The unprecedented execution of King Charles I — the first time a reigning European monarch was tried and executed by his own subjects. Duncan examines how the unthinkable became possible.
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Highlights
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Once a principle is established in practice, it can never be fully reversed
Executing Charles I established the principle that kings can be held accountable. Even after the Restoration, no English monarch would ever again claim absolute divine right with a straight face.
Revolutions create precedents that outlive the revolution itself
The English Civil War ended with a Restoration — but the revolutionary precedent (Parliament can check the king) survived and became the foundation of constitutional monarchy.