Charles I

by Mark Parry

Charles I provides a detailed overview of Charles Stuart, placing his reign firmly within the wider context of this turbulent period and examining the nature of one of the most complex monarchs in British history. The book is organised chronologically, beginning in 1600 and covering Charles’ early life, his first difficulties with his parliaments, the Personal Rule, the outbreak of Civil War, and his trial and eventual execution in 1649. Interwoven with historiography, the book emphasises the impact of Charles’ challenging inheritance on his early years as king and explores the transition from his original championing of international Protestantism to his later vision of a strong and centralised monarchy influenced by continental models, which eventually provoked rebellion and civil war across his three kingdoms. This study brings to light the mass of contradictions within Charles’ nature and his unusual approach to monarchy, resulting in his unrivaled status as the only English king to have been tried and executed by his own subjects. Offering a fresh approach to this significant reign and the fascinating character that held it, Charles I is the perfect book for students of early modern Britain and the English Civil War.

274 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Suzanne McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent short biography - by far the best brief introduction to Charles I and his reign. For those with more knowledge of the period, Parry engages judiciously with recent scholarship such that it stands as a very helpful summary alongside e.g. the more detailed biography of Cust, and more specialized studies of particular facets of his reign. (Minor irritation - there are numerous editorial slips from Routledge, and at least in this paperback version, clearly some missing sentences in the final paragraph on p. 234 in relation to the King’s trial, which messes up the point Parry is seeking to make there).