Charles I was the son of James I, taking the throne in 1625. Like his father, he believed in the “Divine Right of Kings,” ruling as if he was a god. He was always short on money, and alienated many of his possible future supporters. The extravagance in his lifestyle led him to demand more money from parliament and the people, while also requesting funds for his wars. Parliament refused after already providing large proportions of cash and legal tender. Parliament decided to only agree after Charles signs the “Petition of Rights” in 1628, informing the king that he could not levy taxes without Parliamentary consent. He didn’t care at all, and continued following his narrow minded decisions without a second thought. From 1637 forward, he created many problems for himself, including the alienation of the Scottish people. Finally, Charles’ failure to arrest and execute the Parliamentary leaders as traitors created the revolution.
Assuming that the Parliament and the citizens were unable to stop Charles’ reign, many different scenarios could be played out. One could be that King Charles I rules England with an iron fist as the people suffer under his every careless mistake. The streets are ridden with thieves and ne’er do wells, the lucky ones were able to get out of the country, and the economy gradually falls into a depression. Without Oliver Cromwell, this may have happened in place of the history we know today. Canada’s development would also be affected, creating an only French country. Without Cromwell, England wouldn’t know if it could go on without a monarch and what it would be like to be ruled by a dictator or by a commonwealth