For the first time, a ruling monarch was the defendant in formal legal proceedings in a High Court of Justice, set up by the act of a Parliament which felt able to profess to be the supreme power in the land. (For text of this act see Rushworth, Historical Collections v 8, 1379)
The charges were that he "had a wicked design totally to subvert the ancient and fundamental laws and liberties of this nation", and that he had "levied and maintained a civil war in the land."
Charles I denied the competence of the court, and refused to plead.
After four days, this stance was deemed to be a confession. He was sentenced to death, by beheading.
The Trials of Charles I : A Legal History by 
King Condemned : the trial and execution of Charles I by 
The Rise and Fall of War Crimes Trials from Charles I to Bush II by 
The Regicides and the Execution of Charles I by 
The tyrannicide brief : the story of the man who sent Charles I to the scaffold by Some topics are considered in other pages in this guide, while others are included in separate or different guides. Please use the links below to navigate your way to whatever might help!
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