The English Civil War
A king is tried by his own subjects and executed.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 9 years
- Known to
- ± 1 year
- Era
- Early Modern, Holocene
Conflict between Charles I and Parliament becomes war in 1642, and in 1649 the king is publicly tried for treason against his people and beheaded — an act with no precedent, since a king could not previously be a traitor to anything. England is a republic for eleven years before the monarchy returns. The Levellers argue during the war for near-universal male suffrage and a written constitution, positions that would not be achieved for centuries.