This allegorical engraving (image A) accompanied a pamphlet called Eikon Basilike

This allegorical engraving (image A) accompanied a pamphlet called Eikon Basilike (“The Kingly Image”), which began to circulate in Britain just weeks after the execution of King Charles I. It was purported to be an autobiographical account of the king’s last days, and a justification of his royal policies. It was intended to arouse widespread sympathy for the king and his exiled heir, Charles II; it succeeded admirably, as the cult of Charles “King and Martyr” became increasingly popular. Here, the Latin inscription on the shaft of light suggests that Charles’s piety will beam “brighter through the shadows,” while the scrolls on the left proclaim “virtue grows beneath weight” and “unmoved, triumphant.” Charles’s earthly crown (on the floor at his side) is “splendid and heavy,” whereas the crown of thorns he grasps is “bitter and light”; this heavenly crown is “blessed and eternal.” Even people who could not read these and the other Latin mottoes would have known that Charles’s last words were: “I shall go from a corruptible to an incorruptible Crown, where no disturbance can be.”

At the same time, broadsides showing the moment of execution (image B) circulated in various European countries with explanatory captions. This one was printed in Germany, with almost identical versions surviving from the Netherlands. It shows members of the crowd fainting and turning away at the sight of blood spurting from the king’s neck while the executioner holds up the severed head.

Questions for Analysis
Image A shows Charles I in a rather reverential representation. From which side of the English Civil War argument do you think this image was from? What is the point of this image to viewers?
The issues of the English Civil War and the Reformation for that matter, had wide reaching geopolitical impact. In the late 1640s, this was no different. In light of this knowledge, where do you think image A would have found the most sympathetic audiences (this means country, region)?
Image B tends to see the King as a neutral figure in a field of other historical actors. What about this representation of the king shows the political viewpoint of royalty at this point, and why might it be significant that image B circulated more widely in Germany and the Netherlands than in France or Spain?