Original Engraving- The Trial of the King Charles I - First Edition - circa 1649

King Charles I, United Kingdom

First Edition

King Charles I. United Kingdom. Original Engraving- The Trial of the King Charles I - First Edition- c. 1649. Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland sits at the trial of his execution. Engraving Printed in 1649. Outer trim size : H 15 1/4" x W 18 1/2". Below the image in English: " Trial of the King " in English with a description of the events leading up to the moment. Charles I (1600-1649) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Condition is very good with some very minor edge wear. There are few old repairs on the reverse and on the corners and edges along with some proactive conservation to prevent further edge wear. A historic print

From 1642, Charles fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War. He was defeated in 1645, but Charles refused to accept his captors' demands for a constitutional monarchy. The idea of trying a king was a novel one. The trial of the king depicted on this etching documents the trial. Only 68 firm Parliamentarians attended Charles's trial on charges of high treason and "other high crimes" that began on 20 January 1649 in Westminster Hall. Charles was accused of treason against England by using his power to pursue his personal interest rather than the good of the country. Charles claimed that no court had jurisdiction over a monarch. The court, by contrast, challenged the doctrine of sovereign immunity and proposed that "the King of England was not a person, but an office whose every occupant was entrusted with a limited power to govern 'by and according to the laws of the land and not otherwise'." Charles was tried, convicted, and executed for high treason in January 1649.

Item #16842

Price: $1,250.00