Which English king reigned from 1625 to 1649 and was eventually executed?

• A. James I
• B. Oliver Cromwell
• C. Henry VIII
• D. Charles I

Answer: (D)

A king who reigned during this era faced intense conflict over who held ultimate political authority, leading to a civil war and the unprecedented move of executing a reigning monarch. The ruler who fits the dates 1625–1649 is Charles I. He took the throne in 1625 and his struggles with Parliament over taxation, religion, and royal prerogative sparked the English Civil War. After Parliament prevailed, he was put on trial and executed in 1649, an event that shocked Europe and marked a break with the traditional idea of the divine-right monarchy. This defeat and execution led to the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell and, later, the Restoration with Charles II in 1660. The other figures don’t match the timeframe: James I ruled until 1625, Henry VIII was king in the 16th century, and Oliver Cromwell was not a king but the Lord Protector after the monarchy was abolished.