British Monarchy – Page 2

On this day in history….8th February 1587

On this day in history : 8th February 1587 – Mary Queen of Scots is beheaded on the orders of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England – in what can only be described as a horrific botched execution….

Mary Stuart – Francois Clouet – Public domain

After Mary had abdicated from the Scottish throne she sought refuge in England and was initially welcomed by Elizabeth, however cautiously…. Mary was permitted to live in various castles around the land but she was continuously watched…. For nineteen years she was virtually a prisoner under house arrest….

Mary in captivity by Nicholas Hilliard c.1578 – Public domain

Then in 1586 a plot was uncovered to murder Queen Elizabeth I…. The Babington Plot, sparking a Catholic uprising, led by Roman Catholic nobleman Anthony Babington, implicated Mary and she was brought to trial…. At the two day trial, on the 14th-15th of October 1586, she was found guilty and sentenced to death…. It seems Elizabeth was reluctant to sign her cousin’s death warrant – so a rather underhand method was used to ensure that she did…. The warrant was slipped into a large pile of papers awaiting her signature and so she signed it without realising she had done so….

Drawing of the trial of Mary Queen of Scots – The digital collections of the British Library – CC0

44-year old Mary was to be executed in the Great Hall at Fotheringay Castle…. Mary’s own mother, Anne Boleyn had been beheaded – a master French swordsman had been brought in to perform her execution….it had been quick and clean…. The same cannot be said for Mary’s….

The scaffold was draped in black, more than 100 spectators gathered in the Great Hall to watch the proceedings…. Mary was forced to undress to her undergarments – she wore a blood red bodice to symbolise her Catholic martyrdom…. All the while her loyal servants wept around her….

Mary’s lady-in-waiting tied a cloth around her mistress’s eyes and helped her to kneel on the cushion…. Mary prayed – “In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum” ~ “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit”….

Unable to see, due to the blindfold, Mary had to fumble around to find the block on which to lay her head…. Once her chin was in place one executioner held her in place whilst the other raised the axe…. As it fell and struck her neck it became all too obvious he had gravely misjudged….the blade had only partially gone through…. He quickly raised the axe and let it fall again but still her head remained attached…. after a third blow and using a sawing motion Mary’s head was finally severed from her body….

The execution scene, drawn by eye witness Rupert Beale – Public domain

Exclaiming “God save the Queen!” the executioner raised the head for all to see…. as he did so Mary’s head promptly fell to the ground – and he was left holding only a red wig…. According to witness accounts of the time her lips continued to twitch for a good quarter of an hour after decapitation….

As if all that is not gruesome and traumatic enough, more was still to come…. As the executioner lifted the skirts of Mary’s petticoats to remove her garters – as was his right as executioner – he discovered her pet dog, Geddon, hiding in the folds…. The distraught little dog refused to leave his dead mistress – and lay in the pool of blood where Mary’s head had been….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….1st February 1327

On this day in history : 1st February 1327 – Fourteen year old Edward III is crowned King of England – but the country is to be ruled by his mother and her lover….

Edward was born on the 13th of November 1312, probably at Windsor Castle…. His father was King Edward II and his mother Isabella of France – the pair had married in January 1308…. Isabella was the daughter of Philip IV of France….

Isabella of France, 15th century depiction – Public domain

Isabella of France, third from left, with her father Philip IV of France, centre – Image : Michaelsanders at English Wikipedia – Public domain

Edward II’s reign was a troubled one….he had difficulty asserting his authority over the powerful barons…. His own father had left him with enormous debts, a war with Scotland that was proving to be impossible to win – and hostilities with France…. It was all a recipe for disaster….and his nineteen year reign was to eventually come to an acrimonious end….

Royal 20 A.II, f.10 — Edward II shown receiving the English crown in a contemporary illustration – British Library digital collections – Public domain

Isabella returned to France in 1325 to settle a long-standing dispute between her husband and her brother, Charles IV of France…. The dispute involved the Gascogne region of Southwestern France… She was successful in her negotiations and managed to secure the land for England – on the condition that in return Edward II would pay homage to Charles IV…. Edward II, reluctant to leave England because domestic troubles were arising once again, decided to send his son on his behalf…. Once the young Edward had arrived and joined his mother, Isabella announced her refusal to return to England…. She also became the mistress of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore….

The future Edward III giving homage in 1325 to Charles IV under the guidance of Isabella of France – Public domain

Mortimer, 1st earl of March, owned wealthy estates in Wales and Ireland and was opposed to King Edward II and his Despensers, which had eventually landed him in the Tower of London in 1323…. However, he managed to escape and fled to France…. He and Isabella began to plot….

An invasion of England in September 1326 saw the fall of the Despensers and the deposition of Edward II (and his murder in 1327)…. Edward II was charged with incompetence and breaking his coronation oath – he was forced to give up the throne…. Mortimer was heavily implicated in the proceedings….

Young Edward III was crowned but it was Mortimer who was to become the de facto ruler…. He soon set about seizing many of the noble estates and titles across the land…. He became a very unpopular man – even more so after a humiliating defeat by the Scots at the Battle of Stanhope Park….

In 1330 young Edward III decided it was time he assumed responsibility and dealt with Mortimer…. Edward had married Philippa of Hainault in January 1328 and had become father to a son in June 1330 – he now had an heir of his own….

With the help of his close friend William Montagu – and a small number of loyal trusted supporters – Edward took Mortimer by surprise at Nottingham Castle on the 19th of October 1330….

Mortimer was taken to the Tower of London…. He was condemned without trial, being accused of assuming royal power – and other charges…. His estates were forfeited to the crown…. and he was hanged at Tyburn on the 29th of November 1330…. His body was left hanging on the gallows for two days…. However, Edward III did show some degree of leniency – he refrained from having Mortimer disembowelled….

The Tyburn – from the collections of The National Archives (United Kingdom) – Public domain

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On this day in history….30th January 1649

On this day in history : 30th January 1649 – King Charles I is beheaded for treason at Whitehall, in London….

Charles had ascended the throne in 1635 after the death of his father James I – and it was to be a rocky ride with Parliament from the start…. He was to upset things further by marrying French Princess Henrietta Maria, a Catholic, within a year of becoming King – this enraged the Protestants among his subjects….

Charles I by Sir Anthony van Dyck 1637/38 – Public domain

Charles believed kings had a divine right in the matters of ruling the land – that belief and his tax policies soon turned the government against him…. His response to political opposition was to dissolve Parliament several times and in 1629 he got rid of Parliament altogether and ruled alone…. This finally led to the outbreak of the first English Civil War in 1642, with the opposing Parliamentarians being led by Oliver Cromwell….

By 1648 Cromwell’s New Model Army had gained military supremacy in England…. Charles had been captured, managed to escape and had been recaptured….

His trial was set for early January 1649…. Out of 135 appointed commissioners only 68 turned up – and nearly all of them were Parliamentarian supporters…. The trial of a king was unheard of and those who chose to stay away were trying to disassociate themselves….

Charles I at his trial by Edward Bower 1649 – Public domain

For the first three days Charles was brought to the Court and asked to make his plea – each time he refused…. After the third day he was removed from Court and the witness accounts against him were heard…. On January the 26th Charles was condemned to death; he was brought back to Court on the 27th to hear the declaration…. 59 out of the 68 commissioners signed the death warrant….

Charles I in the dock – (his back pictured as he faces the High Court of Justice) – Uncredited engraver – Public domain

Charles spent his last days at St James’s Palace – he was possibly moved there to spare him from hearing the scaffold being erected…. He prayed, spent time with his loyal supporters and – perhaps most importantly – his children, whom he had not seen for some 15 months….

When Tuesday the 30th of January dawned it was a bitterly cold day…. Charles dressed in fine clothes, black with a blue sash…. It is said he asked for a second shirt to wear as he didn’t want to shiver and have the crowd think he was shaking with fear….

The scaffold, draped in black, had been erected in front of Banqueting Hall, at the Palace of Whitehall…. Crowds of spectators surrounded it….

At around 2pm Charles climbed on to the platform and proceeded to give his last speech…. He declared himself innocent of the crimes set against him…. He said he always desired the freedom and liberty of the people – he claimed he was a martyr of the people…. Few in the crowd heard his speech on account of the vast number of Parliamentarian guards blocking the scaffold….

Finishing his speech Charles bowed, put on his silk nightcap so that his hair would not get in the way and then placed his head on the block…. As he stretched out his hands, his signal to the executioner, the axe fell – severing his head in one clean blow…. A groan escaped the watching crowd – some dipped their handkerchiefs in the blood, believing a king’s blood could cure their illnesses….

Contemporary German print of Charles I’s beheading – Public domain

There has always since been speculation as to the identity of the executioner, who was masked to prevent him from being identified…. Whoever it was, because of the single clean blow, knew what they were doing – they had experience…. The common hangman of the time, Richard Brandon, had reputedly refused to undertake the execution – even with the offered £200…. However, it is quite likely that it was indeed him who performed the act….

To pacify the family of Charles his head was sewn back on to his body…. Burial at Westminster Abbey was refused – instead King Charles I was laid to rest at Windsor Castle….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….29th January 1820

On this day in history : 29th January 1820 – King George III dies insane at Windsor Castle, a decade after having to retire from public life because of his mental health….

George had been England’s longest ruling monarch before Queen Victoria…. He came to the throne in 1760 at the age of 22 and there he remained for 59 years and 96 days….

Coronation portrait by Allan Ramsay 1762 – Public domain

A year after becoming King he married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of a German duke…. It was a political union – but a successful one, the couple went on to have 15 children….

His reign saw the end of the Seven Years’ War and also the American Revolution…. When people nowadays think of George III two things spring to mind – his madness and the loss of the American colonies….

George’s first severe bout of insanity occurred in 1778 and lasted for a month…. So violent was he that a straitjacket had to be used to restrain him…. However, he was to recover and resumed his reign proving to be a very popular monarch….

Portrait by Sir William Beechey 1799/1800 – Public domain

His next severe bout was in 1804…. Once again he made a recovery – but in 1810 he was to lapse into an illness from which he would not recover…. By this time he was also virtually blind from cataracts and in constant pain from rheumatism…. By the end of 1811 he was permanently insane and lived in seclusion at Windsor Castle…. His son, the future George IV, became Prince Regent….

George’s health continued to decline…. He was unable to understand that he was King – or that his wife had died in 1818…. Eventually he was completely blind, more and more deaf and for the last few weeks of his life unable to walk….

He died at Windsor Castle at 8.38pm on the 29th of January 1820 – his son Frederick, Duke of York, was with him….

It has long widely been thought that George may have suffered from a condition known as porphyria, an inherited blood disorder that can cause confusion, paranoia and hallucinations…. Doctors at the time, knowing no different, may have made this worse by treating him with arsenic….

Engraving by Henry Meyer of George III in later life – Public domain

However, a more recent study, a research project at St George’s, University of London, argues against porphyria…. One of the symptoms of the illness is blue urine – and there is little evidence to suggest George III suffered from this….

Using thousands of handwritten letters by George, a computer was used to analyse his language…. His sentences were much longer during his episodes of mental illness…. As many as 400 words could be used in one sentence – that in turn could contain up to 8 verbs…. He also had a tendency to often repeat himself….

This is also something seen today in the writings of those suffering from illnesses such as bipolar…. Therefore, it is argued that King George III actually suffered from bipolar and/or dementia….

George III by Allan Ramsay 1762 – Public domain

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….22nd January 1901

On this day in history : 22nd January 1901 – The death, at the age of 81, of Queen Victoria – who had reigned for 63 years and 7 months….

Photograph of Queen Victoria 1882 – Image credit : Alexander Bassano – Public domain

When the announcement came from Osbourne House ~ that at 6.30pm, surrounded by her family, Queen Victoria had drawn her last breath ~ it somewhat took the nation by surprise…. The Queen had been on the throne for nearly 64 years, for most people all of their living memory…. An imperative question arose…. ‘Just how exactly does one bury a monarch?’ Nobody could actually remember ever having to do so….

It had been kept from the public just how quickly the Queen was fading away….and even her family were in denial…. She had lost so much weight that she was but a shadow of her former self…. She was confined to a wheelchair, had all but lost her eyesight and suffered bouts of memory loss….

Queen Victoria had seen in the New Year with a sense of trepidation ~ “Another year begun, I am feeling so weak and unwell, that I enter upon it sadly”…. 1900 had been one hell of a year for the Queen…. Her daughter Vicky, Dowager Empress of Germany, had been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer; her son Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, had died from throat cancer…. Her much loved grandson, Prince Christian Victor, had been lost to fever whilst serving with the British Army in South Africa…. And only just a few days before, Queen Victoria’s dear friend, Lady Churchill, had died in her bed whilst staying with the Queen at Osbourne House…. Then to top it all, there was the continual worry of the ongoing Boer War….

Queen Victoria aged 80, 1899 – After Heinrich von Angeli – Public domain

The government was totally unprepared for what was to come…. Queen Victoria had expressed her wish for a full state military funeral, “befitting for a soldier’s daughter”…. There was to be no lying-in-state, no embalming and ~ even though she herself had worn widow’s weeds since the death of her beloved Albert ~ no mourning black…. She wanted a white funeral with purple trimmings, with a gun carriage and white ponies….

With only a few days to organise such a grand funeral chaos reigned…. The family argued amongst themselves and officials panicked….

The preparation of Queen Victoria for her coffin was a closed affair, with only her doctor and a long-trusted woman servant in attendance…. The Queen was dressed in a white silk gown and her wedding veil placed over her face…. Unbeknown to the family there were some items Queen Victoria had instructed that she wished to take with her…. Secreted inside the coffin was a lock of hair, photographs and the pocket handkerchief of one John Brown…. Upon her finger she wore the wedding ring that had belonged to Brown’s mother – and which Queen Victoria had worn since his death in 1883…. John Brown was Queen Victoria’s devoted Scottish Highland servant – the two of them had been very close….

Queen Victoria and John Brown at Balmoral, 1863 – Photograph G.W.Wilson, Public domain

On the 1st of February the funeral cortège began its long journey…. The coffin was carried onboard the Royal Yacht ‘Alberta’ across the Solent from the Isle of Wight to the mainland…. An eleven mile procession of battleships and cruisers lined the way….each firing a gun salute as the little yacht passed by…. The cortège stayed in harbour overnight before continuing by train to London’s Victoria early the next morning….

(c) Walker Art Gallery; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation — The Passing of a Great Queen ; painting by William Wyllie – Public domain

What was to follow was the largest procession since 1852 and the state funeral of the Duke of Wellington…. Through Hyde Park and on to Paddington, the Queen’s coffin high on a gun carriage was drawn by eight white ponies…. The streets, lined with mourners, remained silent….

Queen Victoria’s funeral procession – Russell & Sons : http://www.royalcollection.org.uk – Public domain

From Paddington the coffin was taken by train to Windsor – and then to the waiting gun carriage…. It was here that disaster almost struck…. The horses, which had been kept standing in the freezing conditions for perhaps too long, broke away – nearly causing the coffin to topple…. Unable to re-harness the horses 183 bluejackets from the naval guard of honour attached ropes to the gun carriage – they then proceeded to drag it to St. George’s Chapel….

After the official funeral service a further ceremony was held on the 4th of February just for the family…. It was then that Queen Victoria’s coffin was lowered into the mausoleum that she’d had built for her Albert ~ they were together again….