• About Me

European Royal History

~ The History of the Emperors, Kings & Queens of Europe

European Royal History

Tag Archives: Ireland

Accession of Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland. Part III.

10 Thursday Mar 2022

Posted by liamfoley63 in Featured Monarch, Kingdom of Europe, This Day in Royal History

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Ireland, James II-VII of England, King Charles II of England, Marie of Modena, Princess Anne, Privy Council, Roman Catholic Church, Scotland

When Charles II died in 1685, Anne’s father became King James II of England and Ireland and also King James VII of Scotland. To the consternation of the English people, James began to give Catholics military and administrative offices, in contravention of the Test Acts that were designed to prevent such appointments.

Anne shared the general concern, and continued to attend Anglican services. As her sister Mary lived in the Netherlands, Anne and her family were the only members of the royal family attending Protestant religious services in England. When her father tried to get Anne to baptise her youngest daughter into the Catholic faith, Anne burst into tears. “The Church of Rome is wicked and dangerous”, she wrote to her sister, “their ceremonies—most of them—plain downright idolatry.” Anne became estranged from her father and stepmother, as James moved to weaken the Church of England’s power.

In early 1687, within a matter of days, Anne miscarried, her husband caught smallpox, and their two young daughters died of the same infection. Lady Rachel Russell wrote that George and Anne had “taken [the deaths] very heavily … Sometimes they wept, sometimes they mourned in words; then sat silent, hand in hand; he sick in bed, and she the carefullest nurse to him that can be imagined.” Later that year, she suffered another stillbirth.

Public alarm at James’s Catholicism increased when his wife, Mary of Modena, became pregnant for the first time since James’s accession. In letters to her sister Mary, Anne raised suspicions that the Queen was faking her pregnancy in an attempt to introduce a false heir. She wrote, “they will stick at nothing, be it never so wicked, if it will promote their interest … there may be foul play intended.” Anne had another miscarriage in April 1688, and left London to recuperate in the spa town of Bath.

Anne’s stepmother gave birth to a son, Prince James Francis Edward on June 10, 1688, and a Catholic succession became more likely. Anne was still at Bath, so she did not witness the birth, which fed the belief that the child was spurious.

Anne may have left the capital deliberately to avoid being present, or because she was genuinely ill, but it is also possible that James desired the exclusion of all Protestants, including his daughter, from affairs of state. “I shall never now be satisfied”, Anne wrote to her sister Mary, “whether the child be true or false. It may be it is our brother, but God only knows … one cannot help having a thousand fears and melancholy thoughts, but whatever changes may happen you shall ever find me firm to my religion and faithfully yours.”

To dispel rumours of a supposititious child, James had 40 witnesses to the birth attend a Privy Council meeting, but Anne claimed she could not attend because she was pregnant (which she was not) and then declined to read the depositions because it was “not necessary”.

March 8, 1702: Accession of Anne as Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. Part I.

08 Tuesday Mar 2022

Posted by liamfoley63 in Duchy/Dukedom of Europe, Featured Monarch, Kingdom of Europe, Royal Genealogy, Royal Succession, This Day in Royal History

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Anne Hyde, Chancellor, Edward Hyde, Ireland, James II-VII, King Charles II of England, Princess Mary, Queen Anne of England, Scotland, The Earl of Clarendon

Anne (February 6, 1665 – August 1, 1714) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 8 March 1702 to 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714.

Anne was born at 11:39 p.m. on February 6, 1665 at St James’s Palace, London, the fourth child and second daughter of the Duke of York (afterwards King James II – VII), and his first wife, Anne Hyde.

Anne’s father was the younger brother of King Charles II, who ruled the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, and her mother was the daughter of Lord Chancellor Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon. The Duke and Duchess of York had eight children, but Anne and Mary were the only ones to survive into adulthood.

As was traditional in the royal family, Anne and her sister were brought up separated from their father in their own establishment at Richmond, London. On the instructions of Charles II, they were raised as Protestants, despite their father being a Catholic.

Around 1671, Anne first made the acquaintance of Sarah Jennings, who later became her close friend and one of her most influential advisors. Jennings married John Churchill (the future Duke of Marlborough) in about 1678. His sister, Arabella Churchill, was the Duke of York’s mistress, and he was to be Anne’s most important general.

The Duke and Duchess of York with thier children Princesses Mary and Anne.

Princess Anne’s mother, Anne Hyde the Duchess of York, was ill for 15 months after the birth of her youngest son, Edgar. She bore Henrietta in 1669 and Catherine in 1671. Anne never recovered from Catherine’s birth. Ill with breast cancer, she died on 31 March 31, 1671.

In 1673, the Duke of York’s conversion to Catholicism became public, and he married a Catholic princess, Mary of Modena, who was only six and a half years older than Anne.

Charles II had no legitimate children, and so the Duke of York was next in the line of succession, followed by his two surviving daughters from his first marriage, Mary and Anne—as long as he had no son.

Over the next ten years, the new Duchess of York had ten children, but all were either stillborn or died in infancy, leaving Mary and Anne second and third in the line of succession after their father. There is every indication that, throughout Anne’s early life, she and her stepmother got on well together, and the Duke of York was a conscientious and loving father.

These dates in History: October 22nd…

22 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by liamfoley63 in From the Emperor's Desk, This Day in Royal History

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, Charles Martel, Emperors of Russia, England, German Empress & Queen of Prussia., Ireland, October 22nd, Peter the Great, Prince of Orange, Willem IV

Today, October 22, is my birthday and these are the Royal events that occurred on this date.

1383 – King Fernando of Portugal dies without a male heir to the Portuguese throne, sparking a period of civil war and disorder.

IMG_8101
Peter I the Great, Emperor of Russia

* 1721 – Russian Empire is proclaimed by Tsar Peter I after the Swedish defeat in the Great Northern War.

* 1727 – George II and Caroline of Ansbach were crowned King and Queen of Great Britain.

* 1923 – The royalist Leonardopoulos–Gargalidis coup d’état attempt fails in Greece, discrediting the monarchy and paving the way for the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic.

* 1978 – Papal inauguration of Pope John Paul II.

Births
IMG_8243
Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, The German Empress, Queen of Prussia

* 1071 – William IX, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 1126)
* 1197 – Juntoku, Japanese emperor (d. 1242).
* 1689 – John V, Portuguese king (d. 1750)
* 1701 – Maria Amalia, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1756)
* 1781 – Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France (d. 1789).
* 1858 – Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1921)
* 1859 – Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria (d. 1949)

Deaths

IMG_0725
Willem IV, Prince of Orange

* 741 – Charles Martel, Duke and Prince of the Franks, Mayor of the Palace, (b. 688)
* 842 – Abo, Japanese prince (b. 792)
* 1383 – Ferdinand I of Portugal (b. 1345)
* 1751 – Willem IV, Prince of Orange (b. 1711)
* 1761 – Louis George, Margrave of Baden-Baden (b. 1702)
* 2002 – Geraldine, Queen of Albania (b. 1915)

John_V_of_Portugal_Pompeo_Batoni.jpg

John V, Portuguese king

James II-VII Flees England.

12 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by liamfoley63 in This Day in Royal History

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

England, Glorious Revolution, Ireland, King James II of England, King James II-VII of England and Scotland, King Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV, Prince of Orange, Scotland, William III of England

IMG_5281

On this day in 1688. James II-VII King of England, Scotland and Ireland attempted to flee England during the Glorious Revolution. On the way, he threw the Great Seal into the Thames, preventing a Parliament from being called. He was caught by a fisherman in Kent and returned to London on Dec. 16 and placed under Dutch protective guard. Having no desire to make James II-VII a martyr, Prince Willem IIII, Prince of Orange, let him escape on December 23. James II-VII was received by his maternal first cousin and ally, King Louis XIV of France and Navarre (1643-1715) offered him a palace and a pension.

British Nobility

21 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by liamfoley63 in Kingdom of Europe

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Baron, Countess, Duke, Earl, England, Esquire, Gentleman, Ireland, knight, Landed Gentry, Marquess, Peerage, Scotland, Viscount, Wales

British System Part II

His Grace, Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. 

Today I want to cover the the Nobility under the British system. This is also a complex system I could First of all Britain still functions under the class system although some movements away from that have happened, namely through the reform of the House of Lords. Being a peer just isn’t what it used to be. The nobility is made up of two entities, the peerage and the landed gentry. The peerage is a legal system of hereditary titles and honors with the holder of the title having the right to sit and vote in The House of Lords. However, no hereditary peerage titles are being created except for members of the royal family and only life peers are being created. The Sovereign is considered the fount of honour from which the peerage titles flow, therefore the sovereign is not a peer. Under the British system there are three legal positions: The Sovereign, Peers and all the rest are commoners. In reality until Her Majesty created Prince William a Peer he was technically a commoner as the title of British Prince or Princess has no legal barring. Also, ironically, when the Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, married her husband, who had just been created a Peer of the Realm, she was technically a commoner and her was not! For centuries members of the British Royal Family, generally male members, have been ennobled. 

Here is the list of titles in accordance with rank.

Duke: It derrives from the Latin dux meaning leader. It was first created in England in 1337 when King Edward I made his son, Edward the Black Prince, Duke of Cornwall. The feminine form of Duke is Duchess.

Marquess: Derives from the French word ‘Marquis” and used to mean those that ruled the Marches or the border counties of a England, Scotland and Wales. The last Marquess was created in 1936 and since hereditary peers are no longer being created and not even members of the royal family hold this as a primary or secondary title, this title has seem to fallen into disuse. The feminine form is Marchioness.

Earl: Prior to the development of Duke and Marquess, the title of Earl was the highest ranking noble in the Kingdom after the king. It’s title has two sources. One the Anglo-Saxon term, Eorl, for a military leader, and also the Norse term, Jarl, from the Danelaw period of English history. Since there is no feminine form of Earl, the wife of an Earl is called a Countess.

Viscount: It simple means vice-count.

Baron: From the Latin Baro, meaning servant or soldier. This was created in 1066 and was instituted by William I. It is the lowest rank of peerage and with the introduction of non-hereditary life peers, they also hold the rank/title of Baron although they are not technically part of the aristocracy even though they are called ‘Noble Lord.”

Over the years and with the changing titles of the State itself Peers are ennobled as part of one state within the kingdom. I ripped this off from Wikipedia to demonstrate how peers are divided.

The Peerage of England — all titles created by the Kings and Queens of England before the Act of Union in 1707.
The Peerage of Scotland — all titles created by the Kings and Queens of Scotland before 1707.
The Peerage of Ireland — titles created for the Kingdom of Ireland before the Act of Union of 1801, and some titles created later.
The Peerage of Great Britain — titles created for the Kingdom of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801.
The Peerage of the United Kingdom — most titles created since 1801.

Under the British System only the person holding the title is ennobled and not their entire family. Although in practice families that hold noble titles are greatly esteemed. This contrasts with the practices on the European Continent (Germany is a good example) where the entire family is ennobled and not just the holder of the title. More on that in the section on Germany.

The Landed Gentry:

This historical social class are those landowners who lived of their rental income. These are the ranks of the titles:

Baronet: Created in 1611 by King James I-VI of England and Scotland. It is a hereditary title and is the only hereditary title not considered a peerage title.

Knight: This was originally only given as an award for military service but has since been modified to include any person who has served the country.

Esquire: Was an individual that served a Knight and was aspiring to knighthood themselves.

Gentleman: Created in 1413 and denoted a man of high birth and social standing who did not have to work for a living.

The landed gentry is still considered an upper social class. 

There is all is in a simple nutshell. This has been just a glancing overview of the Noble system in Britain.

 

 

Titles, Titles, Titles

24 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by liamfoley63 in Kingdom of Europe

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2012. Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth II, England, House of Stuart, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Ireland, King Charles I of England and Scotland. King Henri IV of France. The princess of Wales, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of Scotland, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Scotland, Wales

As I have stated in this blog in the past many people mistakenly call Queen Elizabeth II the “Queen of England.” It is a pet peeve of mine. Her actual title is Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, I do miss the old titles of King/Queen of England and King/Queen of Scots. Changes are happening within the UK that will affect the titles of the monarch. With the change in succession laws there will need to be changes in the title of the heir to the throne. Also with states within the UK seeking greater autonomy could we possibly see a return to the old titles of of King/Queen of England and King/Queen of Scots?

Issue #1. When Britain changes to cognatic primogeniture where the eldest child will inherit the throne regardless of gender what will happen to these titles of Prince/Princess of Wales and Princess Royal. Right now the title of Princes of Wales has gone to the senior male heir to the throne and the title Princess of Wales has never been given in its own right and has traditionally gone to the wife of the Prince of Wales. For example, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, wife of the current Prince of Wales, is technically and legally HRH The Princess of Wales. She just doesn’t use the title out of respect fro Diana. 

The title of Princess Royal is relatively new. It was first given to Princess Mary of England and Scotland (1630-1661) of the Royal House of Stuart. Mary’s mother, Queen Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), daughter of Henri IV, King of France, and wife of King Charles I of England and Scotland (1600-1649), wanted to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the King of France was styled “Madame Royale”. The style is granted by Royal Warrant.

Will an eldest daughter be given the title Princess of Wales in her own right? Will there be a Princess Royal only when there is a male heir?

Personally I think the current holder of the title Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will be the last. If the eldest daughter can be eligible for the throne ahead of her brother then this title becomes pointless. One solution, which is what I think will happen, is that the title of Princess of Wales will be given in its own right. I am not sure what the husband of a Princess of Wales will be called. It may not seem fair that the husband should not share his wife’s titles…but having a husband of the Princess of Wales being called Prince of Wales when he is not the heir goes against the tradition. I know, I know there is a double standard.

The other option, which I actually like better, is to return the title of Prince/Princess of Wales to the Crown (see issue #2) and have the heir to the throne titled Duke/Duchess of Cornwall while in England and Duke/Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland. This has some precidence since the current Prince of Wales is known as the Duke of Rothesay whenever he is in Scotland.

Issue #2. In 2014 there will be a referendum on Scottish independence. I am not sure how it will go. What I think this issue does raise is the need for greater political autonomy within the UK. I don’t necessarily want to see the UK dismantled, but I would like to see each state have more autonomy. If that were to happen then I would like to see the title of the monarch reflect that position. I think the precedence for the titles can be found in Spain.

Although it was correct to call the monarch the King/Queen of Spain in the past, their official title never was simply the King/Queen of Spain. Instead, prior to 1931 the title of the Spanish monarch was officially His Catholic Majesty, the King of Spain [the Spains], King of Castile, of León, of Aragon, of the Two Sicilies, etc. Therefore if England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland were to have greater autonomy I would like to see, in the next reign more likely, Charles III be called King of the United Kingdom, King of England, King of Scots, King of Ireland and Prince of Wales. If Wales has equal autonomy within the UK then the title “Prince of Wales” should represent the Head of State of that nation instead of being reserved for the heir to the Head of State.

I do not know if any of this will come to pass but I do think some changes will occur in the future with these royal titles. It is fun to speculate about them and it will be fun to watch what happens.

Recent Posts

  • February 2, 1882: Birth of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.
  • The Life of Friedrich IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
  • The Life of Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Further Austria and Count of Tyrol
  • The Life of Princess Charlotte of Prussia
  • Was He A Usurper? King Edward IV of England.Part VII.

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012

From the E

  • Abdication
  • Art Work
  • Bishop of Rome and the Catholic Church
  • Charlotte of Great Britain
  • coronation
  • Crowns and Regalia
  • Deposed
  • Duchy/Dukedom of Europe
  • Elected Monarch
  • Empire of Europe
  • Famous Battles
  • Featured Monarch
  • Featured Noble
  • Featured Royal
  • From the Emperor's Desk
  • Grand Duke/Grand Duchy of Europe
  • Happy Birthday
  • Imperial Elector
  • In the News today…
  • Kingdom of Europe
  • Morganatic Marriage
  • Principality of Europe
  • Regent
  • Royal Bastards
  • Royal Birth
  • Royal Castles & Palaces
  • Royal Death
  • Royal Divorce
  • Royal Genealogy
  • Royal House
  • Royal Mistress
  • Royal Succession
  • Royal Titles
  • royal wedding
  • This Day in Royal History
  • Uncategorized
  • Usurping the Throne

Like

Like

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 414 other subscribers

Blog Stats

  • 959,746 hits

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • European Royal History
    • Join 414 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • European Royal History
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...