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God's law has been changed by the power
of the sword but subject and sovereign
are clean different things by what
lawful authority am i brought hither I
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failed to spot the wolves in sheep's
clothing sweethearts
I bid my farewells I embrace my
destruction a glorious death I should
die
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and now you will kill your 90 King I go
from a corruptible to an incorruptible
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when no disturbance can be no
disturbance in the world
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on the 30th of January 1649 Charles the
first king of England Scotland and
Ireland walked through this his
banqueting house at the Royal Palace of
Whitehall out of a window and onto a
scaffold where his executioner was
waiting Charles had been tried and found
guilty tyrant traitor murderer an enemy
of the Commonwealth but was he guilty
and what led to this unprecedented
killing of a king
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Charles was never expected to become the
king of England he was second in line to
the throne of Scotland his mother Anne
of Denmark his father King James the
sixth of Scotland Charles was born on
the 19th of November in the year 1600
but three years later his father was
invited to become king of England
Charles however was left behind as the
sickly child his elder brother Henry was
bright strong and sporting but at the
age of 18 his brother got typhoid fever
and died Charles was now the first in
line to the throne in March 1625 his
father died and Charles became king
it was crowned on the 2nd of February 16
26
the most important similarity between
Charles and his father James was the
belief in what was known as the Divine
Right of Kings
there was nobody higher than them and
they were not accountable to the laws of
common men Parliament are thoroughly
excited by the prospect of a new young
king James had compromised with his
ministers Charles was resolute and would
not things start to go pretty bad for
Charles right from the outset Charles
wishes to marry to have heirs to
continue his line he arranges a marriage
with the catholic henrietta maria of
france however as a catholic his country
are not happy about it
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Charles is the head of a divided country
when it comes to religion it all started
with Henry the eighth when he split from
the Church of Rome now almost a hundred
years later there is still discontent
there have been many reforms but with
fanatics on either side now Charles is
the head of the Protestant Church of
England and he has reforms of his own he
wishes for a Protestant state however he
believes wholeheartedly that there
should be a hierarchy within the church
and its ministers and a deference
towards them for Puritans that is too
much like Catholicism perhaps Henrietta
Maria is bringing too much influence to
our Protestant King she is known as the
Pope ish brat of France
Charles will not put up with this in the
first four years of his reign he
disbands Parliament three times up until
16 29 when this time he would disband
them for what turned out to be 11 years
Charles was a loving husband and a
doting father he is known that Charles
loved to play with his children at st.
James's Park where they would play
outside he also had a silver staff where
he would score upon it to see the
changing in height he referred to his
Queen Henrietta Maria as his dear heart
after eleven years of ruling on his own
Charles is out of money his foreign wars
have cost a fortune and now the only
thing to do is to recall Parliament
however straight away they have
disagreements once again Parliament is
divided those who are on the side of the
king
loyalists the others who support
Parliament are known as parliamentarians
these arguments continue back and forth
until eventually there is no other path
to take the King on the 22nd of August
1642 raises his banner at Nottingham
Castle civil war has started god save
the king they cry
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civil war in England is the bloodiest
conflict will ever take place on English
soil
it will last five years and it's
estimated that over two hundred thousand
people will die Charles is doing very
well for the first two years and the
Royalists seem to take every single
victory however that all changes in 1644
Oliver Cromwell makes his name and at
the Battle of Naseby
the Kings forces are beaten it goes from
bad to worse however for our King and
eventually Parliament signed an
agreement with the Scots and they joined
the war on the parliamentarian side
Charles tries to negotiate with them as
well however is taken prisoner he is
then handed from one house to another
until eventually being locked up at his
own palace at Hampton Court then word
reaches the king there might be an
assassination attempt so in 1647 he
tries a daring escape and he manages it
unfortunately he is once again
recaptured and eventually brought back
to London now there is talk of placing a
king on trial the country once again is
divided who could place a king on trial
with the Divine Right of Kings he's
above the law
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it's a hugely unpopular decision to
place a king on trial the majority still
wish to negotiate with him however when
they arrive to Parliament in December
1648 they find that there are soldiers
on the door those who will not look
favorably upon the Kings trial are
turned away
many of them are arrested those who are
allowed to enter will become known as
the rump Parliament these remaining 46
MPs take a vote
a majority of 26 decide to place the
king on trial on the 20th of January
1649 the trial began Charles dressed for
the occasion you were a fine black
velvet suit with a black hat a white
lace collar around his neck and of
course the blue ribbon with the jeweled
Gorge upon it signifying that he was the
head of the Order of the Garter he kept
his hat upon his head showing that
everyone else should show deference to
him when the court begins their
questioning Charles stops them and
demands by what power am I called hither
for three days Charles refuses to
recognize the authority of this court
and will not enter a plea
despite this the trial continues
on the morning of the 27th of January
Charles was brought to Parliament to
have judgment passed upon him he had
been found guilty
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he tried to speak a word but was
silenced by John Bradshaw the head of
the proceedings he insisted
will you not hear a word to sir but he
was denied he was led from the courtroom
for Charles it was all too late
Charles has given three days to prepare
for his execution he asks that he might
be allowed to see his youngest children
still in the country
Elizabeth and Henry he then writes a
letter to Charles his eldest advising
him on what to do when he becomes king
he writes to James telling him to stand
by his brother on the 29th of January
Henry and Elizabeth are brought to meet
their father
elizabeth is hysterical with tears
charles comforts them as best he can he
tells Elizabeth she will forget this
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Henry is sat upon his father's lap and
Charles says to him at no cost should he
accept the crown Parliament may try to
give it to him Henry insists he'll be
torn apart before he accepts when it is
time for them to leave Elizabeth is
distraught her father rushes to the door
embraces them one last time there then I
should add the door
Charles collapses in a heap upon the
floor he spends the rest of the day in
his bed inconsolable on the night before
his execution Charles got about four
hours sleep he arose two hours before
dawn but with the sunrise
he opened the curtains and said I have
great work to do today he called for his
attendant to bring him an extra shirt
for it was a cold icy day outside he
wouldn't want anyone in the crowd
thinking he shivered out of fear at ten
o'clock it was a sharp knock upon the
door it was time he would be escorted
from st. James's Palace
through the park under armed guard at
2:00 p.m.
Charles was led through this hall the
cruel irony being that he walked
underneath the paintings he commissioned
by peter paul rubens showing his father
looking down from heaven and the nature
of the Divine Right of Kings a belief
which had brought Charles to this very
moment we fast through the hole
and out onto the scaffold if Charles
felt any nerves at this moment he hit
them well he conducted himself with
strength and decorum this was such an
unpopular decision to execute a king the
New Model Army had been posted to hold
the crowd back to find an executioner to
kill a king was a hard task whoever they
found did not want to be recognized so
they dressed in the outfit of a sailor
were a false beard and a wig and placed
fishnets over their head Charles noted
that his last words would only fall upon
the ears of his executioner's and the
soldiers around him he said I go from a
corruptible to an incorruptible crown
where no disturbance can be
he asked his executioner if his hair was
troubling him his executioner said yes
and so Charles placed a nightcap upon
his head his executioner helped to tuck
the hair away he told his executioner
that he would say his last prayers when
he stretched out his arms he was ready
to die
Charles lay himself down upon the floor
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he said his last prayers
stretched out his arms
the axe fell his unwavering commitment
to the divine right blinded Charles to
the need for compromise he was a man who
stuck to his beliefs but ultimately paid
for it with his life was Charles solely
to blame or where he and Parliament on a
road that led to only one outcome what
do you think
you
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