Charles I's Private Life
A biography by Mark Turnbull -published by 'Pen & Sword'
Mark Turnbull is aptly qualified to write a biography of Charles I: He has written four well researched novels set during the British and Irish Civil Wars, and runs the 'Cavalier Podcast' series. Mr Turnbull has also appeared as a speaker on the Civil War history circuit.
This is the author's the first non fiction work, and as Mr Turnbull already has the skill to make history interesting, the biography is ultimately a success. Also as a Civil War specialist, the author is more pro-Royalist whilst objective enough to look at the broader picture so to speak. The book is well footnoted, including references to source material from the National Archives..
It is fair to say that the author seems quite distanced from the stance taken by historians such as Christopher Hill, who focused on alleged underlying socio- economic causes of the conflict.Overall the emphasis is firmly placed on how Charles, as an individual monarch -with his own character traits- imprinted on this turbulent era.
The title is curious: Compared with Charles's father James VI/I and his son Charles II, Charles I is remarkably scandal free as far as intimate relationships were concerned. The exception is that the historian Pauline Gregg claimed Charles had an illegitimate daughter before his marriage to French princess Henrietta Maria. Here the term 'private' is used to depict inner religious belief and personal motivation and conviction.
Mr Turnbull depicts the religious complexities that Charles I was faced with very well. Having to somehow placate Scottish Presbyterianism, English Puritanism, along with the Anglican Church. Then there was the king's relationship with Catholicism when the Gunpowder Treason of 1605 was in living memory. Charles made legal concessions to Roman Catholics at the start of his reign in 1625, but they were soon withdrawn.
These religious factors were woven into the Civil Wars,and this biography demonstrates that the conflict was far beyond Crown v Parliament. Mr Turnbull shows that Charles I himself was a devout Christian, a Scottish born prince, who only became successor to the throne and head of the Church of England, on the death of his brother Prince Henry in 1612. His relationship with Scotland-with its own set of religious tensions- remains an important theme of the book.
The picture one gets from this biography is that Charles was far more willing to compromise and consider settlements with opponents than his opponents have suggested. Charles agreed to the execution of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford on dubious evidence of plotting against Parliament in 1641 but felt remorse for his actions ever since. The same year Charles offered concessions even agreeing to triennial parliaments and even re-offered this again towards the end of his life, once imprisoned before his execution on 30th January 1649.Yet at the end, enough of his opponents could not trust Charles,and took the huge step of trying him in public and sentencing him to death. And even decapitated a statue of him eighteen months later. Charles could inspire devotion but also such hatred.
Yet felt that there was something incomplete about this book, for all its positive points. I felt that it would have been so much better to have ended with a final chapter drawing on the conclusions that the author, as someone who has studied the Civil Wars for decades, has come to regarding the personality of Charles I and how this possibly changed the course of History. Does he believe that the Civil Wars were inevitable? Could a settlement have been reached earlier, possibly without Charles I being executed ? Did Charles' own duplicity mean that it became near impossible for peace to be reached without condemning him to death?
Finally, there is an interesting chapter speculating who the mystery hooded assistant present at the execution of King Charles actually was, based on the author's own research at The National Archives.
A couple of minor quibbles. Whilst this biography shows how sickly Charles was as a young prince, I am not so sure that his health was as robust in later life as is depicted. Also, I am not convinced that the Levellers ever favoured extending the suffrage to all males over 21 years of age. My understanding is that employees, servants and apprentices would have been excluded. But there is certainly enough in this biography to recommend it.
Relevant Links from this blog.
Interview with Mark Turnbull 2020 From this blog
Review The Kings Spy by Mark Turnbull From this blog
Review The Kings Captain by Mark Turnbull From this blog
Review The Kings Cavalier by Mark Turnbull From this blog
Mark Turnbull Links
Allegiance of Blood Author website for 'Allegiance of Blood' , first novel.
Cavalier podcast Author's podcast on British and Irish Civil Wars
Other work by this blogger.
Bleak Chesney Wold 19th century history & literature blog
WorldWar2Poetry Currently being revived at present
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