CARLO I, king of England and Scotland. — Born on 19 November 1600 at Dunfermline, died on 30 January 1649 in London, son of Giacomo I and Anna of Denmark. In 1625, having become king, he married Enrichetta Maria, sister of Luigi XIII of France. In a secret article annexed to the marriage treaty, C. undertook to guarantee Catholics freedom of worship, at least in private; but fear of the powerful opposing party, which demanded application of the existing laws persecuting papists, and the intention of avoiding a rapprochement with Rome and the Pope led him to make adjustments and concessions that also produced martyrs. The true importance of the marriage was above all political in nature. Through it Richelieu removed the threat of a Spanish-English alliance opposing the French reconquest of the Valtellina, while on the English side there was hope for the restoration of the Elector Palatine, who was related to C.
After the wedding, profound disagreements arose between C. and his wife, since the king was unwilling to grant any protection to Catholics. Under the pretext of proselytism carried out in favor of the Catholic Church by Enrichetta’s entourage, C. expelled its members from the kingdom. The result was war with France: C. attempted to help the Huguenots besieged at La Rochelle, but all the attempts failed. Meanwhile, the needs of war required substantial financial resources (C. was also at war with Spain and subsidized Cristiano IV of Denmark, his maternal uncle), which the king, since Parliament had refused them to him, obtained through arbitrary levies. After peace was concluded with France and Spain (1620 and 1630), C. continued along this unconstitutional path. In 1637, through anti-Presbyterian measures, he alienated the Scots, who finally openly rebelled against him. After the death of the Duke of Buckingham (1628), C. was reconciled with the queen and showed several times that he understood the Catholics of the kingdom, while always refusing to convert. The king’s violation of parliamentary privileges led in 1642 to the civil war, in which the forceful personality of Oliver Cromwell emerged. C. was defeated and sentenced to death.