Detail from King Charles I by Anthony van Dyck, c. 1623, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
King Charles I (1600-49) was the English Civil War (1642-51) king. As a FIRM believer in the divine right of kings, he fought with Parliament metaphorically and then literally. He ascended the throne in 1625, married Henrietta Maria of France, and had several children with her, including the future Charles II.
When civil war broke out, Charles led the royalist forces but was defeated and captured. Eventually, he was tried, convicted, and executed for high treason. After his reign came the “Interregnum” during which England was led by various forms of constitutional leadership, primarily under Olive Cromwell.
As always, there’s several productions for which I can’t find images of Charles:
- Russell Thorndike in Henrietta Maria; or, The Queen of Sorrow (1923)
- Henry Victor in The Royal Oak (1923)
- Stephen MacDonald in Witch Wood (1964)
- Kenneth Colley in Thirty-Minute Theatre: “Revolutions: Cromwell” (1970)
- Daniel Brian in Churchill’s People (1974-75)
- Aleksei Petrenko in Mushketyory 20 let spustya (1992)
- Chris Kirk in Civil War: England’s Fight for Freedom (1997)
For the rest, voila!
Hugh Miller in The Vicar of Bray (1937)
A vicar hired to tutor the Prince of Wales navigates the English Civil War.
Robert Rietty in The Crimson Blade (1963)
A Hammer (as in Hammer Horror) film set during the English Civil War. As MANY of these films are going to be.
David Garth in The Further Adventures of the Musketeers (1967)
A British TV series about the Dumas swashbucklers.
Alec Guinness in Cromwell (1970)
A feature film biopic about Charles’s key political opponent.
Jeremy Clyde in The Children of the New Forest (1977) &Â By the Sword Divided (1983-85)
Children is an adaptation of a children’s novel about four orphans navigating the English Civil War. Sword is a British TV series about the impact of the Civil War on a fictional family that included both Royalists and Parliamentarians.
Stephen Fry in Blackadder: The Cavalier Years (1988)
A 15-minute, one-off Blackadder revival shown for Britain’s annual comedic charity TV special, Comic Relief Red Nose Day. The king hides from parliamentary troops at Blackadder’s home.
Bill Paterson in The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
A Musketeers spin-off, with only a quick glimpse of the English king.
Rupert Everett in To Kill a King (2003)
A British film about Cromwell’s relationship with army commander Thomas Fairfax. All I remember is it’s TERRIBLE.
Martin Turner in The Last King aka Charles II: The Power & the Passion (2003)
King Charles I is very briefly shown being beheaded in this miniseries about his son.
Peter Capaldi in The Devil’s Whore (2008)
A FABULOUS British miniseries about a fictional English aristocrat who is a part of Charles I’s court and then gets caught up with Oliver Cromwell and Co. during the English Civil War. Oh and she joins a religious commune.
Mathew Baynton & Adam Riches in Horrible Histories (2009–2015)
Of COURSE the British children’s comedy series has to have included King Chuck!
Will O’Connell in Charles I: Downfall of a King (2019)
An interesting TV miniseries about Charles, with a VERY KEY COSTUME SCENE that will make you scream. Read my review to find out more!
Samuel Blenkin in Mary & George (2024)
Charles shows up in this recent, faaaabulous TV miniseries set at his father’s court as a weeny Prince of Wales.
What’s your favorite depiction of King Charles I on screen?
My absolute favorite is the Blackadder Charles I. When Stephen Fry starts speaking like our own King Charles (especially with the “have you come far?”), I start laughing every time. As Auntee Beeb’s costumes were still in the excellent stage at this point, the costumes also look great to me. I love this skit…
It reminds me of Time Bandits, with John Cleese as Robin Hood — “And have you come far?”
Now I have to watch By the Sword Divided because I LOVE Jeremy Clyde! I think I watched it when it came out!
Now I HAVE to watch By The Sword Divided because I lurve Jeremy Clyde! I might have watched it years ago, but I forgot he was in it!
It struck me whilst reading this review that Mr George Baker might have been a solid casting choice for ‘Old Noll’ in CROMWELL, but I’m not sure he could have been in the frame for it.
Also, Sir Alec Guinness and the chap from MARY AND GEORGE are my favourite screen Charlies to date (At least when it comes to His Late Majesty King Charles the First): One hopes that if the latter gets a chance to play the character circa the Civil Wars, he will continue a solid run of form.
ooo, wanna write a guest review?
Who, me?
Well that depends on the frock flick/series/theatre/restaurant/Uber driver of your choice, but I’m willing to take a shot if you’re willing to risk handing me the ammo.
Might I please ask how one goes about discussing a possible article, structuring and submitting same?
(Fair warning, I’m long on opinions, mid length on history but come up rather short on sartorial expertise past or present: I know what I like, but cannot pretend to any particular technical knowledge).
It also occurs to me that, given his love of the arts, His Late Majesty might well have rejoiced in his cinematic legacy … especially since actors cast in the role have tended to be far taller than he (c.f. Mr Fry and Mr Everett – the former of whom especially strikes me as slightly closer to Charles II in height and demeanour, if not personal tastes).
A terrible time for men’s fashion, in my opinion–apart from the pearl earrings–compared to the fabulous 18th century. Only Rupert E. could really carry off that silhouette.
(Kendra, I share your worry about finding Rowan Atkinson hot. Still…a comic genius, and that beard does wonders for him.)
Charles I was a short man, probably because of all his childhood illnesses. That’s why Van Dyke kept painting him on a horse!
I believe His Late Majesty also explicitly required that the King’s Painter portray him as though he were six feet tall, which sheds an interesting light on Charles the First’s willingness to proclaim “I reject your reality and substitute my own’.
Where did you find “By the Sword Divided!?” I haven’t seen it since it was first aired on PBS!
Many years ago I watched Cromwell as part of a history assignment, and I loved the bits with King Charles, especially his goodbyes to his kids before the execution. It didn’t hurt that Alec Guiness bore a striking resemblance to King Charles to begin with.