Life and times of Charles I and Henrietta Maria

This interactive lecture-based course will cover the background to how the Stuarts succeeded to the English throne from already being rulers of Scotland and what effect this dual role had on them and their subjects. Charles’s childhood in the shadow of his brilliant brother Henry will be looked at and how Henry’s sudden death thrust him into the centre of politics. Charles’s personal life will also be looked at including his problems in finding a wife and producing heirs as well as his religious convictions and how this affected his role as monarch. His attempts to rule without Parliament will be looked at and how this led to Civil War and the ultimate loss of his throne.