The Royal Image: Representations of Charles I

Contemporary Review, Nov, 1999

Cambridge University Press. Thomas N. Corns, editor. [pounds]35.00/US$59.95. 316 pages. ISBN 0521-59047-7. This collection of twelve essays coincides with the 350th anniversary of Charles I's judicial murder in 1649. Both in his reign and after his death, 'images' were crucial both to the King and to his enemies.

How he presented himself to his subjects and how certain dissatisfied subjects portrayed him were at the heart of the crisis which led to his martyrdom. The twelve essays in this collection examine various aspects of this image making. There are papers on the Court's presentation of the King, on how poets saw Charles' marriage to the French Catholic princess, Henriette Marie, on popular representations of the King, on how images of Charles changed during the so-called 'personal tyranny', on radicals' perceptions, on the King's famous book, Eikon Basilike, on Milton's relationship with his King, on the King's music, on visual representations of the King, on the martyred King's role in the restoration and on Charles as the Jacobite icon after 1688. Finally there is an Afterword that analyses the continuing importance of Charles I. Altogether this is a fascinating collection that adds greatly to our understanding and appreciation of this vital chapter in our history.