King Charles Regicide

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On January 30, 1649 there occurred something that had never before happened in the course of history, and this was a regicide. Regicide is when a king is put to trial and sentenced to death by his own subjects. This happened for the first time in England to King Charles I. Charles was a tyrant king from the beginning of his reign. Eventually England grew sick of this tyrant king and Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the pack. Charles attempted to terminate Parliament, but this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and now civil war was upon the people of England. It seemed as though Charles I could do nothing right, but its not as though he tried. Up until the end of the English Civil War there had been many disputes over religious,…show more content…
Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army quickly defeated the Cavaliers. Soon the power would be shifting in England and Charles I would be brought to trial and found guilty of high treason. This crime was punishable with death by way of decapitation. Once the king had been executed it was time for England to find a new ruler. The people turned to Oliver Cromwell. With Cromwell the new appointed ruler, England would become a republic and Cromwell was the Lord Protector. His rule is known as a military dictatorship. Cromwell ruled England up until his death. His son tried to succeed him and was unable to be a success. So there was a restoration of the Monarchy with Charles II coming to power. Charles II removed the country’s blue laws and restored full power to the Anglican Church. He also developed political parties. There were Tories who supported the king and there were Whigs who supported Parliament. After Charles II died, James II came into power. James appointed Catholics to positions of power and Whigs and Tories became united. The next rulers of England were William of Orange and Mary who was James II’s daughter. They were invited by Parliament
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