This book covers the life of Charles I, from birth to death. No one could say that John Bowle doesn’t know his stuff! It’s meticulously researched, with over a quarter of the book going just to footnotes; I love to see that as a historian!

The downside for a novel like this is that it is DENSE. Almost impenetrable. There are so many people involved that it’s difficult to handle, because they need to be mentioned, but if you stop and explain who each person is and what their importance is, then you’ve got a book that’s thousands and thousands of pages long. If a reader doesn’t know who the players are, they’re either mired with a bunch of names who are strangers to them OR they must stop every few seconds and look up who they are.

Alas, the book is quite slow and really only picks up urgency at the end, with Charles attempting to wriggle his way out, then standing defiantly and accepting his execution.

I learned so much, however. I think if people are really interested in learning about the Civil War (English), the Caroline Era, or just specifically Charles I, this book could be a great boon.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I didn't get enough time to read this book due to pressure of work. I look forward to reading it another time. It's a fascinating subject. I have to give it a rating so I'm choosing three stars as it's in the middle, but this doesn't reflect on the book.

John Bowle’s “Charles I” (ISBN-9781800554047) is a well-researched but sometimes ponderous book that documents the fascinating life of Charles I. Three stars.

Charles I was born in 1600 and became the second Stuart King of Great Britain in 1625. He was not a successful ruler. His views on divine rule, his inherited authoritarian nature, his profligate spending, his disagreements on religion, his taxes, his quarrels with Parliament, and his ill-fated wars with France and Spain led to controversy and disputes, and civil wars with Scotland, Ireland, and England.

These civil wars were essentially confrontations between the monarchy and Parliament over the definitions of the powers of the monarchy and Parliament's authority. Ultimately, Charles I’s battles with Parliament led to Parliamentary rule (the Interregnum), the office of King being abolished, his 1649 beheading at Whitehall, London, and his burial at Windsor versus Westminster Abbey.

The book was a model of deep research and detail, which was both its strength and its weakness, the former because of the highly informative nature of the book, but the latter because of the often overly complex narrative. The author’s writing came alive only in the last portion of the book where he detailed the events that culminated in Charles I’s beheading.

Thanks to the publisher, Sapere Books, for granting this writer the opportunity to read this highly informative work prior to publication, and thanks to NetGalley for helping to make that possible.

Originally published in the 70s, John Bowle's life of one of the unluckiest monarchs in English history is a stunning biography of a man, his tumultuous reign and a captivating tapestry of a restless nation on the road to civil war.

Meticulously researched, this fascinating portrait will take you step by step through all the errors foolishly committed by Charles I between 1625 and 1649.
A very compelling and richly detailed account of one of the most important periods in English history.

Highly recommended and very accessible to anyone interested by 17th century historical and political studies.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for this terrific ARC

"Charles I", a reissue of John Bowle's book first published in 1975, is an extremely readable and detailed examination of the king and his mindset- both before ascending to the throne, during, and after. Examining his strengths and weaknesses as a monarch Bowle gives Charles his due, acknowledging not only the approach to 'divine kingship' Charles learned from his father but also that Charles was in many respects a capable monarch and should be known for more than just his patronage of the arts. But Charles' missteps are equally examined, as are the other social, religious, and political issues of the day that led ultimately to the English Civil War, Cromwell's coming into power, and Charles' beheading.

A must read for history lovers and definitely for those looking for a good, well-written, detailed yet understandable account of the actions leading up to the English Civil War, this is a book that should be on everyone's shelves.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I think it's the first biography of Charles I I read even if I read a lot about his time and what happend
It was an informative and entertaining read, a well researched book that made me learn something new.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Sapere reissues John Bowle's Biography of Charles I, first published in 1975. This is a good one-volume account of Charles I's life that shed new light on Charles I and his struggles as King of a fractured land, contending with Protestant-Catholic divides within England and Ireland as well as the ongoing Thirty Years War raging on the European Continent. Poor Charles could not please anyone eventually alienating everyone from the Church to Parliament which would charge him with High Treason and beheaded in 1649. This is well worth the time as both history and as a good read.