King Charles I was beheaded on the 30th of January 1649, outside Whitehall Palace. This was done at the order of parliament. His son, also named Charles, was immediately adopted by Scotland as their king Charles II. The previous volume, A Time of Confusion, ended very roughly with these happenings.
We now hop forward a couple of years to 1651. Charles, supported by some elements in Scotland and a few in England, makes an attempt to add the throne...