Major Player: Charles I, King of England

While War of the Four Gods takes place in a pseudo-Scandinavian world, the story is based on the English Civil War. So most of the major players that characters are based on will be English. The king who was unfortunate enough to become embroiled in a civil war was Charles I, son of James I of England (James IV of Scotland).

In charge of the unwieldy three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, there’s no question Charles had his hands full. Unfortunately, he was the wrong man for the job. An intelligent, well-educated man with a deep appreciation for the arts, Charles was also proud, stubborn and indecisive in turn, and utterly convinced of the divine right of kings to wield unchecked power.

Since English kings typically ruled with the consent and cooperation of Parliament, this was an unhelpful mindset. Charles had a tendency to overrule Parliament, and in one lengthy case (eleven years!) simply ruled without them. This lead to a great deal of discontent.

On top of that came the religious issues. While the Church of England had gone its own way during the Protestant Reformation, Scotland had nearly whole-heartedly embraced Calvinism in the form of Presbyterianism. In addition there were a great many other, independent religious sects in England-most notably the Puritans. The Irish continued to practice Roman Catholicism despite numerous attempts to stamp it out.

Charles himself was a devout adherent to the Church of England, but at the same time wished to reform it in what most saw as a more “Roman” direction. Formal and elaborate ritual, coupled with doctrines that flew in the face of other Protestant practices meant that many English citizens saw Charles’s version of the religion as “Popish.” He’d also married a French princess, Henrietta Maria, who openly practiced her Catholicism in England.

An attempt to bring together the churches of England, Scotland and Ireland under a high Anglican practice led to Scottish rebellion, and the two “Bishop’s Wars” of the late 1630’s. Parliament assembled in 1640 and quickly moved to convict a number of Charles’s closest advisers of high treason. Charles waffled and ultimately caved to Parliament’s demands, which settled matters down for the time being.

But as a result of the king’s concessions, rebellion next broke out in Ireland. Exaggerated reports of atrocities committed by Catholics against Protestant settlers reached England. When Charles asked for funds to raise an army to put down the rebellion, Parliament balked, fearful that he might use those troops against them.

Charles then made an unprecedented move, personally appearing in the House of Commons to arrest five members he claimed were guilty of treason. Those five were tipped off and had disappeared by the time Charles arrived. This was a political disaster for him and he was forced to flee London after Parliament seized control.

Civil War broke out, and Charles directed the Royalist effort, sometimes on the battlefield and often from Oxford, his headquarters. Though his cause went well in the early phases, after two years the tide turned and soon Charles had lost nearly all of his territory in England. Charles escaped Oxford in disguise and surrendered to the Scottish army, also operating in England.

The Scots negotiated with Parliament for many months, finally turning Charles over to them. By then, Parliament had split into several factions and Charles tried to unsuccessfully negotiate with all of them in turn. He eventually made a deal with Scottish Presbyterians and they rose against Parliament on his behalf, kicking off the second part of the English Civil War. The Scots were eventually defeated and Charles attempted more negotiations. But more moderate elements in parliament were overruled by Oliver Cromwell at the head of the New Model Army. He and his followers viewed Charles as a treasonous, bloody tyrant who could never be allowed back on the throne. Cromwell in effect overthrew Parliament and instituted a military dictatorship.

This “Rump Parliament” put Charles on trial for treason. Charles refused to make a plea, claiming that no court could have jurisdiction over a monarch ordained by God. Considering his audience, this didn’t fly. He was convicted and sentenced to death by beheading.

On January 30, 1649, Charles was executed. By all accounts, he faced his death with great eloquence and courage. His death sent shock waves through a Europe in which the right of kings to rule had hitherto been unquestioned, and may well have sowed the seeds for his son’s ultimate return to power.

 

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