Eikon Basilike (2 vols.)

by Edward Almock; Charles I

Publishers:

Blades, East & Blades; John W. Luce and Company

, 1896–1907

Overview

On January 30, 1649, in the aftermath of the English Civil War, parliament executed King Charles I for high treason. 10 days later Eikon Basilike appeared claiming to be the deceased King’s spiritual autobiography. A historically unique volume, “The King’s Book” is both an exemplary piece of Anglican piety and a master-stroke of political propaganda. Its author—Charles I or otherwise—was an effective rhetorician, steeped in the simple and solemn language of the Book of Common Prayer and the Anglican liturgy. Eikon Basilike defends Charles’ monarchy and depicts the deposed king as a martyr, even likening his sufferings to those of Christ. It was immediately wildly popular, going through an unheard of 36 printings in its first year alone. In the bibliography that accompanies this edition, Edward Almack claims of the Eikon, “so marvelous was its effect, that . . . nothing but the Government’s ingenious and persistent condemnations of the work prevented an immediate restoration of the monarchy.”

Written from the perspective of a doomed king, the pages of Eikon Basilike drip with pious emotion. According to Almack, “a touching pathos and simple dignity pervade every chapter. . . . the king’s subjects instantly recognized the stamp of the king’s own character in every page.” Almack’s accompanying bibliography provides a guide to the literary response to the Eikon, and investigates claims of authorship later made by John Gauden and others.

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Key Features

• Presents the Eikon Basilike or, “The King’s Book,” purportedly written by Charles I in the days preceding his execution
• Includes a bibliography investigating the authorship of Eikon Basilike and analyzing literary responses
• Provides a historically unique perspective on faith and politics

Product Details

• Title: Eikon Basilike
• Volumes: 2
• Pages: 627

Eikon Basilike

• Author: Charles I
• Editor: Edward Almack
• Publisher: Chatto and Windus
• Publication Date: 1907
• Pages: 335

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This volume contains the Eikon Basilike or, “The King’s Book,” as well as an introduction by Edward Almack.

Charles I (1600–1649) was king of England from 1625 until his execution in 1649. His belief in the divine right of kings made him unpopular with parliament, and his invasive religious policies made him unpopular with much of the public. When captured by parliament during the English Civil War, he refused to accept constitutional limits to his authority and was eventually convicted and executed for high treason. A decade later the monarchy was restored and his son Charles II was crowned king.

A Bibliography of The King's Book, or Eikon Basilike

• Author: Edward Almack
• Publisher: Blades, East & Blades
• Publication Date: 1896
• Pages: 292

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This volume contains Edward Almacks’s bibliography of Eikon Basilike, including a historical sketch of the book, arguments for and against royal authorship, and a list of works responding to Eikon Baslike.

Edward Almack (1852–1917) was a member of the Bibliopgraphical Society in England.