The reign of Charles I, defined by religious conflict, a titanic power struggle with Parliament, and culminating in the English Civil Wars, the execution of the king, and the brief abolition of the monarchy, was one of the most turbulent in English history. Six years after the First Civil War began, and following Charles’ support for the failed Royalist uprising of the Second Civil War, an act of Parliament was passed that produced something unprecedented in the history of England: the trial of an English king on a capital charge. There followed ten extraordinary weeks that finally drew to a dark end on January 30, 1649, when Charles was beheaded in Whitehall. In this acclaimed account, C. V. Wedgwood recreates the dramatic events of the trial and Charles’s final days, to vividly bring to life the main actors in this tragic and compelling story

""Her fascinating analysis of the arrangements for the trial brings out the mixed motives as well as the haste of those who organized it... This is one of the most successful of Miss Wedgwood’s many successful books."" --Christopher Hill, The New Statesman

""Here is an exciting and moving story; a story which happens to be true. The trial and execution of Charles I contains all the elements of high tragedy."" --The Guardian

""A very remarkable achievement, Ms. Wedgwood is to be congratulated."" --Anthony Powell, Daily Telegraph