King Charles I was executed in 1649, haaving been defeated in the English Civil War of 1642-46. This embroidered picture shows him kneeling, on the right, with his son Charles II standing on the left.
The depiction of Charles I is taken from the frontispiece, engraved by William Marshall, of Eikon Basilike : The Portraiture of his Sacred Majesty in his Solitudes and Sufferings. This was a pamphlet on sale in London at the time of Charles' execution. It purported to be his private meditations as he awaited death; presenting him as a Christlike martyr persecuted for his virtures, it provoked a rush of sympathy for the dead king. The book immediately became a best seller; going through 35 English editions by the end of the year, and 25 foreign editions, it was subsequently translated into all the main languages in Europe.