1648 13th December
Trial
The "Rump Parliament" of 60 members votes that Charles be brought to trial
English Civil War · permanent subject timeline
Trial and Execution of Charles I
The regicide that abolished the monarchy and transformed the constitutional crisis. This page combines historical context with 6 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database English Civil War archive.
Historical context
Trial and Execution of Charles I: overview and significance
What happened?
Charles I was tried by a specially created High Court of Justice and condemned for treason. He was executed outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall on 30 January 1649.
Why was it important?
The execution of a reigning king was unprecedented in English history. Parliament subsequently abolished the monarchy and House of Lords and declared England a Commonwealth.
World History Database records
Trial and Execution of Charles I timeline
The records below are selected from the 1,090-record English Civil War archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1648
1648 December
Execution
In the wake of the ejections from the Long Parliament, the remnant, the Rump Parliament, arranges for the trial and execution of Charles I
1649
1649 20th January
Trial
Charles I goes on trial for treason
1649 21st January
Trial
Charles I goes on trial, he refuses to plead
1649 26th January
Trial
Sentenced to death as a "tyrant, traitor & murderer"
1649 30th January
Execution
Executed in front of the Whitehall Banqueting House; Charles II is proclaimed king in Scotland after the execution
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database English Civil War records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
English Heritage · National Army Museum · UK Parliament · Cromwell Museum
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