A Timeline of Human Rights
(Under Construction)
January1649
Trial of Charles I
Filed under: Sovereignty, Democracy, Trials
England’s House of Commons put the king on trial for subverting the kingdom’s fundamental laws and making war on the people.
England’s House of Commons put the king on trial for subverting the kingdom’s fundamental laws and making war on the people.
The trial opened on January 20th and ran for a week. Charles refused to participate in the proceedings, as “Rump Parliament” President John Bradshaw brought forth witnesses against the king and railed against his intransigence.
The witnesses spoke to the king’s participation in the English Civil Wars and to his involvement in atrocities. Sentenced to death, he was beheaded on January 30th.
A site with historical information on the English Civil Wars offers a good summary of the trial.