Legal Succession: Henry VIII

Tags

Anne Boleyn, Duke of Richmond, Edward VI of England, Elizabeth I of England, Henry FitzRoy, Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, Mary I of England, Plantagenet

When Henry VII died on April 21,1509 he left the throne secure for his second surviving son, Henry VIII. He would be the last king of that name (well, so far) and he would become memorable for his many marriages and tyrannical behavior. For the topic of this series Henry VIII was his father’s legal successor.

There so much to cover with the reign of Henry VIII but sticking with the theme of this series I will concentrate on his struggle to secure the succession. Being only the second Tudor monarch there was still some competition among the Plantagenet descendants of Edward III. One of the things I may have failed to mention during the entries on the War of the Roses was the fact that there was so many marriages with the descendants of Edward III and the English nobility that it gave many nobles a hereditary claim to the crown. One of the more notable nobles with a claim to the throne was Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. He and Henry VIII had an on and off again friendship throughout the early parts of Henry’s reign. In 1521 Stafford was found guilty of treason and executed.

Henry honored his father’s wished by marrying Catherine of Aragon, his brother’s widow, and for years they struggled to secure an heir to Henry’s throne. During the marriage two sons, both named Henry, Duke of Cornwall, only lived for a few months. Tha majority of Queen Catherine’s pregnancies ended in still births. Only one daughter, Mary, born in 1516, survived until adulthood. However, to Henry, a daughter was considered unsuitable partly because he believed a daughter would be unable to consolidate the Tudor dynasty and the fragile peace that existed following the Wars of the Roses.

In 1519 Henry also had a son with his mistress, the 17-year-old Elizabeth Blount. The boy, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, was publicly acknowledged by Henry, the only illegitimate child he ever acknowledged as being his, was proudly shown at court to assuage the kings pride over not having a male heir at this time in his reign. In 1536 with the question of the succession still not settled an Act of Parliament was being made which would have given Henry FitzRoy the legal right to succeed his father. Sadly, this Act was never completed as Henry Fitzroy died of consumption July 23, 1536.

I do not feel the strong need to go through all of Henry’s marriages. That is another topic for this blog. We all know the story though. Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon and married Anne Bolyne. The marriage between Henry and Anne also produced only a daughter, Elizabeth, named after Henry’s mother, Elizabeth of York. After the execution of Anne, Henry married Jane Seymour and finally had his male heir when Jane gave birth to Edward on October 12, 1537. Jane, herself died as a result of this childbirth and was deeply mourned by the king. None of Henry’s three subsequent marriages produced any more children. Historians speculate that as Henry grew older he was impotent and unable to produce any more children.

When Henry died on January 28, 1547 his legal heir, the sickly Prince Edward, mounted the throne of England as King Edward VI. However, the struggle for the Tudor dynasty to produce legal heirs was far from over.

The longest duration of holding a dukedom: Royal and Non-Royal, and other Peerage titles

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4th Duke of Gordon, 4th Duke of Marlborough, 5th Baron Penrhyn, 7th Marquess Townshend, Alexander Gordon, Buckingham Palace, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Kent, Elizabeth II, Frank Douglas-Pennant, George John Patrick Dominic Townshend, George Spencer, HRH Prince Edward, King George V of United Kingdom of Great Britain, Kings and Queens of England, Prince Albert of Saxe-Cobug-Gotha, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain

Earlier last week HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent suffered a mild stroke. At the time of this writing he is still hospitalized. On one of the message boards I frequent the topic of conversation turned to what Dukedom, either royal or non-royal has been held the longest?

The current Duke of Kent inherited his Dukedom from his father, HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942) 4th son of King George V of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Queen Mary (Princess May of Teck). Prince George was created Duke of Kent in 1934. Prince George died when the R.A.F. Short Sunderland flying boat he was on crashed into a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, in Scotland while en route from Evanton, Ross-shire, to Iceland on August 25, 1942.  At that time his 7 years old son, HRH Prince Edward of Kent succeeded to the Dukedom of Kent and has held that title for 70 years.

HRH Prince Arthur, The Duke of Connaught, 3rd son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was created as created Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Earl of Sussex on May 24, 1874 and would hold those titles until his death on January 1942 at the age of 91. He held those titles for 67 years.

Her Majesty the Queen’s husband, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (son of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg) was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich on November 20, 1947 and has held these titles for 65 years.

Their son, Prince Charles, the Current Prince of Wales, automatically took the titles Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, upon his mother succession to the throne on February 6, 1952. Therefore he has held his dukedoms for 61 years. The title of Prince of Wales is not an inherited title it is created for the heir to the throne at the sovereigns discretion. Charles was created Prince of Wales on July 26, 1958 and has held that title for 55 years.

This takes care of the Royal dukedoms. Who have been the longest holders of non-Royal dukedoms?

Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon, (in the Peerage of Scotland) held this Dukedom for 75 years 1752-1827.

George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (in the Peerage of England) held his dukedoms for 59 years. 1758-1817.

The longest held Peerage title was not a Dukedom however. It was an marquesses. George John Patrick Dominic Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend, succeeded to his peerage on 17 Nov 1921. He died on 23 April 2010,having held the peerage for 88 years, 157 days.

The Peer to have lived the longest was Frank Douglas-Pennant, 5th Baron Penrhyn. born 21 Nov 1865, died 3 Feb 1967 Age 101.

Crown Bill debated in the House of Lords

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2012. Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Duchess of Gloucester, Duke of Gloucester, Elizabeth II, England, House of Lords, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of Scotland, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Pope Francis, Succession Crown Bill

http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2013/march/lords-succession-to-the-crown-report-stage/

This week an inaugural Mass was held for Pope Francis (this has replaced the old Papal Coronation) and many European Monarchies either went themselves or sent representatives. For the UK The Duke and
Duchess of Gloucester represented Her Majesty the Queen. I thought this would be a good time to examine the Crown Bill that is being debated in the House of Lords this month. (see article in the link)

As stated in the Bill there are three major changes that are being voted on…

• removing the first born son preference and allowing an older daughter over a younger brother to become a monarch
• allowing anyone who marries a Roman Catholic to remain in line
• limiting the requirement that all descendants of George II must obtain the monarch’s permission to marry to the six people nearest in line to the crown. If the monarch’s approval is not given then the married couple and their descendants lose their place in the line of succession.

The focus of this blog is the abolition of the requirement in the 1701 Act of Settlement that those in line to the throne would lose their place in succession upon marrying a Catholic. While I think this is along over due change it does create a problem and that is the source of the debate in the House of Lords.

The problem is that the sovereign is also the Head of the Church of England and must be in communion with that Church. That does make sense. I don’t think the UK would be happy with a monarch that is Head of the Church of England but also a Roman Catholic. So where does one draw the line? That is the issue at hand.

I think disestablished the monarch from the Church of England is not an option…at least at this time…so there must be a point where the monarch must remain Catholic. In my opinion, the monarch should be allowed to marry a Catholic as long as they raise their children in the Anglican faith.

HRH The Duke of Kent Hospitalized

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Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth II, Hospitalized, HRH The Duke of Kent, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of the United Kingdom

http://www.royalcentral.co.uk/news/the-duke-of-kent-cancels-engagements-is-admitted-to-hospital-4890?fb_source=pubv1

From Royal Central

His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, first cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, has been admitted to hospital Royal Central can report.

News of this admission comes as the Duke of Kent cancels engagements relating to a visit on Monday where he was due meet RNLI lifeguards and staff at Trevaunance Cove in his role as President of the Charity.

That is all I know for now. I will post more when I know more! I hope it is not serious!

Legal Succession: The Children of Henry VII

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4th Earl of Lennox, Arthur Prince of Wales, Battle of Flodden, Edward III of England, Elizabeth of York, Henry VII of England, James V, King Fernando II-V of Aragaon, King of Scots, King Richard III of England, Mary Tudor, Matthew Stewart, Queen Isabel I of Castile

With Henry VII on the throne and married to Elizabeth of York the dynastic struggle between the branches of the Plantagenet family came to an end. Henry VII marked the start of his reign as being the day before defeating Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field. This enabled him to confiscate the lands of the nobles who fought for Richard III on the grounds of treason. He did spare the lives of some Plantagenet heirs, namely, John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln, and Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury niece of both Edward IV and Richard III. There were still skirmishes for the throne after Henry VII became king. The Earl of Lincoln was reconciled to Henry VII for a while. However, Lincoln was killed in the Yorkist Battle of Stoke Field on June 16, 1487 the last battle of the War od the Roses.

Although Henry secured himself on the throne succession issues would plague the House of Tudor and the repercussions would be felt in later generations. Henry VII and Elizabeth of York had 8 children, with only 4 of them living until adulthood. These four would play a role in the succession to the throne. The two surviving daughters, Margaret and Mary Tudor, both made dynastic marriages. Margaret first married James IV, King of Scots and they were the parents of James V, King of Scots. This gave the Scottish kings a good claim to the English throne as Margaret and James IV were both descendants of Edward III of England via the Beaufort line which had produced Henry VII’s claim to the English throne. James IV died in 1513 at the Battle of Flodden against the forces of his brother-in-law, Henry VIII. Margaret secondly married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Their daughter, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, married Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox. They, in turn, had a son, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, who married his cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, the daughter of James V, King of Scots. All of these family ties secured the claims of the House of Stewart (Stuart) to the English throne.

The next daughter, Mary Tudor, also married twice., Her first marriage was to the aged King Louis XII of France which did not last long. Louis died about a year after the marriage and there was no issue. Mary then married Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Their eldest daughter, Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, married Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk and became the daughter of Lady Jane Grey a claimant to the English throne.

Arthur, the eldest son, was created Prince of Wales in 1489 when he was 3 years of age. When Arthur was 15 he married Infanta Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Fernando II-V of Aragon & Castile and Queen Isabel I of Castile, the two  monarchs that united Spain. Arthur died in 1502 ans left no issue. Fernando and Isabel wanted Catherine to return to Spain but Henry, not wanting to lose the Spanish dowry, kept her in England.

The next in line was Henry, Duke of York. Henry VII had plotted a career his second son as a priest in the Catholic Church. With the death of Arthur in 1502 Henry became heir to the throne and it became his father’s wish that he should marry, Catherine his brother’s widow. Henry, Duke of York was very reluctant to do so.

In 1509 Henry VII died at the age of 52 and left a sturdy crown and rich coffers to his son, Henry VIII of England. Nest week I will discuss the struggles for an hier and the many marriages of Henry VIII.

Legal Succession: Henry VII part 2

Tags

Battle of Bosworth Field, Duke of Lancaster, Earl of Richmond, England, Henry IV, Henry Tudor, Henry VII of England, House of Lancaster, House of York, John of Gaunt, Kings and Queens of England, Richard II, War of the Roses

As we saw in the last installment Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, had a tenuous claim to the English throne. As descendents of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (son of Edward III) via a third marriage which later legitimized his children, Henry Tudor’s line once had succession rights but those rights were then legally removed. As I mentioned before, the victors  get to rewrite the rules and this is evident in the rise to the throne of Henry VII.

With the death of Henry VI and the death of his son, Edward, Prince of Wales, the collateral branch of the Plantagenet, known as the House of Lancaster had come to an end. However, there were other descendants of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster to take up the Lancastrian claims. The Beaufort House, from John of Gaunt’s third marriage, were given the title Duke of Somerset and after the extinction of the male line only the female line remained, represented by Lady Margaret Beaufort and her son Henry Tudor. The year after the Battle of Tewkesbury Lady Margaret married Lord Stanley, who had been a devoted supported of King Edward IV. Stanley did not support Richard III and instrumental in putting Henry Tudor on the throne.

It was the defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in August of 1485 that placed the new Tudor Dynasty on the throne. Ever since Henry IV usurped the throne from Richard II in 1399 the legality of all the subsequent kings has been a pretty messy situation. Although Henry had a slim blood claim to the throne his legal standing was even weaker given that his line had lost its succession rights. Therefore, his succession to the throne was more of a conquest than a usurpation.

One of the things the new Henry VII did was to unite the warring factions while also strengthening his position on the throne. To do that he desired to marry Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. This would unite both the houses of York and Lancaster. However there was some resistance to that. Those that were against the union claimed that Richard III’s Act of Parliament, Titulus Regius, that had declared the marriage of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville invalid and the children illegitimate still stood as law. Henry VII disagreed with that position and had the act repealed. When he was crowned Henry VII took the throne not as a conqueror but as a legitimate descendant of John of Gaunt.

Henry and Elizabeth married on January 18, 1486. Their first son, Arthur, born on September 20, 1486 had a strong blood and legal claim to the throne. He was a descendant of the now legal King Henry VII of England and he was a multiple descendant of Edward III and heir to both the houses of York and Lancaster.

As we shall see in the next section of this series Arthur never lived to become king and the throne passed to his brother who became King Henry VIII of England. Although the succession of Henry VII and his marriage to Elizabeth of York ended the Dynastic Wars struggles for the throne would also plague the Tudor Dynasty.

Pope Francis

Tags

Bishop of Rome, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, Papal Election, Pope, Pope Francis I

Habemus Papam!!!

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected Pope! There has never beena Pope named Francis before. I do like the name but I do not know much about him. He is 76 years old and that is older than many expected. Many were looking for a younger man who could lead the Church into the 21st Century. Who knows?! He may do exactly that!

Not only is the name an historical first, Pope Francis is also the first Pope, Bishop of Rome, that has come from the “New World” meaning outside of Europe.

Here is the Wikipedia article about him!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Bergoglio

Edit: He is called Francis with no ordinal number. John-Paul I was the only Pope to call himself the First. Otherwise it follows the British system where Francis will not get an ordinal until there is a Francis II.

BBC Mini-series recomondation

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1st Duke of Richmond, Aristocrats, Charles Lennox, Downton Abbey, Duchess of Portsmouth, Duke, Earl, King Charles II of England and Scotland, King George III, Lady Caroline Lennox, Lady Sarah Lennox, Louise de Kérouaille, Marquees, Viscount & Baron

I have studied the English/British/Scottish royals for over 30 years now. In the last couple of years I have expanded my study to include the British aristocracy, or nobility. I often like to contrast the British nobility system with the Nobility system in Germany. The British system is more cut and dried , while the German system is more complex. In Britain Royalty and Nobility is more rigidly defined. In Germany the system changed and evolved and often Nobility and Royalty in Germany were on equal social standing…mostly. I do promise at some point to do a complete study on the Nobility system in Germany…and Britain.

Briefly, the hierarchy of the British system, that the peers of the realm, outside of the royal Dukes and Earls, (limited to the members of the Royal Family) follows thusly…Duke, Marquees, Earl, Viscount & Baron. Next in the hierarchy are untitled nobles such as the landed gentry. One of the fascinating families I have been studying is the Gordon-Lennox Family who are also the Dukes of Richmond.

The most recent creation of the title was in 1675 for Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond natural son of HM King Charles II of England and Scotland and his mistress, Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth. The second Duke of Richmond, also named Charles Lennox, was the focus of a 1999 BBC mini-series which followed the lives of the Dukes ambitious daughters, called Aristocrats. One daughter, Lady Caroline, married a prominent politician, Henry Fox, while a younger daughter, Lady Sarah, was a possible bride for the future King George III. Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond is played by Julian Fellowes, none other than the man who created the hot new show Downton Abbey.

So if you like Downton Abbey I highly recommend this BBC mini-series. It is on DVD.

Is it time for the King of Spain to abdicate?

Tags

Alfonso XII of Spain, Alfonso XIII of Spain, Amadeo of Savoy, Don Juan Count of Barcelona, Duke of Palma de Mallorca, First Spanish Republic, General Francisco Franco, Iñaki Urdangarin, Isabel II of Spain, Juan Carlos of Spain, Leopold of Hohenzollern, Second Spanish Republic, Spanish Civil War, Spanish Monarchy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/04/spain-king-juan-carlos-scandal

While the King of Spain is recuperating in a Hospital bed after having back surgery his popularity continues to crumble. It has been a scandal filled year. With Spain going through some of its worst financial times in decades. Many of the scandals revolving around the king involve money. Last year he went on an African safari with his mistress that cost tax payers a lot of money and his son-in-law, Iñaki Urdangarin, Duke of Palma de Mallorca,  is involved in a corruption and money laundering scandal. I don’t think the Spanish monarchy can get any lower.

It seems that ever since the abdication of Queen Isabel II in 1868 the Spanish monarchy has stood on tenuous soil. Her eldest son, the future Alfonso XII, was bypassed for the throne which was given to Amadeo of Savoy. Their first candidate, Leopold of Hohenzollern, was rejected sparking the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. After Amadeo’s abdication on 1873 the First Spanish Republic was declared. In December of 1874 Spain returned to a monarchical form of government under Alfonso XII.

He was postumously succeeded by his son, Alfonso XIII, in 1886. Alfonso XIII fled Spain in 1931 when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. After the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 General Francisco Franco became Head of State/Dictator. He restored the Spainsh monarchy in 1947 although he stated the new king would not succeed until his death. He selected Juan-Carlos, grandson of Alfonso XII, bypassing the true heir, Don Juan, Count of Barcelona., whom Franco deemed too liberal. In 1975 Juan-Carlos came to the throne and in 1981 played a significant role in stopping a military coup.

I dislike abdications although I support them if they will save a monarchy. or if it is part of their tradition Is the monarchy really that much in jeopardy or is this hype from the media in order to sell news papers? I do think there are problems but I wonder how grave the situation really is?

I am keepiing my fingers crossed and hopping that Juan-Carlos can pass on a stable throne to his son, Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias either soon or in the distant future. Meanwhile I wish his Majesty a speedy recovery and better days ahead.

Electing the Next Pope

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Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John II, Pope John III, The Roman Catholic Chruch

Growing up Catholic I still have a great affection for the Church. Also with my love of European history the Catholic Church is intertwined with that history. I also view the Papacy as an elective monarchy so it fits being discussed here. So today I want to discuss the election of the next Pope.

Monday the 115 Cardinals met and one of the decisions theymade make is when to begin the next Conclave, which will begin around March 15. They are having meetings to get to know one another in order to make a good decision in electing the next Pope. I am going to post a link to an article that looks at the top contenders for the Papacy. http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/11/16926298-whos-next-8-cardinal-contenders-who-could-succeed-pope-benedict?liteng

One of my favorites is Cardinal Timothy Dolan. He is the head of the archdiocese of New York and is very popular at the Vatican. He comes across with warmth and compassion. Although I highly doubt we will see a Pope elected from the New World, he is my favorite. The Church has gone through very difficult times and it needs a wise courageous Pope to bring the Church into the 20th Century.

I am also interested in the name the new Pope will choose. Selecting a name became a tradition in 533 when Mercurius was elected Pope. His birth name was after the Roman god Mercury so he felt it was not appropriate for the head of the Christian Church to be named after a Roman god. He chose the name John II. In 561 Catelinus took the name of John III at his election and shortly after that this became the established tradition.

As further news warrants I will post on the process of electing the new Pope.