John Cook (regicide) facts for kids
John Cook (born 1608 – died 1660) was an important lawyer in England. He became famous for being the first lawyer to lead the case against a king, King Charles I. This happened during a time when England was a republic, called the English Commonwealth.
After the king's son, Charles II, came back to power, John Cook was found guilty of a serious crime called regicide (which means killing a king). He was executed on October 16, 1660. Many people today see him as a key figure in international law. He was the first lawyer to try a country's leader for crimes against their own people.
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About John Cook
John Cook grew up in Leicestershire, England. His parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Cook, were farmers. He was born in 1608 and went to Wadham College, Oxford, and then studied law at Gray's Inn.
John Cook had a son with his first wife, Frances. After she passed away, he married Mary Chawner. They had a daughter named Freelove. She was just a baby when John Cook was executed. Before his famous trial, he was known as a lawyer who wanted to change things. He was also an Independent, which was a type of Protestant Christian.
Cook's Ideas for Law
A writer named Geoffrey Robertson wrote a book about John Cook in 2005. He said that Cook was a very smart and forward-thinking lawyer. Cook believed in many new ideas for the law.
For example, he helped create the idea of the right to silence. This means you don't have to speak if it might make you look guilty. He also wanted to stop people from being jailed just for owing money. He thought that legal language should be simpler, not in Latin. Cook also believed that poverty could lead to crime. He suggested that people who stole food for their starving families should get probation instead of harsh punishment. He even thought lawyers should help people for free if they couldn't afford it.
John Cook wasn't against kings at first. But King Charles I refused to accept the court's power or answer the charges against him. This made Cook take a strong stand against the king. Robertson says that Cook bravely accepted his fate when the king's son returned to power.
The King's Trial
Trying a king was a completely new idea. Before this, kings had been removed from power, but never put on trial like regular people. The High Court of Justice was set up by the English Parliament. It had 135 members who supported Parliament. John Cook agreed to lead the legal case against King Charles I.
The Trial Begins
The trial of King Charles I started on January 20, 1649. He was accused of very serious crimes, like treason. But the king refused to say if he was guilty or not guilty. He claimed that no court had the right to judge a king.
When John Cook started to read the charges, King Charles I tried to stop him. The king told him to "Hold" twice and tapped Cook's shoulder with his cane. Cook kept reading. Then, the king stood up to speak, but Cook continued. The king then hit Cook's shoulder so hard that the fancy silver tip of his cane broke off and fell to the floor.
The king nodded for Cook to pick it up. But Cook stood still and didn't move. After a long silence, King Charles I had to bend down and pick up the cane tip himself. This moment was seen as very important. It showed that even a king, who many believed had a "divine right" to rule, had to bow before human law.
Cook's Trial and Execution
After King Charles II returned to power, many people who had opposed the monarchy were forgiven. This was part of the Indemnity and Oblivion Act. However, John Cook was not forgiven because he was considered a regicide.
The writings of Edmund Ludlow tell us about Cook's trial and his public execution. John Cook was found guilty of high treason for his role in the trial of King Charles I. He was executed on October 16, 1660, along with a preacher named Hugh Peters and another person involved in the king's trial.
Cook's Family
John Cook's only child who survived was his daughter, Freelove Cook. She was mentioned in a letter her father wrote from his prison cell. Freelove married John Gunthorpe in 1674. He was a goldsmith's apprentice.
John and Freelove Gunthorpe moved to Antigua, an island in the West Indies, before 1677. They both passed away before 1693. John Cook's widow, Mary, married John Shenton in 1669. She died in 1679. John and Freelove Gunthorpe had three sons: Robert, John Junior, and William. John Gunthorpe Junior died in Antigua in 1740 and had children. William Gunthorpe also had a son named William, who was born in Antigua.
A journalist and historian named William Cooke Taylor (1800–1849) later claimed that he was a descendant of John Cook.
See also
In Spanish: John Cook (regicida) para niños
