Born the second son of James VI of Scotland, Charles inherited the English and Scottish thrones in 1625. His insistence on royal prerogative over Parliament's authority, combined with religious tensions, plunged England into civil war. He was tried and executed in 1649 — the only English monarch to be beheaded by his own subjects after a public trial.
Charles was a sickly child, not expected to inherit anything of significance since his older brother Henry stood ahead of him in succession. Henry's death from typhoid in 1612 unexpectedly made Charles heir to the throne, a role he grew into with a rigid, almost mystical belief in the divine right of kings.
His reign was defined by escalating conflict with Parliament over taxation, religion, and the limits of royal power. He dissolved Parliament repeatedly, ruled without it for eleven years, and imposed religious reforms that ignited rebellion in Scotland. These tensions exploded into the English Civil War in 1642, pitting Royalists against Parliamentarians.
Defeated and captured, Charles was tried for treason by a specially convened court that he refused to recognize as legitimate. He was beheaded outside the Banqueting House in London in January 1649, dressed in two shirts so he would not shiver and be mistaken for showing fear. His execution remains one of the most consequential moments in British constitutional history, briefly abolishing the monarchy altogether.
Key people: Charles I