Eikon Basilika – King Charles I – 1687 | Stuart Royalist Folio, Gauden

The autobiography of King Charles I of England was published shortly after he was executed following the English Civil War. Known as Eikon Basilike, this diary gives light to the life of the king, as well as prayers, and secrets of the English military that led into the Civil War. While it is not certain that Charles I was the author or not, it is recognized as a work of Royalist propaganda and quite popular, even though it was highly disapproved of. (Almack, 3). According to Kunitz and Kaycraft,

“The work is a masterpiece in its expression of Charles’ principles, personal feelings, and prejudices, and by making a martyr of this Stuart king, exercised a considerable influence on English history” (Kunitz & Haycraft, 212).

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Basilika: the Works of King Charles the Martyr; with a collection of declarations, treaties, and other papers concerning the differences betwixt His said Majesty and his two Houses of Parliament, with the history of his life
• Author(s): King Charles I
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s): John Gauden (Attributed Author)
• Publisher: London, Ric. Chiswell
• Edition: Second Edition. 1687..
• Format: Folio, single volume
• Binding: Full leather
• Size: 14.5 in x 9.5 in (36.8 cm x 24.1 cm)
• Collation: 720, [4] pp
• Illustrations: frontispiece + double-page plate
  • Lacking 3 plates and engraved title page
• Contents Include:
  • Eikon Basilike, full text
  • State declarations and letters
  • Treaties between King and Parliament
  • Biography of King Charles I
• Provenance: bookplate – Worcestershire, Buchley Park
• Reference(s): BM Catalogue; Wing C 2076; Almack 61; Lowndes I:413.; Madan 65
  • Eikon Basilike attributed to John Gauden

Condition:

Very Good. Full leather tight and secure. Leather spine has been professionally restored. Pages generally clean.

Why Collect This?

• 17th-century folio from the Stuart period
• Eikon Basilike, a work central to Charles I’s legacy, referenced in standard bibliographies
• Provenance connection to Worcestershire

Item Number: # 29497