...the most impressive aspect of the book is the way that interwoven in the narrative is a consistent, novel and coherent view of Charles the politician. What is novel about Dr. Cust's view is that he is not content to put Charles's political failures down simply, as many recent historians have done, to the king's lack of political ability. His explanations are more subtle and, thus, more convincing.Professor Barry Coward, Birkbeck College, London; author of The Stuart Age: England 1603-1714 (Longman, 2003) Charles I was a complex man whose career intersected with some of the most dramatic events in English history. He played a central role in provoking the English Civil War, and his execution led to the only republican government Britain has ever known. Historians have struggled to get him into perspective, veering between outright condemnation and measured sympathy.