12 William Laud (1573–1645) became prominent in the Church of England under King Charles I, and in 1633 he was made Archbishop of Canterbury. He defended the Anglican Church as a national institution, and supported the King in his struggle against the Commons. As Archbishop of Canterbury he enforced uniformity in the Church. In 1640 Parliament impeached him of high treason, and he was beheaded in 1645. The Earl of Strafford (1593–1641), chief adviser to Charles I from 1639, was impeached by the Commons in 1640. He was executed, with the King’s assent, in 1641.