Charles I - The King of England, Scotland, and Ireland

Charles I, the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was born into the House of Stuart. He was the second son of King James VI of Scotland and spent most of his life in England. Despite the fact that he was Scottish, Charles I was regarded as a public enemy by many. Here are some of the things you need to know about this Scottish monarch.

Charles I was a Scottish monarch

The early Stuarts had a poor relationship with Scotland. Charles I alienated Scottish nobles by attempting to impose a new liturgy based on the English Book of Common Prayer on the northern kingdom. This effort met with fierce resistance. Many Scots signed a national covenant, pledging to fight for their Presbyterianism and King Charles tried to enforce this policy with the sword, but he was outmanoeuvred by a well-organized Scottish army. In the end, he lost the first Bishops' Wars in March 1639.

The reign of Charles I was fraught with conflict. He believed in the Divine Right of Kings and moved the Church of England and Scotland away from post-Reformation Presbyterian and Calvinist leanings. He also restored the role of the bishops in the Church of Scotland.

He was a tyrant

The debate over whether Charles I was a tyrant is ongoing, but one person stands firm in his defense. Anne McLaughlin has posted a YouTube video defending Charles I, which has received more than 30,000 likes. The video, which focuses on Charles's Catholic beliefs, may be viewed below. This article provides some background on Charles and his time in England. It's important to note, however, that Charles's religious views were very different from his overall outlook.

He was a royalist

Charles I was a royalist, and the English were ruled by the monarch. In 1685, Charles dissolved parliament three times in four years, and the king effectively ruled alone for most of his reign. The royal prerogative gave him the right to rule without the help of parliament, and he did not hesitate to do so. During his reign, he imposed many public welfare measures, such as drainage schemes in The Fens, which affected thousands of people.

Charles VIII allied himself with controversial religious figures. He appointed William Laud as Archbishop of Canterbury and changed the liturgy of the Church of England. This brought the Church of England closer to Roman Catholicism. It was not widely accepted, and Charles found himself in conflict with many leading citizens. He married a Roman Catholic, Henrietta Maria of France.

He was a public enemy

Many of the citizens of England were deeply disturbed by the massacre of Charles I during the English Civil War. While the king was a brave man, he was no general. The bloodshed that he witnessed on the battlefield disturbed him. He therefore convened a council of peers. This council advised the King to summon a new Parliament, which met at Westminster in November 1640.

Charles I was a popular enemy. He seized the opportunity to use the royal cause in Yorkshire and the southwest. The Parliamentarians were unable to resist him. Charles moved his court and military headquarters to Oxford. His army had been recruited by the Welsh marches. During the Battle of Edgehill near Warwick, Charles urged his troops not to surrender because he was a public enemy. His words were interpreted as a promise to save the troops and end the civil war.

He was a patron of the arts

One of Charles's cherished pieces was a painting by Van Dyck, called Charles I in the Hunting Field. Another, by Titian, is called Charles V with a Dog. Both paintings are masterpieces of Renaissance painting. The king's taste was not limited to Renaissance art; he also collected pieces by other European masters.

Although Charles left no legitimate heirs, he was a patron of the arts. He was also responsible for reviving Restoration literature that was forbidden during the Protectorate. Interestingly, some historians believe that Charles was secretly Roman Catholic. Maurice Ashley has theorized that Charles converted to Roman Catholicism, but Antonia Fraser disagrees.

Charles I had a strong appreciation for the arts, and had many pieces of art created in his honor. Van Dyck was an artist who spent much of his life painting portraits of the royal family. He was a master of portraiture and, from 1632, he worked under the king. His patronage of art extended to the arts in England, and he was responsible for some of the greatest works of art in England.