The first King Charles since the 1600s, he shares his moniker with monarchs who reigned during one of the most turbulent periods in British history.

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The reigns of father and son Charles I and Charles II spanned from 1625 to 1685 and saw the overthrow and restoration of the monarchy.

But for many Isle of Wight residents, the name Charles rings bells for different reasons.

Who was Charles I and why was he connected to the Isle of Wight?

A photo of a painting of Charles I by Rita Greer, unveiled at Carisbrooke Castle Museum in 2014. Photo: IWCP Archive. (Image: IWCP Archive)

Charles I was the only British monarch to have been publicly tried and executed for treason.

Born in November 1660, Charles I moved to England from Scotland when his father, King James VI of Scotland, inherited the English throne in 1603.

Charles I married Bourbon Princess Henrietta Maria of France in 1625, angering protestant religious groups.

He also argued with parliament, which wanted to curb his powers, while many subjects opposed his policies which included levying taxes without parliamentary consent.

Attempts to force the church of Scotland to adopt Anglican practices also led to religious conflicts, which in turn resulted in the strengthening of English and Scottish parliaments, helping to pave the way for his eventual downfall.

Charles I fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments and when the First Civil War ended in June 1646, Charles I and the Royalist cause were militarily defeated.

He met with Colonel Robert Hammond, Parliamentary Governor of the Isle of Wight, whom he apparently believed to be sympathetic, and the king subsequently left London to 'escape' to the Isle of Wight.

King Charles I is thought to have visited Sir John Oglander at Nunwell House, Brading, Isle of Wight. Photo: IWCP Archive. (Image: IWCP Archive)

Nunwell House at Brading is thought to have been one of King Charles I’s ports of call, to visit his friend and supporter Sir John Oglander.

Some accounts also suggest he visited Cowes Castle, today known as the Royal Yacht Squadron, before he continued to Carisbrooke Castle, the home of the governor.

But Hammond confined Charles in Carisbrooke Castle and informed Parliament that Charles was in his custody.

For just over a year, from November 13, 1647, the king was held captive on the Isle of Wight, primarily at Carisbrooke Castle. 

Charles planned to escape his confinement, he was still in touch with his supporters, to whom he smuggled secret messages by his chambermaid.

An escape attempt was made on the night of March 20, 1648, when horses and a boat were made available for the king.

Charles planned to lower himself by a length of rope from his bed-chamber window, which overlooked the courtyard of the castle.

The plan was that his page, Henry Firebrace, would then lower him to the ground.

However, when Charles attempted to climb through the window, rather embarrassingly, he could not fit through, forcing the attempt to be abandoned.

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Undeterred, Charles planned a second escape attempt from his more rigorous confinement two months later, which was to take place at midnight on May 28.

He had been then been housed in a different, more secure bed-chamber, against the north wall of the castle and a similar plan was hatched.

After a brief period of escape, he was re-captured and executed in Whitehall on January 30, 1649, after being tried and convicted of high treason.

After the execution of Charles I, two of his children, Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Elizabeth, were imprisoned at Carisbrooke. Princess Elizabeth, Charles' second daughter, died there on September 8, 1650, of pneumonia, aged 14.

An account of her final meeting with her father before his execution was found among her possessions after her death. Henry was released in 1653.

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