Why Was Charles I Executed? - by Clive Holmes

About the Book

This is just one of eight key questions about the period that Clive Holmes answers in a clear and informed manner.

Book Synopsis

The execution of Charles I in 1649, followed by the proclamation of a Commonwealth, was an extraordinary political event. It followed a bitter Civil War between parliament and the king, and their abject failure to negotiate a peace settlement. Why the king was defeated and executed has long been a central question in English history. The old answers, whether those of the historian S R Gardiner or of Lawrence Stone, no longer satisfy. 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 at all.

Review Quotes

"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.

About the Author

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