Mark Parry read History at Cambridge and completed a doctorate on the political role of the episcopate under the early Stuarts. He teaches History at Westminster School. He is the author of several academic articles on the political and religious history of the early Stuart period and of an A-level textbook Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702 (2015).

'Parry helpfully engages with historiography throughout the book, and importantly justifies his own standpoint. [...] In sum, this is a fine book, accessible and engaging, with a clear set of conclusions. It deserves to be widely read.'Kenneth Fincham, Sixteenth Century Journal, UK'[...] Parry’s work offers a successful and concise overview of the life of Charles I. Parry’s clear historiographical discussions, signposting, and his emphasis on the contradictions in Charles’s character offer a readable and thorough background for any reader.'Amy Saunders, Royal Studies Journal, UK

• AcknowledgementsStuart family treeIntroduction1 Early life and Prince of Wales (1600–25)2 Patriot king (1625–29)3 Imperial monarch (1629–40)4 Royalist-in-chief (1640–42)5 Warlord (1642–46)6 Conscientious objector (1646–49)Epilogue: the legacy of a royal martyrGuide to further readingIndex

Mark Parry read History at Cambridge and completed a doctorate on the political role of the episcopate under the early Stuarts. He teaches History at Westminster School. He is the author of several academic articles on the political and religious history of the early Stuart period and of an A-level textbook Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702 (2015).

'Parry helpfully engages with historiography throughout the book, and importantly justifies his own standpoint. [...] In sum, this is a fine book, accessible and engaging, with a clear set of conclusions. It deserves to be widely read.'Kenneth Fincham, Sixteenth Century Journal, UK'[...] Parry’s work offers a successful and concise overview of the life of Charles I. Parry’s clear historiographical discussions, signposting, and his emphasis on the contradictions in Charles’s character offer a readable and thorough background for any reader.'Amy Saunders, Royal Studies Journal, UK

• AcknowledgementsStuart family treeIntroduction1 Early life and Prince of Wales (1600–25)2 Patriot king (1625–29)3 Imperial monarch (1629–40)4 Royalist-in-chief (1640–42)5 Warlord (1642–46)6 Conscientious objector (1646–49)Epilogue: the legacy of a royal martyrGuide to further readingIndex