This book considers the personality of Charles and the effect of his decisions as ruler. Beginning with Charles as a prince, Durston goes on to assess the monarch's role in the outbreak of war and the crisis of the 1640s. Centring on the degree of personal responsibility Charles should bear for the events of his reign, the author considers: * contemporary and modern portrayals of Charles' reign * the King's military leadership * the context and prelude to his execution * his status as a martyr king in the 1650s and beyond.