Stuart

The Restoration of Charles II

Many have seen the Restoration of the monarchy, which took place on 29 May 1660, as inevitable. Yet what is most surprising is its unexpectedness.

James VI and I

Roger Lockyer takes a fresh look at the much-maligned James VI of Scotland, who became the first Stuart king of England.

The Trial of Charles I

Sean Kelsey reconsiders the events of January 1649 and argues the trial was skilfully appropriated by rump politicians in paving the way for the new Commonwealth.

Why was Charles I executed in 1649?

Barry Coward grapples with a question which has become more difficult to answer as a result of recent scholarship. He finds the answer lies in the New Model Army, in religious passion and in Charles himself.

Queen Anne

Many have dismissed the last Stuart monarch as a nonentity or a figure of fun. Yet according to Richard Wilkinson she does not deserve her tarnished reputation.

The Lost Palace of Whitehall

On the tercentenary of the fire that destroyed it, Simon Thurley describes the significance of the royal Palace of Whitehall to the Tudor and Stuart monarchs who lived there.