Annual Thomas lecture to address Stuart king Charles I

The popular annual history lecture by Dr. Marvin Thomas, professor of history, will address Stuart king Charles I and ideas of the separation of church and state.

The lecture, “A Decisive Moment for Kingship: Charles I and the English Civil War,” will take place at 7 p.m. (an hour earlier than previous years) April 12 in the Lester and Barbara Rice Auditorium of Fisher Hall at Pitt-Bradford.

The Scottish Catholic king believed in the Divine Right of Kings, which would be his undoing as Parliamentarians defeated the king's army and decapitated the king.

“The Americans have an obsession with the strict separation of church and state,” Thomas said. “Unfortunately, it never happens.” He will examine this thought in the light of the English Civil War.

Thomas has been teaching European history at Pitt-Bradford since 1969. He was chosen in 1997 as the recipient of the Pitt-Bradford Alumni Association's Teaching Excellence Award.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For disability needs related to the lecture, contact the Office of Disability Resources and Services at (814) 362-7609 or clh71@pitt.edu.