KING CHARLES I

King Charles I was born in Dunfermline Palace, Scotland, in 1600. He was the son of King James I (James VI of Scotland) and his wife, Anne of Denmark. Like King Henry VIII, Charles had an elder brother as a child (Henry Stuart 1594-1612) making him second in line to the throne. But when Prince Henry died in 1612, Charles became heir to the throne. Unlike his older brother, however, Charles had none of the personal attributes to adhere him to the hearts of his people. Henry had been the peoples champion, a new King Arthur in their eyes and England a new Camelot, but Charles was developmentally slow (having a physical and speech impediment while growing up) and was never the athlete or orator his brother was.

Charles and Henrietta Maria
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Charles became King at the death of his father in the March of 1625, but was not crowned until the February of 1626. In the summer of 1625 he married Princess Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry IV of France and his wife Maria of Medici. As she was a Roman Catholic, the match was not popular amongst Charles's Protestant subjects. Many of his opponents believed that as he had a Roman Catholic wife, he was a secret Roman Catholic himself, and as such would be a threat to their Protestant Church. Charles and Henrietta were very happy together, however, and had a number of children, including the future kings Charles II and James II.