Who was beheaded in 1649?

Answer 1

This was King Charles 1st, following the English Civil War in which his Royalist forces fought against the Parliamentarian troops of Oliver Cromwell.

It should be stressed that Cromwell did not WANT to execute the King, merely to get him to agree to change from being an Absolute to a Constitutional monarch, with Parliament having the right of veto over his decisions and there being an end to the notion of 'the Divine Right of Kings' (a belief that was seriously held by English sovereigns up until then, that they had been specially appointed by God to rule their land). But King Charles would have none of it- had he just disagreed but put up no resistance to changing the British system of Government, he would probably have just gone into exile or been placed under house-arrest, but instead he kept escaping from prison to continue acting as Commander-in-Chief to his army. In the end, the frustrated Cromwell felt that executing him was the only option left available.

The King's death brought the war to an end, although there was a rebellion in 1651 at the Battle of Worcester, when Charles II's younger brother Prince Rupert attempted to lead an insurgency against Cromwell's rule. This, however, was also defeated.

Answer 2

King Charles I of England was beheaded on January 30, 1649 after a bitter dispute with puritans who were opposed to his Catholic views. He began his reign on March 27, 1625.

Answer 3

Edward II