Written to mark the 350th anniversary of the death of Charles I on January 27 1649, this book recounts in detail the events leading to the fateful day, from the King's tribulation in the months before the trial, though the trial itself to the gruesome course and aftermath of the execution. It considers the aims and motives of his powerful enemies, men who were as certain in their own convictions as the King was in his. It explores the mysterious identities of the heavily disguised headsman and his assistant. It questions why the king had to die at all, and outlines what later became of those who shared responsibility for the death.