Jeff discusses the sophisticated legal and philosophical arguments made at the trial of King Charles I in 1649 by a special court, created by the Puritan Parliament, just for the purpose of trying the king. Jeff explores how these arguments relate to the freedoms Americans take for granted today. The king chose to represent himself and appeared without an attorney. He based his entire defense on the idea that the court had no jurisdiction over him. It involves theories of divine right, sovereignty, popular consent, and the king's relationship to the law.