Carl I Stuart King of england Date of Birth: 19.11.1600 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Charles I Stuart

Charles I Stuart (1600-1649) was the King of England and the second son of James I. He was born in 1600. Charles became the Prince of Wales in 1612 after the death of his elder brother, Henry. He first became involved in politics during negotiations for his marriage to the Spanish Infanta. To expedite the process, Charles personally traveled to Spain, but the tactlessness of his advisor, Buckingham, hindered the success of this attempt.

In 1624, Charles married Henrietta Maria of France, the daughter of Henry IV. Henrietta Maria was irritable, ambitious, and a Catholic, which later contributed to Charles' conflicts with Parliament. When Charles ascended to the throne, he demanded subsidies from Parliament to fund wars on the continent. However, Parliament wanted to address issues of unlawful ship taxes and religious matters first. Charles dissolved Parliament twice and levied taxes on his own. When he did not receive enough money, he was forced to call Parliament again and approve the "Petition of Right."

In 1628, Buckingham, who had a significant influence on Charles, was assassinated. The illegal collection of taxes, against the "Petition of Right," caused outrage in Parliament, which Charles dissolved again in 1629. Following this, Charles ruled alone for 11 years, raising money through fees, fines, monopolies, and other means. During this time, Thomas Wentworth, later the Earl of Strafford, emerged as an influential figure. He devised a plan called "Thorough" to establish absolute royal power and promote a standing army, which he successfully implemented as the Lord Deputy of Ireland.

Charles pursued the imposition of a unified Episcopal Church throughout his kingdom and persecuted Puritans, even favoring Catholicism over them. He allowed Archbishop Laud to introduce doctrines such as clerical celibacy, the doctrine of purgatory, and prayers for the dead, which aligned the Church of England with Rome. Charles also sought to introduce Episcopal rituals in Scotland, leading to a rebellion.

Unable to suppress the rebellion, Charles called a "Short" Parliament in 1640, demanding funds for war. Parliament responded that addressing abuses should precede financial demands. Displeased, Charles dissolved it and tried to convene the Great Council of Peers, but they refused to act. Charles then called the "Long" Parliament, which he could not resist, but secretly plotted a counter-revolution. He visited Scotland, agreed to reverse the church reforms, and showed favor to Presbyterian leaders such as Argyle and Hamilton, while maintaining connections with their enemy Montrose. These relationships were discovered, and Hamilton and Argyle withdrew from the capital, appalled by Charles' duplicity.

At this time, an uprising occurred in Ireland, where Charles collected money from Catholics by promising them favors but failed to deliver. After the final rupture with Parliament, Charles raised the royal standard at Nottingham on August 23, 1642, formally beginning the English Civil War. After initial victories, Charles suffered defeats in indecisive battles in 1644 and 1645. On July 14, 1645, the Battle of Naseby took place, where Charles was defeated and his papers, revealing his dealings with Catholics, seeking foreign aid, and making agreements with the Irish, were captured.

In May 1646, Charles appeared in the Scottish camp in Newcastle and was held in Scotland almost as a prisoner. He maneuvered between promises to Puritans and Presbyterians while hoping for better deals, secretly negotiating with Parliament and the Scots, and evading Cromwell's offers. In November 1647, he escaped to the Isle of Wight but was soon recaptured. His instigations to rebellion, which continued even in prison, led to petitions from all regiments for a trial. The "Rump" Parliament selected 150 commissioners (later reduced to 135), with lawyer John Bradshaw as their leader, to try the king. Charles appeared before this tribunal, which found him guilty of tyranny, treachery, and being an enemy of the state, and sentenced him to death.

On January 30, 1649, Charles was beheaded at Whitehall. His body was taken to Windsor and buried on February 8 without any funeral rites. Charles' private life was impeccable, with a taste for literature and art, but he lacked essential qualities of a king. He displayed excessive attachment to favorites, which led to weakness, considered duplicity as political wisdom, and easily broke his promises.