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Charles I of England was the second King of the then newly enthroned House of Stuart. He was the second surviving son of King James I of England. He became heir apparent to the English, Irish and Scottish thrones on the death of his elder brother in 1612. Later, he married the Bourbonprincess Henrietta Maria of France, after a failed Spanish match.
His reign is known for his conflicts with the Parliament of England, which sought to curb his royal prerogative. Charles believed in the divine right of kings, which was against the belief of many of his subjects, leading to them perceiving his actions as those of a tyrannical absolute monarch. His religious policies, coupled with his marriage to a Roman Catholic, made him an enemy of the Puritans and Calvinists. Most of his actions as monarch ultimately helped precipitate his own downfall, and his eventual deposition and beheading in 1649 and the declaration of the Protectorate under Oliver Cromwell.
Many of today's European royalty can claim descent from Charles, such as Juan Carlos I of Spain, Franz, Duke of Bavaria, Philippe of Belgium, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the late Otto von Habsburg and many are related to him via collateral bloodlines, such as Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Margrethe II of Denmark. This article deals with the numerous individuals who are and were descendants of Charles and his wife Henrietta (Since he is not known to have had any illegitimate children).