Customer Reviews

A Coffin for King Charles

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This well written and well researched book tells the fascinating tale of the trial and execution of King Charles I at the end of the English Civil War. I have read several books dealing with this time period and thought that this was one of the best. It was so exciting that I ended up staying up much too late reading it.

The execution of Britain's King Charles I is one of the most shocking events in England's history. CV Wedgwood (Dame Cecily Veronica Wedgwood), noted historian and expert on the English Civil Wars, in 1964 tackled the daunting enterprise of unearthing, sifting through, and interpreting the primary documents pertaining to the final year of Charles's life.

At an impasse with the king over religious issues and his insistence on his Divine Right to rule without interference, Parliamentary factions determined that the only way to put an end to their warfare was to execute him. Wedgwood meticulously and impartially presented the evidence from both sides, writing an interesting and readable account from material that in itself could be rather dry. Her treatment of Charles's final week and of the aftermath of his death is compassionate but evenhanded. Surprisingly, the king's nemesis, Oliver Cromwell, did not play the most conspicuous role during this period. A Coffin for King Charles has deservedly become a classic on this remarkable period and its adamant antagonists.

I really enjoyed this book. I found that it not only gives you a great deal of historical information, but you also feel like you a really getting to know King Charles.

Wedgewood does a fine job of detailing the trial and execution of King Charles I. Wedgewood does not play any favorites. He shows both sides and their positive and negative behavior. King Charles was evasive for years on yielding any of his authority and when the radicals seized power, they distrusted him. Oliver Cromwell was a zealot and believed he was ordained by God to deliver a just punishment on a King who waged war on his own people. The result was a conflict where one had to die. King Charles led a futile defense (or lack of) in his trial. The trial itself was a farce, since there was no law for it and the outcome was determined. Charles put up a good show and walked calmly to his death.
This is a nice short read on the trial and execution of King Charles. It is totally unbiased and shows both sides for what they were. A nice touch on this book was the people who condemned King Charles. When they themselves were tried eleven years later, some were not as brave as the King was in walking to their death.