King Charles III

[David Lockmiller]

The Washington Post Sept. 9, 2022 story with the headline "Charles III is the third King Charles. The first two had a pretty hard time" reads as follows:

Shortly after the death Thursday of Queen Elizabeth II, a royal announcement said her heir, her eldest son Charles, would be known as King Charles III. He spoke as monarch for the first time Friday, echoing his mother’s pledge to serve the United Kingdom and “uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.”

King Charles III ascends to throne and spoke to the nation for the first time as monarch.

There had been speculation for years that Charles might choose a different name (he could have chosen any of his four names — Charles, Philip, Arthur or George — according to the BBC) if and when he took the throne.

So who were the first two British monarchs named King Charles? Well, they had a bit of a hard time.

One was caught up in a civil war and beheaded; the other spent the first decade of his reign in exile.

President Lincoln made reference to Charles I in the Hampton Roads Conference.

Doris Kearns wrote of the Conference in her book Team of Rivals at pages 692-693 and the specific reference President Lincoln made to Charles I:

The four-hour meeting, known as the Hampton Road Conference, took place [on Monday, January 30, 1865] in the saloon of the River Queen. . . . In reply to the question posed by Stephens, Lincoln attested that "there was but one way that he knew of, and that was, for those who were resisting the laws of the Union to cease that resistance." Stephens countered with the hope for a temporary solution that would integrate their respective armies to fight the French "until the passions on both sides might cool."

"I suppose you refer to something Mr. Blair has said," Lincoln replied. "Now it is proper to state at the beginning, that whatever he said was of his own accord. . . . The restoration of the Union is a sine qua non with me." There could be no substantive talk of an armistice or postponement until "the resistance ceased and the National Authority was recognized." Attempting to circumvent this declaration, [former U. S. Senator] Hunter recalled that Charles I of England had entered repeatedly into arrangements with his adversaries despite ongoing hostilities. "I do not profess to be posted in history," Lincoln answered. "On all such matters I will turn you over to Seward. All I distinctly recollect about the case of Charles I, is, that he lost his head in the end."