In 1649, after years of struggle between the authority of Parliament and the power of the King, which culminated in the Civil War (1642-9), Charles I was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.
After his trial and condemnation carpenters began setting up a scaffold against the walls of the Banqueting House.
A grim procession
At 10 o'clock in the morning on 30 January a grim procession set off from St James's Palace to Whitehall, the King surrounded by an escort of halberdiers.
At the appointed hour he was led out through the galleries of the palace and into the Banqueting House.
From here he stepped directly on to the scaffold from an upstairs window, specially removed for the occasion. Although the King was hidden from the majority of the crowd by black drapery, neighbouring rooftops were thronged with spectators.
