Charles I of England was born on 19th November 1600. He was the son of Anne of Denmark and James I of England. He became the King of Scotland and England on 27th March 1625. Several months after his father's death, Charles married Henrietta Maria of France. They had seven children: Charles II, King of England; Mary, Princess of Orange; James II and VII; Elizabeth; Anne; Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans. Despite her husband's love, Henrietta didn't feel at home among English society and her religious identity, due to which she couldn't be crowned queen, was considered potentially dangerous. All these things made the queen consort unpopular.
Both King James I and his son King Charles I tried to turn England into an absolute monarchy with unlimited power for the monarch. The parliament greatly resisted such a policy and Charles quarreled with it even more bitterly than his father had done. More than once the king dissolved Parliament but had to recall it again because he needed money. In 1628, in return for money, Parliament wanted Charles to sign a document known as the Petition of Rights, which would give Parliament the right to control state money, the national budget and the law. The monarch realised that the Petition of rights was putting an end to a king's divine right. That's why he dissolved Parliament again. Between 1629 and 1640 Charles successfully ruled without Parliament. He was able to balance his budgets, he got rid of dishonesty among officials and made administration efficient. By 1637 the king was at the height of his power.
During the reign of Charles I there were also problems concerning religion. Some people in England disagreed with the teachings of the Church of England. They said that the services of the Church of England had become too complicated, too rich and took too much money. These people wanted to make the Church of England more modest, to purify it, for this reason they were called Puritans. Also there were Calvinists who objected to Catholic elements of worship and doctrine. The king regarded the Church as means of enhancing his power, so the supporters of the Church of England (headed by the king) struggled with Puritans and Calvinists. English people feared he would bring back the Roman Catholic religion. When Charles faced the same situation in Scotland, he finally decided to allow Parliament to form. Parliament assembled on 3rd November 1640. It would later be called the Long Parliament as the session continued for thirteen years, until 1653. The King hoped at least to improve his current financial state. Angry at being sidelined for several years, members of Parliament began to pass laws to control the monarch. One of the laws said that Parliament couldn't be dismissed without its own agreement. In 1642, Charles I went with his guards to Parliament in order to arrest its key members. However, they were warned beforehand and had already left the building. Such invasion of the chambers of Parliament and disrespect for the Houses of Parliament made members of Parliament and Londoners extremely disconnected. Trust broke down, the king and Parliament were at war. The English Civil War began.
After several defeats, Parliament appointed one of its members to lead the army. This was Oliver Cromwell. He considered the advantages and disadvantages of the Cavaliers. In 1645, the Parliamentarians created a New Model Army - the Ironsides, who were armoured cavalrymen. The new army was stronger and better than the King's Cavaliers.
On 14th June 1645, the Ironsides defeated the royal army at the battle of Naseby. King Charles I surrendered and then fled to Scotland. At this point, the Civil War in England really acquired the features of a social revolution.
The Long Parliament passed laws providing for the development of capitalism. The lands of the royal family and active Royalists were confiscated. The masses became active and demanded the redistribution of lands. In 1648,Cromwell's soldiers led by Colonel Pride entered Parliament and drove Presbyterians out. This event is known as Pride's Purge. Cromwell believed that as long as King Charles I lived, there would never be peace in the country. He decided to arrest the king and put him on trial for treason. The monarch Charles I was charged with high treason and "other high crimes against the realm of England". On the morning of 30th January 1649, King Charles I was executed. He made a short speech and laid his head on the block still claiming that he was "a martyr for the people".
