Lot 118

Václav Hollar (1607 - 1677) SESSION OF THE LONDON PARLIAMENT - VERDICT ON EARL STAFFORD

Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was a fairly consistent supporter of absolutism. He demanded uncompromising action against opposition associated with the Scottish rebels. But he was charged by Parliament with overreach and treason, imprisoned and tried. Charles I initially promised him his support, but in the end, for the sake of his own position, he was forced to give the court a free hand. The death penalty was passed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords on 7 May 1641, and his execution was a public sensation that foreshadowed the coming English Civil War.