Texts connected to King Charles I to go in display in public library

Texts associated with Charles I are being displayed near his birthplace to mark 400 years since he became king.

An illustrated, first-edition biography, published in 1662, is one of three volumes being exhibited at Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries from April 8 until May 6.

The king, who ascended to the throne on March 27 1625, will have his biography, Basilika: The Workes Of King Charles The Martyr, displayed at the library for the public to see.

Also on show is a 1656 edition of The Reign Of King Charles: An History Faithfully And Impartially Delivered And Disposed Into Annals.

The text, by English historian Hamon L’Estrange, is a comprehensive account of Charles’s policies, his relationships with parliament and the people, and events that led to the English Civil War.

Published in 1655, this revised and enlarged second edition – produced the following year – addresses criticisms prompted by the first print run’s composition and errors.

Charles wanted to impose a slightly different version of the prayer book on the Scottish Kirk in 1637, which provoked a rebellion in the church.

Charles’s military failure in the so-called Bishops’ War that followed triggered a financial and diplomatic crisis that proved to be the first of many endured by the monarch.

Library staff say the new display is a reminder of Dunfermline’s role as an ancient Scottish capital and how, in 1625, Charles I became the last king to be born in Scotland.

The venue’s local studies supervisor, Sharron McColl, said: “Dunfermline can be rightly proud of its illustrious history and significant royal connections – we’re delighted that visitors can see these magnificent artefacts at close quarters.”