en

The execution of King Charles I

Add an event picture!
Date:
30.01.1649

Charles's beheading was scheduled for Tuesday, 30 January 1649. Two of his children remained in England under the control of the Parliamentarians: Elizabeth and Henry. They were permitted to visit him on 29 January, and he bade them a tearful farewell. The following morning, he called for two shirts to prevent the cold weather causing any noticeable shivers that the crowd could have mistaken for fear: "the season is so sharp as probably may make me shake, which some observers may imagine proceeds from fear. I would have no such imputation."

He walked under guard from St James's Palace, where he had been confined, to the Palace of Whitehall, where an execution scaffold was erected in front of the Banqueting House. Charles was separated from spectators by large ranks of soldiers, and his last speech reached only those with him on the scaffold. He blamed his fate on his failure to prevent the execution of his loyal servant Strafford: "An unjust sentence that I suffered to take effect, is punished now by an unjust sentence on me." He declared that he had desired the liberty and freedom of the people as much as any, "but I must tell you that their liberty and freedom consists in having government ... It is not their having a share in the government; that is nothing appertaining unto them. A subject and a sovereign are clean different things." He continued, "I shall go from a corruptible to an incorruptible Crown, where no disturbance can be."

At about 2:00 p.m., Charles put his head on the block after saying a prayer and signalled the executioner when he was ready by stretching out his hands; he was then beheaded with one clean stroke. According to observer Philip Henry, a moan "as I never heard before and desire I may never hear again" rose from the assembled crowd, some of whom then dipped their handkerchiefs in the king's blood as a memento.

The executioner was masked and disguised, and there is debate over his identity. The commissioners approached Richard Brandon, the common hangman of London, but he refused, at least at first, despite being offered £200. It is possible he relented and undertook the commission after being threatened with death, but there are others who have been named as potential candidates, including George Joyce, William Hulet and Hugh Peters. The clean strike, confirmed by an examination of the king's body at Windsor in 1813, suggests that the execution was carried out by an experienced headsman.

It was common practice for the severed head of a traitor to be held up and exhibited to the crowd with the words "Behold the head of a traitor!" Although Charles's head was exhibited, the words were not used, possibly because the executioner did not want his voice recognised. On the day after the execution, the king's head was sewn back onto his body, which was then embalmed and placed in a lead coffin.

Cromwell was said to have visited Charles's coffin, sighing "Cruel necessity!" as he did so. The story was depicted by Delaroche in the nineteenth century.  

The commission refused to allow Charles's burial at Westminster Abbey, so his body was conveyed to Windsor on the night of 7 February. He was buried in private in the Henry VIII vault alongside the coffins of Henry VIII and Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on 9 February 1649. The king's son, Charles II, later planned for an elaborate royal mausoleum to be erected in Hyde Park, London, but it was never built.

Related events

NameDateLanguages
1Liebritānijas tronī mirušo karalieni Elizabeti II nomaina karalis Ričards IIILiebritānijas tronī mirušo karalieni Elizabeti II nomaina karalis Ričards III08.09.2022lv
2Scottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded on Tower Hill, LondonScottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded on Tower Hill, London09.04.1747en, lv
3 King Charles II of England orders the construction of the Royal Greenwich Observatory King Charles II of England orders the construction of the Royal Greenwich Observatory04.05.1675en
4
Charles II was crowned King of England, Scotland and Ireland. GB restoring the monarchy23.04.1662en
5Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell refused the offer by parliament to become King of EnglandLord Protector Oliver Cromwell refused the offer by parliament to become King of England27.05.1657en, lv
6Oliver Cromwell defeats Charles II at the Battle of WorcesterOliver Cromwell defeats Charles II at the Battle of Worcester03.09.1651en, lv, pl
7English Parliamentarian forces led by Oliver Cromwell defeated Charles II at the Battle of DunbarEnglish Parliamentarian forces led by Oliver Cromwell defeated Charles II at the Battle of Dunbar03.09.1650en, lv, pl
8First English Civil War. The Battle of EdgehillFirst English Civil War. The Battle of Edgehill23.10.1642en, lv, pl, ru
9The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sight land at Cape Cod, MassachusettsThe Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sight land at Cape Cod, Massachusetts09.11.1620en, lv
10Thomas Cromwell, Chancellor to Henry VIII, was executed for 'treason and heresy' at Tower Hill, LondonThomas Cromwell, Chancellor to Henry VIII, was executed for 'treason and heresy' at Tower Hill, London28.07.1540en, lv, pl
11The coronation of Mary I in 1553 at Westminster AbbeyThe coronation of Mary I in 1553 at Westminster Abbey01.10.1533en

Map

    Persons

    Name Born / Since / At Died Languages
    1Jacob KettlerJacob Kettler28.10.161010.01.1682de, en, fr, lt, lv, pl, ru
    2Čārlzs I StjuartsČārlzs I Stjuarts19.11.160030.01.1649lv
    3Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell25.04.159903.09.1658de, en, fr, lt, lv, pl, ru
    Tags