The Prisoner King

Charles I in Captivity

John Matusiak

$39.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

The History Press Ltd
29 May 2025

Biography: royalty; British & Irish history; Early modern history: c 1450 to c 1700; Revolutions, uprisings, rebellions; English Civil War

An intimate and evocative account of an absolute ruler's relentless descent into impotence, isolation and ultimate submission to the unthinkable.

Much has been written about Charles I's reign, about the brutal civil war into which his pursuit of unfettered power plunged the realm, and about the Commonwealth regime that followed his defeat and execution.

His reign is one that shaped the future of the British monarch, and his legacy still remains with us today. After more than half a century of comparative neglect, The Prisoner King provides a new and much needed re-examination of the crucial period encompassing Charles I's captivity after his surrender to the Scots at Newark in May 1646. Not only were the subsequent months before his trial a time when the human dimension of the king's predicament assumed unparalleled intensity, they were also a critical watershed when the entire nation stood at the most fateful of crossroads. For Charles himself, as subterfuge, espionage and assassination rumours escalated on all fronts, escape attempts foundered, and tensions with his absent wife mounted agonisingly, the test was supreme. Yet, in a painful passage involving both stubborn impenitence and uncommon fortitude in the face of 'barbarous usage' by his captors, the 'Man of Blood' would ultimately come to merit his unique place in history as England's 'martyr king'.

AUTHOR: John Matusiak is the author of Henry VIII, Wolsey, and The Tudors in 100 Objects.

By: John Matusiak
Imprint: The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781803999401
ISBN 10: 1803999403
Publication Date: 29 May 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

JOHN MATUSIAK studied at the universities of London and Sussex before embarking upon a teaching career that eventually spanned more than thirty years. He is the author of six books in all, including biographies of Henry VIII, Thomas Wolsey and James I, and The Tudors in 100 Objects, and is currently completing a new history of the Thirty Years War.