Why Was Charles I Executed?

by Clive Holmes

Overview

The execution of Charles I in 1649, resulting in the proclamation of a Commonwealth, was an extraordinary political event. It followed a bitter Civil War between parliament and the king, and their total failure to negotiate a subsequent peace settlement. Why the king was defeated and executed is still a central question in English history. The old solutions - whether those of the Victorian narrative historian S. R. Gardiner or Lawrence Stone's diagnosis of a fatal long-term rift in English society - no longer satisfy, while the newer ones of local historians and 'revisionists' often leave readers unclear as to why the Civil War happened at all. In Why Was Charles I Executed? Clive Holmes supplies clear answers to eight key questions about the period, ranging from why the king had to summon the Long Parliament to whether there was in fact an English Revolution.

About the Author:
Dr Clive Holmes is a leading English Civil War Historian and Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781852852825
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/30/2006
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.45(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.95(d)

About the Author

Clive Holmes is a leading English Civil War Historian and Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.

Table of Contents

Illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Why Did Charles I Call the Long Parliament?; 2 How did the King Gain Support in Parliament?; 3 How Did the King Get an Army?; 4 Why Did Parliament Win the Civil War?; 5 Why Was the King Executed?; 6 Why Was the Rump Parliament Dissolved?; 7 Why Was Cromwell Offered the Crown?; 8 Was There and English Revolution?; Notes; Bibliographic Essay; Index

Editorial Reviews

"Holmes provides thorough, thoughtful, and learned answers to the questions he poses. He has researched widely and deeply. He is at his best when he brings his special expertise in local history to bear on larger questions...Throughout the book, Holmes effectively demonstrates that godly zeal and political radicalism might prevail for a day, but in the long run they were no match for the inertia of tradition and entrenched interests." Michael B. Young, The Historian, Vol. 70, No. 1--Sanford Lakoff

"An intelligent encounter with a living past." - English Historical Review

"This book will certainly not end the debate but it will help its participants to clarify their thoughts and views." Contemporary Review

Mentioned in Contemporary Review, 2007.

From the Publisher