Charles was the son of James I and Anne of Denmark. His reign was a bloody one, stemming from his belief in the divinity of Kingship. This angered Parliament and England's bloody civil war was the result. He was beheaded in 1649. His wedding to Henrietta Maria took place in 1625, the year he was crowned. He was married in proxy in France, before his opponents could object to him wedding a Catholic and the couple came together at Canterbury on 13 June 1825 to be wed in person.
Henrietta Maria, the daughter of Henry IV, of France, left England in 1644, not returning until the restoration of the monarchy, which saw her son, Charles II, become King. Another of her sons became James II. She died in St Denis. The American state of Maryland was named after her.
Above left: Henrietta Maria was bom in 1609 and outlived her husband by twenty years., dying in 1669. In 1644, she left England for a life of poverty and suffering in Europe, before returning upon the Restoration of the Monarchy.
Above right: Charles I's reign presided over the greatest war ever in Britain. He was very enlightened and was a major patron of the arts. He was executed after a trial which shocked much of the civilized world of the time.
Right: Henrietta Maria.
Two of Charles I's sons grew up to be King, being Charles II and James II.
World History
