King Charles Death: Charles was born at Dunfermline Castle in Fife, Scotland, on November 19, 1600. The youngest member of the royal family, he was James VI of Scotland’s and James I of England’s second son. The deadliest civil war in English history is unlikely to have broken out if Charles’ well-liked and popular older brother Henry hadn’t passed away young from typhoid.
Charles was a little, sickly youngster who could not walk or talk until he was two years old (his adult height was barely 1.5m). He struggled to overcome his father’s lack of self-assurance and mild speech impediment. The family relocated to London when his father became King of England in 1603. Charles celebrated his first Christmas in England at Hampton Court Palace at two.
Marriage To Henrietta Maria
On February 2, 1626, Charles—then 25—was crowned. The year before, he wed France’s, Henrietta Maria. Nine children from the royal union were born, including the future Charles II and Mary Henrietta, who later married William II of Orange.
A Controversial King
Charles was kind and courteous in private and seemed to be a devoted father. But the King’s severe shyness made him appear pompous in front of others. Charles forbade anyone else from sitting in his presence other than his wife. His adversaries, in particular Parliamentarians, were furious about this.
His lack of empathy and inability to consider different viewpoints contributed to his declining popularity. Charles was behind the times in his determination to hold onto total authority.
A King Defeated
The Royalists got off to a fast start, and their cavalry went unbeaten until 1644. In what would turn out to be the bloodiest war ever waged on English soil, the Parliamentarians, led by military genius Oliver Cromwell, gradually started to gain the upper hand.
Even though the battle continued until 1649, the Battle of Naseby in June 1645 and the Royalist army’s defeat undoubtedly signaled the beginning and end of the conflict.
A Father’s Last Words
The King instructed his two youngest children not to mourn and to submit to their older brother Charles, the legitimate King. When Elizabeth realized she shouldn’t see her father again, she sobbed hysterically; to comfort her, he buried his tears.
Prayers And Preparation
The King got up early the following day, Tuesday, January 30, and prepared for the cold weather. He requested a thicker shirt than usual so that he wouldn’t shiver and people wouldn’t assume he was shaking with dread. Before a knock at the door at 10 am, he and Bishop Juxon retired to pray. The King was wearing a black cloak and was protected on all sides by guards as he crossed St. James’s Park with the Bishop and his aide Thomas Herbert.
The King was brought to his bedroom at Whitehall Palace, where he awaited his call to the scaffold. After three hours, this happened. Under the Rubens ceiling painting that he had commissioned from the artist 20 years earlier, Charles crossed the Banqueting House’s floor.
A Bitter Day
In the icy conditions, a sizable audience had gathered. However, they were so far away that the King’s brief closing remarks were lost in the frosty air. The scaffold was built against the Banqueting House in Whitehall and covered in black fabric.
A lower quartering block similar to those used to dismember traitors stood in the middle of the blackened and sanded floor. The act was about to be performed by two heavily disguised men with masks.
The Death Of A King
The King took off his cloak and curled up on the ground, his hair now tied back in a white nightcap. He informed the executioner that he would signal when he was ready after saying a brief prayer. After a brief pause, the King reached out his hand, and the executioner struck the victim once with the axe to cut off his head.
Charles, I was a terrible ruler, but as a person, he bravely and honorably accepted death. His trial and execution set a precedent for similar proceedings. Only when his brother Henry passed away in 1612 did Charles I become heir. Charles was a wonderful person with many admirable traits but also painfully insecure and shy. Additionally, he lacked the charisma and vision needed to lead. Finally, the civil war was sparked by his obstinate refusal to make concessions on power-sharing.
Over seven years of fighting, numerous people were killed between Charles’ supporters and Oliver Cromwell‘s Parliamentarians, including the King himself. Charles was found guilty of treason and put to death in front of the Whitehall Banqueting House on January 30, 1649.