Eikon Basilike appeared shortly after Charles I's execution and was presented as the dead king's spiritual autobiography. Printed and reprinted in London and abroad, it depicted him as a prayerful Christian enduring unjust persecution. Its authorship remains disputed, with John Gauden often credited as principal author.

The book was an extraordinary Royalist publishing success and established the enduring image of Charles the Martyr. Its devotional pathos demonstrated how literary voice and visual symbolism could reverse the apparent meaning of political defeat.