Charles I of England Biography

Charles I of England was the king of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 to 1649. He was an authoritarian who believed in the divine right of kings, and desired to govern his territories according to his own rules and regulations. He had no regard for the views and opinions of his subjects who began to loathe him for his autocracy and dictatorship. He was also a very religious man who supported high church ecclesiastics and thus earned the mistrust of reformed groups, such as the Puritans and Calvinists. Charles was born as the second son of King James VI of Scotland. Since he had an elder brother, it was not expected that he would inherit the throne after his father. However, the unfortunate and untimely death of his elder brother meant that Charles became the heir apparent to succeed his father. Charles I was unpopular from the very beginning; he quarreled with the Parliament of England over several issues from the time of his succession. He made several attempts to dissolve the parliament and rule alone which further added to his unpopularity. His continued animosity with the parliament led to the ‘English Civil War’ and his eventual execution. He was beheaded on January 1649.