Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
After the death of James I, Charles I came to the throne. His many conflicts with parliament, stemmed from his belief in the divine right of kings. The many religious conflicts in his reign triggered the English Civil War. After six years of war, Charles was defeated and executed by the parliamentarians. Oliver Cromwell became the Lord Protector of England and, less than a week after the king's execution, the monarchy was abolished. The newly created English Republic found itself in a desperate financial state after the war. To raise funds the 'Act for the sale of the personal estate of the King,Queen and Prince' was put forward. Trustees were appointed to value the jewels and sell them to the highest bidder. The most valuable of these objects was the Tudor State Crown, valued at £1,100 (£1,740,000 as of 2011); it was set with 28 diamonds, 19 sapphires, 37 rubies and 168 pearls.