Should Charles have been executed

1. LO: To examine how significant was the execution of King Charles I
– a person who
supports the king and monarchy.
– a person
who supports Parliament.
20 June 2019
Bronze: You Know what
happened to Charles I
after the Civil War.
Silver: You can identify
the different arguments
people had about
Charles I during his
trial. .
Gold: You can evaluate
the arguments to make
your own judgement and
support it with evidence
to create your own
strong argument

2. LO: To examine how significant was the execution of King Charles I
These are the answers, but, what are the questions?
In the back of your exercise book, work out the question to the
following answers:
High treason
Tuesday 30th January 1649
Whitehall Palace
He did not want the crowd thinking he was scared
‘A cruel necessity’

3. These are the answers, but, what are the questions?
In the back of your exercise book, work out the question to the following answers:
What was King Charles I found guilty of on 27th January 1649?
High treason
When was King Charles I executed?
Tuesday 30th January 1649
Where was King Charles I executed?
Whitehall Palace
Why did King Charles I wear two shirts for his execution?
He did not want the crowd thinking he was scared
How did Oliver Cromwell describe King Charles I’s execution?
‘A cruel necessity’
LO: To examine how significant was the execution of King Charles I

4. LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.
What do the seals suggest about who was in charge of England
before and after the English Civil War?

5. LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.
What do the seals suggest about who was in charge of England
before and after the English Civil War?

6. LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.
Charles was called before Parliament where a special commission had been put in place to try
him for treason. Very few people wanted to be involved in putting Charles I on trial and many
top lawyers and judges disappeared to their country estates to escape being involved. Trial
judges are usually chosen for their experience and they are also supposed to be neutral.
Oliver Cromwell chose the inexperienced John Bradshaw to be the judge and after the trial he
rewarded Bradshaw with a permanent job as President of the Council of State and Chancellor
of the Duchy of Lancaster.
During the trial, out of the 135 commissioners due to attend, only 68 turned up. They were
scared, as they had openly fought against King Charles I; this was not the way society worked.
Even Thomas Fairfax did not attend – his wife did, and is reported to have supported the king.
Indeed, for many people, things had gone too far. However this was not the case for Oliver
Cromwell. When Charles walked into court Cromwell reportedly said, ‘I tell you we will cut his
head off with the crown upon it.’
Another problem parliament encountered was that Charles refused to give a plea - he would
not say whether he was guilty or not guilty. He said parliament had no right to act as judge
and jury. They could not try the king for treason.

7. LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.
On the second day, the court president, John Bradshaw, allowed the king to speak.
They exchanged angry words and Bradshaw ordered the king removed. Bradshaw
must have known that there was a chance proceedings would get heated as he
worse a specially-made bulletproof hat!
With no progress yet made, on 24th-27th January 1649 witness statements were
heard – none in support of Charles. The court heard Charles:
• was guilty of starting the war by trying to raise an army in Nottingham
• approved of the ill-treatment of parliamentary forces during the war - calling his
own subjects enemies
• was plotting with his son to start another war while negotiating with Parliament.
On 27th January 1649, Parliament found King Charles I guilty of treason and
sentenced him to death. Bradshaw justified this by saying that Charles had not done
his duty by calling regular Parliaments, attacking the basic liberties of the country.
Charles would be beheaded.
Extension – do you think that King
Charles I got a fair trial? Explain your
view.

8. Task 4 - photocopy / revision guide p30-31
a) Use the photocopy to create a mindmap of all the events
between 1642-1648 that helped to defeat Charles
b) Use different colours to highlight Royalist and Parliamentarian
facts
c) Write a few sentences to explain the significance of Thomas
Pride and Oliver Cromwell in the defeat of the King
LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.

10. LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.
Using the sources, what can you infer about the execution of King Charles I? Consider what
happened on the day of Tuesday 30th January 1649:
There can be several inference made from the source about Charles’ execution. Firstly….
This means that……..Secondly……..this is significant because……….
Things to mention:
The size of the crowd
The reaction of some
members of the crowd
The presence of soldiers
The religious imagery
The location of the
execution
The location of the
onlookers

12. LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.

13. Task 7 - photocopy ‘Cromwell - Dictator or Hero of Liberty?’.
a) For each section write down one or more examples of
Cromwell’s actions
b) Highlight examples of ‘Hero of Liberty’ - (Giving people more
freedom and giving Parliament and the people more say over
the running of the country)
c) Highlight examples of ‘Dictator’ - (telling people what to do /
acting without consulting others)
EXTENSION:- What s your opinion on Cromwell. Were his actions justified? Or was
he just as bad as any of the Kings before him who we have studied?
LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.

14. Look at Source A. It The
engraving below is from a
book published while
Cromwell was alive. It is
entitled “Cromwell's
Chariot”.
Source A: Cromwell’s Chariot
Using Source A what
can you infer about
some attitudes
towards Oliver
Cromwell in 1649?
LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.

15. LO: To understand arguments given at Charles’ Trial.
Task
Using the information sheet, create a
newspaper article dated 31st January 1649
about the trial and execution of King
Charles I from either a Royalist or a
Parliamentarian viewpoint – do you think
that King Charles I was innocent or guilty?
What do you think should happen next to
England? Who should hold power and
authority?
You will be required to describe the trial
and execution of King Charles I using the
information provided to you. Think about
key dates, times and people.