When Charles the First Was King
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This book offers a richly detailed portrait of 17th-century English rural life intertwined with the personal and political turmoil of the Civil War, making it a compelling read for fans of historical fiction and classic adventure.
Edition details
Book Summary
In this historical novel set during the English Civil War, Yorkshire yeoman Will Dale recounts his life from childhood through the execution of King Charles I, weaving together personal romance, family feuds, and unwavering loyalty to the crown against the backdrop of a changing rural England.
Will Dale grows up on his family's farm in Yorkshire, experiencing a peaceful rural life marked by a long-standing feud with the Watson family. His childhood includes a fateful meeting with Rose Lisle, whose father is secretly the highwayman Black Phil. After his father is murdered—later revealed to have been hired by Rupert Watson—Will comes of age, manages the farm, and falls in love with Rose. The English Civil War disrupts their lives: Will is imprisoned in Pontefract Castle, and Rose's father dies in battle. After two years, Will returns home to find his mother dead, then travels to London to seek compensation from Cromwell, where he witnesses the trial and execution of King Charles I. Haunted by his father's murder, Will eventually confronts the dying hired killer, learns the truth, and struggles with forgiveness. He finally marries Rose in a double wedding with his friend Ben, though the epilogue reveals that the Dale family lands were eventually lost and absorbed into neighboring estates.
Reading guide
Go deeper in When Charles the First Was King
Character guides, themes, chapter companions — plus Character Web, narrative arc, and theme heatmap teasers that unlock fully beside the text in BetterReads.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
Narrator
A Yorkshire yeoman farmer pressed into the King's service, he argues with Cromwell himself about obedience, liberty, and the rights of plain Englishmen.
Ben Tuckett
The Dales' most softhearted servant, he lectures anyone within earshot that war was invented by the devil while quietly scheming to win a little glory of his own.
Rose Lisle
A dark-eyed, gipsy-looking beauty grown tall and stately, she lodges with the narrator's family and turns his quiet farm life upside down.
Jack Drumbleforth
A brave but flyaway young volunteer who takes sides before he understands the quarrel, riding off to war more for the adventure than the cause.
Philip Lisle
A pardoned highwayman turned loyal Royalist, he rides the countryside pleading the King's cause and gathering volunteers as war closes in on Yorkshire.
Jacob Trusty
A surly, fifty-three-year veteran of the Dale farm, he has nursed the narrator since infancy and brooks no advice from anyone but himself.
Loyalty to the Crown
The narrative centers on unwavering loyalty to King Charles I, with characters like Will Dale and Philip Lisle viewing the monarchy as divinely ordained and fighting for it despite personal cost, while contrasting this with the Parliamentarian cause.
Rural Life and Nature
The book celebrates the Yorkshire landscape and pastoral life, contrasting the peaceful, cyclical rhythms of farming and harvest with the chaos of war, and using nature as a source of identity and solace.
Love and Courtship
Romantic relationships, particularly between Will and Rose and Ben and Lucy, are central, developing against the backdrop of war and serving as a counterpoint to conflict, with courtship rituals and family approval playing key roles.
Civil War and Duty
The English Civil War is a driving force, forcing characters to choose sides and confront the tragedy of Englishman fighting Englishman, while exploring themes of duty to king, country, and family.