Description
Book SynopsisOne of the iconic moments in English history, the trial and execution of King Charles I has yet to be studied in-depth from a contemporary legal perspective. Professor Ian Ward brings his considerable legal and historical acumen to bear on the particular constitutional issues raised by the regicide of Charles, and not only analyses the unfolding of events and their immediate historical context, but also draws out their wider importance and legacy for the generations of historians, politicians, and writers over the ensuing three and a half centuries.This is a book about constitutional history and thought, but also about the writing of constitutional history and thought and the forms they have taken -whether as scholarship, polemics, or literary experiments - in collective British memory. Chapters range from the events leading up to and through the trial and execution of Charles; to their theatricality, legality, and constitutionality; to the political writings such as Milton''s
Tenur
Trade Review
Vivid, entertaining, and engaging * H-Net *
Ian Ward gives us a master-class in the writing of seventeenth-century legal and constitutional history and in the historiography of the downfall of Charles Stuart. The pacy style, rich use of contemporary sources, intricately interwoven, and some cliff-hangers, all make for an enthralling and penetrating read. * N.M. Dawson, Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK *
The Trials of Charles I lies at the crossroads of law, art, literature, and social history. It is a fresco where the grand narrative of the Civil War is enriched by the pétites histoires of its protagonists. Ian Ward masters the cross-disciplinary implications of sixteenth-century English legal history. * Matteo Nicolini, Associate Professor in Comparative Law, Verona University, Italy *
Ian Ward has written a pacy and compelling account of one of the most pivotal moments in English constitutional history. It will be enjoyed by scholars and general readers alike. * Gary Watt, Professor of Law, University of Warwick, UK *
This stimulating book charts a very persuasive course through the controversies surrounding Charles I’s trial and execution in January 1649. In the process, it sheds a huge amount of light not only on the trial itself but also on the contested nature of Stuart monarchy and of Charles’s posthumous reputation. * David L. Smith Fellow and Director of Studies in History, Selwyn College, University of Cambridge, UK *
Table of Contents
Introduction: An Evening in Hampstead 1. The Casebook of Sir Edward Coke 2. The Triumphs of King Charles I 3. The Trial of Charles Stuart 4. Milton’s War 5. The Histories of Edward Hyde Bibliography Index
