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Charles Spencer

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Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I Paperback – February 16, 2016

by Charles Spencer (Author)

4.3 1,265 ratings

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On August 18, 1648, with no relief from the siege in sight, the royalist garrison holding Colchester Castle surrendered and Oliver Cromwell's army firmly ended the rule of Charles I of England. To send a clear message to the fallen monarch, the rebels executed four of the senior officers captured at the castle. Yet still the king refused to accept he had lost the war. As France and other allies mobilized in support of Charles, a tribunal was hastily gathered and a death sentence was passed. On January 30, 1649, the King of England was executed. This is the account of the fifty-nine regicides, the men who signed Charles I's death warrant.

Recounting a little-known corner of British history, Charles Spencer explores what happened when the Restoration arrived. From George Downing, the chief plotter, to Richard Ingoldsby, who claimed he was forced to sign his name by his cousin Oliver Cromwell, and from those who returned to the monarchist cause and betrayed their fellow regicides to those that fled the country in an attempt to escape their punishment, Spencer examines the long-lasting, far-reaching consequences not only for those who signed the warrant, but also for those who were present at the trial, and for England itself.

A powerful tale of revenge from the dark heart of England's past, and a unique contribution to seventeenth-century history, Killers of the King tells the incredible story of the men who dared to assassinate a monarch.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bloomsbury Press
Publication date

February 16, 2016
Dimensions

5.52 x 0.99 x 8.19 inches
ISBN-10

9781620409145
ISBN-13

978-1620409145
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a pacy, well-researched and beautifully written story of intrigue, betrayal and Realpolitik, but above all cold-blooded institutionalized revenge on a massive international scale. No-one will ever see ‘the Merry Monarch’ Charles II in the same way again. Little did the regicides guess when they signed Charles I’s death warrant that they were effectively also signing their own.” ―Andrew Roberts, author of NAPOLEON AND WELLINGTON

"Accomplished and gruesome, this masterful account of the fate of the regicides breaks all barriers in weaving the lives--and the grim fates--of many into a seamless, pacy and riveting read, underpinned by the depth of scholarship for which Charles Spencer is renowned. An exceptional and highly original history book that sheds new light on one of England's bloodiest episodes.” ―Alison Weir, author of HENRY VIII: THE KING AND HIS COURT

"Imagine The Odessa File re-shaped to the contours of the 17th century, and you will have some idea of the pleasure to be had in reading Killers Of The King. The virtues of a thriller and of scholarship are potently combined.” ―Tom Holland, author of RUBICON: THE LAST YEARS OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

"Outstanding: a thrilling tale of retribution and bloody sacrifice, unflinching idealism and craven miscreancy. In fluent, measured, often witty prose, Killers of the King brilliantly evokes that febrile time when the hunters became the hunted and vengeance was avenged. Like all the best history books, it succeeds not only in telling a remarkable story, but also in illuminating the entire age.” ―Jessie Childs, author of GOD'S TRAITORS: TERRORS AND FAITH IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

"This is a worthwhile examination of an often ignored aspect of English history." ―Booklist

"While many readers already know the story’s end, Spencer purposefully builds anticipation over which men suffer excruciating death and which ones literally get away with murder." ―Publishers Weekly

"A gripping account of the aftermath of Britain's revolution, during which both sides fought for justice and Christianity and behaved despicably." ―starred review, Kirkus

“Spencer (Blenheim) has taken a novel approach to the history of the English Civil War (1642–51) and the Restoration that began in 1660. Rather than focusing on battles or court intrigues, Spencer gives the accounts of the regicides: the men who signed the warrant to have Charles I (1600–49) executed. This is an ambitious project as 59 men in total signed the document . . . This account is readable and entertaining . . . Spencer's excellent popular history will appeal to fans of Alison Weir and those interested in British history.” ―Library Journal

"The author is a practiced writer with an eye for striking details." ―Wall Street Journal

"This is one of history’s great manhunt stories, expertly, briskly told. Spencer is a graceful and particularly evenhanded writer, and he lets these 70 men’s stories carry their own weight and speak their own lessons on justice, loyalty and allegiance, and the strange and oftentimes fatal turns they take." ―Dallas Morning News

"Charles Spencer has written a book that is equal parts detective novel, thriller and horror story." ―The Historical Novel Society

"British author and historian Charles Spencer brings to light a riveting, historic tale of powerful revenge, and its centuries-long consequences, surrounding the execution of Charles I." ―New Canaan Advertiser

"Charles Spencer’s Killers of the King tautly brings out the human drama of the regicides in 1649 who executed Charles I." ―World Magazine

About the Author

Charles Spencer was educated at Eton College and obtained his degree in Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was a reporter on NBC's Today show from 1986 until 1995, and is the author of four books, including the Sunday Times bestseller Blenheim: The Battle for Europe (shortlisted for History Book of the Year, National Book Awards) and Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1620409143
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Press; Reprint edition (February 16, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781620409145
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1620409145
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.52 x 0.99 x 8.19 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #687,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,464 in Great Britain History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 1,265 ratings

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Charles Spencer

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Charles Spencer is an author, historian, public speaker, broadcaster and journalist. He is also the 9th Earl Spencer.

Charles Spencer is the author of seven non-fiction books, including three Sunday Times bestsellers: Blenheim, Battle for Europe, which was shortlisted for Historical Book of the Year at the 2005 National Book Awards; Killers of the King – which was the second highest selling History book in the UK in 2014; and The White Ship, the No. 1 bestseller on Amazon.

He has been the keynote speaker at hundreds of events in the UK, India, USA, South Africa, France, Australia, Canada, Spain, Portugal and New Zealand.

As a broadcaster, Charles Spencer worked for NBC News as an on-air correspondent from 1986 to 1995. He has been a reporter for Granada Television, has presented for the History Channel, and has appeared on many occasions as an expert on the BBC.

As a print journalist he has written in the UK for The Guardian, The Independent on Sunday, The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph, and others. In the United States he has written for Vanity Fair, Veranda, and Nest magazines.

Charles Spencer was educated at Eton, and at Oxford University, where he earned his MA in Modern History.

Most recently, Charles Spencer has enjoyed success with ‘The Rabbit Hole Detectives’, – his new podcast presented alongside Dr Cat Jarman, and the Rev. Richard Coles – which takes listeners on a fascinating dive into the origins of real and symbolic historical objects.

You can learn more about Charles Spencer’s family seat at Althorp, via Spencer1508.com, an online platform which shines a light on the 500 year old story of the Estate, and the Spencer Family.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-rabbit-hole-detectives/id1671879772

https://spencer1508.com/

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4.3 out of 5

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Good book.

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023

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Very interesting. So much harm has been done in the name of religion. Too bad Cromwell died in his sleep. Good book. I will read this one again.

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2019

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I did not read any of the Amazon (nor GoodReads) reviews before buying this book in Kindle edition in October 2018. Finally got around to reading it at the end of January 2019. And I can say I completely disagree with the folks who gave his book a one or two star rating. Some of the points made in the three and four star ratings strike me as valid, and it is for one of those points that I dropped my rating to four stars. There are times in the book where I could have used a table or spreadsheet of characters with their loyalties! Come to think of it. maybe the people of England at that time needed the same?

I found most of the book relatively easy to read (with the above exception regarding "cast of characters") and it held my interest. I have not read extensively about this period of English history. I was aware that after the Restoration there was retribution against the regicides (for instance elsewhere I read of the disinterment and beheading of Cromwell's corpse), but was not aware of the extent and cruelty involved in the hunt for them.

In following several of the regicides who fled to America, the author brings up that to a great extent the English settlements in New England considered themselves independent, and that this independence was squashed by Charles II in response to the harboring of the fugitives. In this part of the book the author even makes reference to a book I'd just finished. That book is "Island at the Center of the World" by Russell Shorto.

17 people found this helpful

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Stephen S. Clement

My ancestor's history

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2019

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This is being written in response to the description Spencer reports about Gregory Clement, I am a direct descendent of his and I find words about the family as being greedy and low brow to be a bit of a stretch since history is written by the victors. What is accurately described is that Gregory did plead not guilty, that his signature was written over top of an erased one, and finally he pleaded guilty only to save his family's position and material comfort. I dabble in calligraphy and I am sure that many who practice this art will agree, his signature would not be that hard to forge. Gregory also had several prominent political enemies who I am sure were not above some skull doggery to advance their own positions. The author did note that as a result of Gregory's wealth he would be a natural target for a monarch desperately in need of funds. I bought this book primarily to see if there were any other mentions of his family members, we have gotten back to John, his father, but still lack information on his wife, Priscilla Foote who is reported to have been a descendent of the Plantagenets, but we cannot confirm this without other references and documents.

6 people found this helpful

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Patricia Baessler

Charles Spencer has given a fine history book of how the revolution came about and what happened afterward. A GOOD READ!

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2015

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This was a wonderful book. My family came to the U.S. By way of Virginia in 1600s. Whenever I'm in England I feel like I've gone home! I am really an Anglophile. I love to read about the kings and queens who ruled. Sometimes the lesser well-known historical figures can pique my interests, Here in Charles Spencer's book of the English Revolution we have, for me, such an instance. In high school English history was glossed over, only teaching us what pertained to our own revolution. In university, my minor was English History: The Tudors and the Stuart's. The more I studied the more I wanted to know. Since that time I've been reading books to help delve further into the who and the why. This book gives all the background and delves into the personalities of the people involved. I find it horrific this would happen to the anointed sovereign. Charles' writing style is very readable. He delivers the story without taking sides. I recommend it very much. I think it would make a fine movie.

One person found this helpful

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Good History

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2023

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I purchased this book because this author had written another book that I recently read and enjoyed,<u>The White Ship</u> about the untimely death of the young son and heir to the throne of England's King Henry I. English history is a favorite of mine and as those histories go this was a good one. So based on that experience when I became aware of this recently release book I purchased it. Now, unfortunately, I can only give the book my modest 3 star rating meaning that it's a good book and worth its price and time to read but not a great book. The problem? The book is about the execution of England's King Charles I, the rise of Cromwell and the Protectorate, and the Restoration of Charles II and the pursuit of the regicides. Sure sounds like it should be a great history, right? I thought so but there is a serious defect in the telling of this story. The story starts almost immediately with the execution of Charles and then launches into the consequences of killing the king and establishing a new government. In this case it appears that the people of England overthrew a king and then replaced him with a repressive military dictatorship. Not a very good swap in anybody's book but that's what they got. What the reader is faced with is not knowing who to sympathize with, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The reason for this is that the author completely neglects to provide the story about why Charles was so bad a king that the people wanted to overthrow him. Was he really all that bad and the Parliamentarians a bunch of heroes or were they just a group of ambitious and greedy usurpers and the Royalists a bunch of misunderstood nobles and royal fanboys? This book only provides 2/3's of the story about Charles and Parliament and then the Restoration. Because of this failing what we have here is an incomplete history and unanswered questions.

Now there is an additional curiosity raised by this book and its author. When I read <u>The White Ship</u> it included a photo of the author and I admit I didn't pay too much attention to it at that time though it did strike me as being a familiar face. Then I got this book and another photo was included on the jacket and the familiarity was more striking. I had seen this man before but I couldn't place the face. I then showed the photo to my wife and asked her if she recognized the author. She looked at it and said "That's Princess Diana's brother". Just to be certain I Googled the author and indeed he is Princess Di's brother. Now the curiosity. Could there be a personal reason why Charles Spencer would be writing a history of the execution of King Charles I to be released so closely to the coronation of his former brother-in-law King Charles III? We'll never know but the subject and the timing seems a bit too much to simply be a coincidence doesn't it?

4 people found this helpful

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Alex

Reads like a novel - excellent history book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2023

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Killers of the King by Charles Spencer is a history book that in part reads like a novel, in that it makes you continue onwards in your eagerness to find out what happens next and at times is incredibly gripping.

Spencer really excels in pulling all the various threads together and telling this story in a really well structured and flowing way to give you this type of immersive experience, where by the end you do feel like you’ve read a story, despite this being a non fiction history book. It is meticulously researched and would appeal to casual readers and academics alike. Those who are not regular history readers will still need to acknowledge that no history book is going to be breakneck speed throughout and you have to read about and learn the context to events but I’m not sure I’ve ever read a history book before in which the author has successfully kept everything just so readable to a wide audience.

This book is about, as titled, the Killers of the King – King Charles I who was executed by the victorious Roundheads after the English Civil War. When his son returns to England around 11 years later and becomes Charles II, there begins a tale of retribution to rival any fictional story. Around the first half of the book looks at the circumstances and events leading up to this and the (arguably more exciting) second half looks at the hunt for and fates of these regicides who signed King Charles I’s death warrant.

The fear and bravery of the regicides and general atmosphere is highlighted excellently and I found it incredibly engaging. There is certainly a sense of morbid curiosity into the fates of these regicides as well and a horror at how the innocent families could be affected, losing their properties and possessions. Spencer is able to take you into the mood of the country and how things must have felt. When the death warrant is discovered and the crown shows less mercy than had been promised and expected, it provokes questions of what you would have done in some of the regicides’ position – hope for mercy, go on the run, hide, leave your family and travel abroad – and where to? We see in his closing statements that the book is dedicated to these men but what is commendable is how professionally Spencer prevents bias creeping into the story as I never felt whilst reading it that there were any opinions or judgements being passed down in the author in any shape or form; a great achievement that really impressed me.

There are some brutal events that occur that will make some squeamish readers perhaps want to wince as they read but they really highlight the predicament these men found themselves in and in some ways tell a wider story of British history as you can see how events here have a wider effect on the future of the country. For example, as time goes on and more men are killed, the public begin to feel more sympathy and there is less thirst for blood. It would only be around 100 years later that the last person was executed by hanging, drawing and quartering (despite the punishment not being abolished until 1870) as some of the regicides are – a punishment commonplace for hundreds of years before these events. It makes you wonder whether such a furious spate of gory public executions in a developing society left a bad taste in the mouth with a more lasting effect.

Ultimately this is an incredibly important period of British history and Spencer is able to clearly educate and entertain on how events could ever lead up to an English King being executed, a republic established and the lasting effects of this. A brilliant book that will give you a different perspective on the time period and perhaps even life itself in some respects. Highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

professeur italien

Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I

Reviewed in Italy on January 15, 2019

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Buona ricostruzione storica su un episodio fondamentale della storia inglese.

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D. Kleinman

Everything in order

Reviewed in Germany on September 10, 2018

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Everything good

Brian J. King

"A cruel necessity"...Oliver Cromwell

Reviewed in Australia on July 17, 2015

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An extraordinary , yet understandable revenge.
Again an engrossing read .
A bloody foundation to Constitutional Monarchy.

2 people found this helpful

C.M.Brown

xxxxxxxxx

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2023

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A very good and well put together history of a period that has mostly been passed over by historians and others and which shows the extent too which Charles 2nd 'hunted Down' those he deemed responsible for what he and his supporters called 'The Murder' of his father.

It also illuminates the fact that no small number of those involved in the trial and execution of Charles 1st were quite prepared, after the restoration, to turn round & assist in the finding & punishing of those, like them, who's been fully behind the execution.

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