Charles I: Speech on the Scaffold

Charles's goals in his speech on the scaffold were twofold: to demonstrate a proper attitude for a Christian facing death and to vindicate his conduct in the English Civil War, perhaps laying the ground for a restoration of his children. Charles puts himself in the Christian tradition of martyrdom, even referring to himself as “the martyr of the people.” He links himself with Saint Stephen, the “proto-martyr,” the first, according to Christian legend, to die for the faith of Jesus. As a Christian, it was vitally important for Charles to forgive his enemies. Rather than blaming his judges, he claims that the true cause of the dissensions of the realm was neither himself nor Parliament but unnamed and unknown “ill instruments.” He even forgives these persons, whose identities neither he nor his hearers knew, and he prays for their repentance.

Repentance was also important for the dying person, and Charles's protestations of innocence might be taken as showing a proud and unrepentant disposition. Charles deals with this potential line of criticism by being careful to distinguish between the unjust earthly authorities who passed judgment on him and the justice of God. He claims that his unjust execution is a punishment for his having previously allowed the execution of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford. Strafford is unnamed (in the words “an unjust sentence that I suffered for to take effect”), but the reference was clear.

Charles denies any responsibility for the Civil War, presenting himself as one who defended himself in a war that Parliament had begun. He claims that the dates on the commissions that both he and Parliament had sent to raise troops show that Parliament, not the king, had begun the war. Charles wanted to deny the charge frequently made against him, that he wished to govern without law. He does not claim that as king he was not bound by law, but he argues that he always respected it. The trouble was not caused by Charles's encroachment on the bounds of law but by evil men who had usurped a royal authority that was not theirs. He presents himself as a defender of the freedom of the subject, but this freedom did not extend to having a share in government. “A subject and a sovereign are clean different things.”

Although the king accepted his own death, he did not view the Royalist cause as lost, and part of the speech is devoted to pleading with his people to restore the proper form of government. Charles paints a portrait of contemporary England—his other kingdoms, Ireland and Scotland, are not referred to in the speech—as a kingdom “out of the way,” in which his own legitimate authority has been overthrown by authority based on naked power—“conquest” which is only a “great robbery.” To remedy this situation, England must restore Charles's son, his “successor,” the boy Prince Charles, then safely in exile with his mother, Queen Henrietta Maria. England must also restore the right “order” of the Church. Charles supported the traditional Church of England with its hierarchy of bishops, but this form of church organization, strongly identified with the Royalist cause, had been overthrown in the Civil War. Charles concludes his speech by claiming the assurance of salvation, the “incorruptible crown.”