Synthesizing Information

Charles I was executed on January 30, 1649, outside the Banqueting House in London — a building he had commissioned himself and walked through to reach the scaffold. He had been a deeply divisive king, but his composure in his final hours earned him grudging respect even from his enemies. He gave a calm final speech, declared himself a martyr, and then tucked his hair under a cap so it wouldn't obstruct the blow. His last word to the executioner was simply