Historical
and Commemorative Medals
Collection of Benjamin Weiss
CHARLES I DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm Charles I (1600-1649) was the second surviving son of
James VI of Scotland (later James I King of England) and Anne of Denmark. He
was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 to 1649. His marriage
in 1625 to Henrietta Maria, sister of Louis XIII of France, raised fears of
a Catholic succession to the throne among Puritan leaders in Parliament.
Many subsequent disagreements with Parliament led to Charles’ insistence on
the "divine right of kings", and he adjourned Parliament, ruling without it
for the next 11 years. Attempts to impose Anglican liturgy on Scotland led
to the Bishops’ Wars. Charles was obliged to recall Parliament to raise
revenue for the war, but they refused to grant funds. As a result Parliament
was again dissolved. Charles was once more compelled to recall Parliament
following further defeats in Scotland. This Parliament insisted on imposing
numerous conditions and grievances against the king. Charles refused to
relinquish control of the army, and his attempt to arrest five leading
opponents in the Commons precipitated the English Civil War. After suffering
a succession of defeats by the army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver
Cromwell, Charles surrendered and was taken prisoner. In 1647 Charles
reached a secret agreement with the Scots, promising to accept
Presbyterianism in return for military support against Parliament. The
second phase of the Civil War ended with Scottish defeat. In 1649 Charles
was tried for treason and was beheaded as a tyrant and public enemy to his
people. The sentence was carried out on a scaffold erected outside the
Banqueting Hall of Whitehall.
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