After years of bloodshed, leading parliamentarian army officers and some MPs came to the decision that the only way to restore peace across the nation was to remove Charles I – permanently. The decision was momentous: legally-sanctioned regicide in England had never been committed before, nor has it since.
Charles I on his final walk towards Whitehall Palace and his execution
In 1646, Charles surrendered to the Scots, who in turn gave him up to Parliament for a large sum of money. The King was held in various places for 18 months, including Hampton Court Palace, before escaping to the Isle of Wight. He believed the governor of the island would be sympathetic but was instead taken captive and held in Carisbrooke Castle.