Charles I was the third child of James VI and I, and was not in direct line to the throne until the sudden death of his elder brother, Prince Henry. After an early attempt to pursue a diplomatic marriage with the Spanish Infanta ended in humiliation, he finally married the French princess Henrietta Maria shortly after his father's death.

Following the example of his friend and mentor George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, Charles devoted considerable energy to building an art collection.

As king, Charles came into conflict with his Parliament over his personal allowance as well as religious and foreign policy. In 1629 he dismissed Parliament and began a decade of 'Personal Rule.' After he was finally obliged to recall Parliament by a pressing need for money to oppose a rebellion in Scotland, tensions continued to mount. In 1642 Charles attempted to have five members of Parliament arrested for high treason. Shortly afterwards, he fled London and both factions began to prepare for war.

Civil War broke out in late 1642. Charles spent much of his time based in Oxford and deferred the leadership of royalist forces to his nephew, Prince Rupert. By 1646 it was apparent that the war was not going Charles's way, and he eventually surrendered himself to Scottish forces, who soon handed him over to the English Parliament. He spent the last years of his life imprisoned at various locations, though often under lenient conditions: he was permitted to go hunting, and equipped with books of his choice from the royal library.

In late 1648, the more conciliatory voices in Parliament were purged by an army coup. The remaining 'Rump Parliament' attempted to force Charles to abdicate, but he refused. In January 1649 they appointed 159 commissioners to conduct a treason trial of the king. He was sentenced and executed on 30 January 1649.