King of England Charles I

Born in 1600, Charles I became king in 1625 as the second Stuart ruler of Great Britain. He was the son of James VI and I and Anne of Denmark, and he married Henrietta Maria of France. Accounts of his life and reign consistently note his strong belief in the divine right of kings, as well as his serious interest in art and court culture.

His years on the throne were marked by repeated clashes with Parliament, disputes over taxation, and fierce religious tensions across his kingdoms. Those conflicts helped drive the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, including the English Civil War, with Charles becoming the monarch most closely associated with the struggle between royal power and parliamentary authority.

In 1649, after defeat by parliamentary forces, he was tried and executed in London—an extraordinary event in European history. His death turned him into a lasting and controversial figure: to some, a defender of monarchy and conscience; to others, a ruler whose stubbornness pushed his kingdoms into catastrophe.