Moral panics: a woodcut depicting the execution of King Charles I
© LOOK AND LEARN/BERNARD PLATMAN ANTIQUARIAN COLLECTION/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES
In 2023, Britain embarks on the adventure of a new king, one who takes over from a queen who was on the throne for a record-breaking period. With apprehension, with expectation, we await events. To be sure, the new king is already beset by criticism, including from his nearest and dearest. But if Charles III were to look back to the advent of James I, who also succeeded a long-serving Elizabeth, he would likely find the experience discouraging. Jonathan Healey’s book, The Blazing World, offering a new history of revolutionary England in the 17th century, illustrates how uneasily any new king settles upon the throne.