts.

FOOD AND DRINK Charles's diet was typical of the English nobility of his time. He enjoyed meat, fish, and bread and was particularly partial to venison, pheasant, and oysters. He  was known to appreciate wine. There are no records suggesting he had particularly extravagant tastes in food or drink.

The diminutive Jeffrey Hudson, standing at a mere 18 inches tall, was once served up in a pie to entertain King Charles I. Intrigued by the spectacle, the king took Hudson into his service at court, where he entertained the queen.

A possibly apocryphal tale recounts a state banquet hosted by Charles for his friends and family. Among the culinary delights prepared by the king's French chef, De Mirco, was a captivating new dish. The dessert resembled freshly fallen snow, but was far creamier and sweeter than any other after-dinner treat. The guests, including Charles, were delighted and praised the chef, urging him to keep the recipe for his frozen cream a secret. The king offered De Mirco a substantial sum of £500 per year to maintain exclusivity. However, De Mirco failed to keep his promise.

Gerald Tirsain, another chef employed by Charles I, is credited with substituting cream for milk in the creation of ice cream.

Before his execution, Charles enjoyed a condemned man's breakfast of claret and swan pie.

MUSIC AND ARTS Charles was a patron of the arts and had a great appreciation for music, painting, and theater. 

Charles was a discerning and astute collector of art. His agents scoured the globe to acquire pieces for his painting collection, which eventually became one of the finest in Europe. Among his prized possessions were works by Titian, Raphael, Rubens, and Van Dyck. He is credited with significantly enhancing the royal art collection.

Henrietta was captivated by dramatic performances at the Banqueting House. The renowned architect Inigo Jones and the playwright Ben Jonson were tasked with creating court masques. Occasionally, Henrietta herself would don costumes and participate in the plays.

He possessed a refined taste for poetry and music, and had a keen ear for the latter. Sometimes, he would join the queen at the Banqueting Hall masques.

At the Royal Manor House of Stoke Poges, where Charles was briefly imprisoned, you can still see the royal coat of arms painted on the plaster wall above the fireplace. This artwork was created by Charles himself to pass the time.

LITERATURE Charles was well-read and enjoyed classical and contemporary literature. He was an avid supporter of literary endeavors and maintained correspondence with several poets and playwrights of his time. The Top of the Range Cavalier commissioned several works to bolster his political and religious viewpoints.

The 1649 biography, The Portraiture of His Sacred Majesty in His Solitudes and Sufferings, was largely based on Charles's own writings and significantly aided the Royalist cause.

Immediately following his execution, a book titled Eikon Basilike emerged, purportedly Charles's own account of his hardships in prison. However, it is widely believed to have been authored by Bishop John Gauden (1605-1662).

NATURE Charles enjoyed spending time in nature and was known to be a keen hunter. He also had a fondness for gardening.

PETS Charles is known to have kept several dogs, particularly spaniels, which were popular among the English nobility. Specifically, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed is named after King Charles II, but its origins trace back to King Charles I as well

Van Dyck's portraits of Charles, such as Charles I on Horseback 1633, sought to create an image of the King as a martial hero in the tradition of St George. 

Charles I with M. de St Antoine by Anthony van Dyck, 1633

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Charles enjoyed sports such as hunting, falconry, and jousting, which were popular pastimes among the aristocracy. He was known to be an accomplished horseman and enjoyed riding.  Additionally, he was a skilled golfer and bowler, often placing bets on his own abilities. On one occasion, he lost a substantial sum of £1000 to a merchant.

He was also interested in collecting art and antiquities.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Charles had a keen interest in science and mathematics. He supported scientific research and was a patron of the Royal Society.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY An inflexible idealist with a divine right perspective and a knack for left-handedness, Charles believed that kings were appointed by God and that rebellion constituted a sin. During his five-year rule without Parliament, he relied on a small group of advisors.

Charles was a devout Anglican and his strong theological convictions played a significant role in his conflict with the Puritans and other religious factions. He was particularly influenced by the works of Thomas Aquinas.

Charles's attempt in 1637 to impose the English Prayer Book on Presbyterian Scotland sparked significant backlash, leading to Scottish attacks on England and the imposition of their own terms upon Charles. In 1647, he gained support from the Scots in exchange for a promise to introduce Presbyterianism into England, reigniting the Civil War.

One of the factors contributing to the Civil War was Charles's support for the unpopular Anglo-Catholic Archbishop Laud, who insisted on strict adherence to the Prayer Book. Laud's reintroduction of stained glass windows and crucifixes fueled suspicions of Charles's Popish tendencies, causing many Puritans to emigrate to America. However, it's important to note that Charles tolerated both Catholics and Puritans.

Henrietta was a zealous Roman Catholic and her influence contributed to his decisions that ultimately led to the war against Parliament.

In his final speech on the scaffold on January 30, 1649, Charles declared, "I die a Christian according to the profession of the Church of England as I found it left me by my Father."

POLITICS Charles's political career was characterized by conflict with Parliament and his attempt to establish a more autocratic style of governance. His belief in the divine right of kings put him at odds with a growing movement for parliamentary supremacy, leading to his eventual downfall.

Charles I of England: “A Democracy, Mr Cromwell, was a Greek drollery based on the foolish notion that there are extraordinary possibilities in very ordinary people.” From Cromwell 1970

SCANDAL Charles's marriage to the Catholic Henrietta Maria was controversial in Protestant England. In 1640 pamphlets, Charles was likened to historical figures like Nebuchadnezzar and Herod. His marriage to the Catholic Henrietta was compared to Ahab marrying Jezebel.

His use of non-parliamentary measures to raise money and his perceived favoritism towards certain advisors and courtiers led to widespread accusations of corruption and despotism.

In 1629, Commons speaker Sir John Finch was forcibly held in his chair by MPs when Charles ordered him to adjourn Parliament.

The period from 1629 to 1640, when Charles ruled without Parliament and relied on judges and prerogative courts, is known as the Eleven Years Tyranny. This era began when Sir John Eliot voiced criticisms of royal tolerance in Parliament, leading to his arrest and the dissolution of Parliament.

His ship tax, imposed to generate additional income for a more effective navy, proved to be politically damaging. The democratic John Hampden refused to pay the £1 ship tax, leading to his arrest and trial, which further widened the rift between Charles and Parliament.

On July 2, 1644, Charles stayed at the White Hart Hotel but fled in a panic without paying the bill upon hearing news of the advancing Roundheads. In July 1992, a Civil War enthusiast, Christopher Long, settled this outstanding debt, 348 years later.

Charles's trial was widely considered unjust, as his own supporters were excluded.

MILITARY RECORD Charles's military record is largely defined by the English Civil War (1642-1651), in which he led the Royalist forces against Parliament. Despite initial successes, his forces were ultimately defeated, leading to his capture, trial, and execution.

When the Long Parliament convened in 1640 and declared extra-parliamentary taxation illegal, Charles attempted to arrest the Parliamentary leaders. Upon the failure of this attempt, he withdrew from London and declared war on Parliament from Nottingham. In an inauspicious moment, the herald stumbled over the king's declaration of war, which had undergone numerous revisions.

The first major battle, Edgehill, resulted in the loss of 1,500 men on both sides within three hours. 

Charles (centre in blue sash) before the battle of Edgehill, 1642 by Charles Landseer

Charles's defeat at Naseby in 1645 extinguished any hope of victory. He had carried cipher notes and instructions on their usage to Naseby, but these fell into the hands of the opposing General Fairfax, who was unable to decipher them.

In 1646, Charles surrendered to the Scots at Newark. The Scots subsequently handed him over to Parliament for the substantial sum of £400,000. Charles had been narrowly defeated. He was then detained on the Isle of Wight.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Charles suffered from a slight stammer and was generally frail in his youth. However, he was reasonably active and enjoyed sports such as hunting and riding, which kept him physically fit.

HOMES Charles lived in several royal residences throughout his life, including St. James's Palace, Whitehall Palace, and Hampton Court Palace. 

Charles's headquarters during the Civil War were established at Christ Church, Oxford.

He was imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight from 1647 to 1648, where he was joined by his two youngest children. During the summer of 1647, Charles surprised his supporters by claiming he could escape from his prison, having tested the window bars against his head. However, after a somewhat undignified struggle, he admitted that the rest of his body would not fit through.

TRAVEL Charles traveled extensively within the British Isles, especially in his early life. However, his travels were largely restricted after his accession to the throne, particularly during the Civil War.

Charles I made a solitary walk through St. James's Park on his way to his execution. As he passed a tree planted by his brother, he reportedly made a casual comment about it.

Before his execution, Charles I had spent time in a hamlet north of Painswick, Gloucestershire. Impressed by its beauty, he named it Paradise. The local inn, likely in honor of the king's visit and the idyllic setting, was subsequently renamed "The Adam and Eve."

DEATH Charles I was executed by beheading on January 30, 1649, outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London. The execution took place before a large crowd on a snowy morning. Before stepping onto the scaffold, Charles requested an extra shirt to avoid appearing to shiver, fearing that the crowd might misinterpret it as fear.

In his final speech, Charles defended his authoritarian rule, asserting the need for a distinction between subject and sovereign while advocating for liberty for all. His last words were addressed to Bishop Juxon, the Bishop of London, who accompanied him on the scaffold. The exact meaning of Charles's final words, "Remember," remains a subject of speculation.

The execution was carried out by Richard Brandon and his father, Gregory. Richard reportedly died of remorse five months later. The executioner, George Joyce, went into hiding, disguising himself as a woman named "Jane" to evade Royalists seeking revenge. A Leicestershire historian discovered "Jane Joyce" living in the village of Blackfordby 25 years after the execution and reportedly killed him.

Bishop Juxon described Charles as transitioning from a "corruptible to an incorruptible crown." Charles was buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, alongside Henry VIII. The poet Andrew Marvell, a Puritan, wrote of Charles's dignified death:

"He nothing common did, or mean,

Upon that memorable scene,

But bowed his stately head

Down as upon a bed."

His death marked the first and only time an English monarch was publicly tried and executed by their own subjects.

Since Charles's beheading, monarchs have been prohibited from entering the House of Commons. He remains the last monarch to do so.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Charles I has been portrayed in various films, plays, and television series, often depicted in the context of the English Civil War. He appears in works such as Cromwell (1970) and To Kill a King (2003).

ACHIEVEMENTS Charles's legacy is complex and includes significant cultural achievements, such as his patronage of the arts and the development of the Royal Collection. However, his reign is also marked by political failures that led to the temporary abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell.

Charles I established the Royal Mail, a postal service in which the recipient was responsible for paying the postage. It was first made available to the public on July 31, 1635,  A letter sent from Edinburgh to London could cost between two pence and eight pence.

For many years, the Anglican Prayer Book commemorated Charles I on January 30th, the anniversary of his execution.

The U.S. state of South Carolina was named by Charles II after his father Charles I (Latin name Carolus), while Maryland was named after Queen Henrietta Maria

Sources Daily Express, AA Touring Guide of Britain, AA Illustrated Guide to Britain, A History of Fashion