Author Archives: Susan

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Lord Melbourne), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne; Credit – Wikipedia

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom July 16, 1834 – November 14, 1834 and 1835 – 1841. He was Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister 1837 – 1841.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, known as Lord Melbourne, was born March 15, 1779, in London, England. Legally he was the second son and the second child of Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne and his wife Elizabeth Milbanke, daughter of Sir Ralph Milbanke, 5th Baronet. Lady Melbourne had many affairs and it is believed that George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont was the father of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, his sister Emily and possibly his brother Frederick. The Prince of Wales, later King George IV, is thought to be the father of the other brother George. The 1st Viscount Melbourne had affairs of his own and was not greatly troubled by his wife’s affairs.

William had five siblings but only his eldest brother can decidedly be named as the child of Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne:

  • The Honorable Peniston Lamb (1770 – 1805), unmarried, died from tuberculosis
  • Frederick Lamb, 3rd Viscount Melbourne (1782 – 1853), married Alexandrina, Gräfin von Maltzan, no children, the family titles became extinct upon his death
  • The Honorable George Lamb (1784 – 1834), married Caroline Rosalie Adelaide St. Jules, the illegitimate daughter of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and his mistress and eventual second wife Lady Elizabeth Foster, no children
  • The Honorable Emily Lamb (1787–1869), married (1) Peter Clavering-Cowper, 5th Earl Cowper, had five children although one may have been fathered by her lover and second husband (2) Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Prime Minister 1859 – 1865, no legitimate children, Lady Emily Cowper may be Palmerston’s child
  • The Honorable Harriet Lamb (1789-1803), died young from tuberculosis

Lord Melbourne’s “Eton Leaving Portrait” by John Hoppner, Lord Melbourne gave the portrait to Queen Victoria in 1841; Credit – www.royalcollection.org.uk

Melbourne was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, Melbourne became acquainted with a group of romantic radicals including the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron. After his studies at Cambridge, Melbourne went to Lincoln’s Inn in London to study law. From 1803 – 1804, Melbourne served as captain and then commander in the Hertfordshire Volunteer Infantry. Melbourne’s elder brother died of tuberculosis in 1805 so Melbourne became his father’s heir.

Lady Caroline Lamb by Eliza H. Trotter, oil on canvas, exhibited 1811, NPG 3312 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In June 1805, Melbourne married 19-year-old Lady Caroline Ponsonby, the only daughter of Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough and Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer, daughter of  John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer. Caroline is known to history as Lady Caroline Lamb because her husband did not become Viscount Melbourne until after her death. Lady Caroline’s nephew Henry Ponsonby served as Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary 1870 – 1895.

Melbourne and Lady Caroline had two children:

  • George Augustus Frederick Lamb (1807 – 1836)
  • Premature daughter (born and died 1809)

Their son was called Augustus and was the godchild of The Prince of Wales, the future King George IV whose names were George Augustus Frederick. Unfortunately, Augustus was epileptic and probably autistic and needed constant care. Most aristocratic families sent their mentally disabled relatives to institutions but Augustus was cared for at home for his entire life. Caroline had suffered two miscarriages before giving birth to Augustus and had long periods of recovery after her two miscarriages and two births. That Caroline could not have any more children caused Melbourne great grief and contributed to a marriage that was becoming unstable.

In 1806, Melbourne was elected to the House of Commons. However, he did not first become a household name on his own accord. In 1812, Lady Caroline started a well-publicized affair with the poet George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, known as Lord Byron, that shocked the British public and became one of the legendary affairs of the nineteenth century. For four months, Caroline and Byron flaunted their affair publicly and shamelessly until Byron suddenly broke it off.

Brocket Hall, the family country estate, 1829; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline fell apart mentally. At a ball, she slashed her arms with a broken glass and was then banished to the family’s country estate Brocket Hall near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. There she smashed furniture and other household objects and was often drunk or high on opium. In 1816, Lady Caroline wrote a novel Glenarvon which portrayed both her marriage and her affair with Byron in a graphic manner. This caused Melbourne great embarrassment and yet the couple remained married.

Finally, Melbourne’s mother, who had introduced the couple, had enough. She asked her husband to arrange a formal separation between their son and Lady Caroline in 1825. By that time, both Melbourne and Lady Caroline had numerous affairs. Lady Caroline remained at Brocket Hall but her mental instability became worse and was complicated by her use of alcohol and laudanum. By 1827, she was under the care of a full-time physician. Her body began to shut down and she retained fluids, a condition then known as dropsy but now known as edema. When Lady Caroline died on January 25, 1828, at the age of 42, Melbourne was at her bedside.

Melbourne’s political career had floundered due to his wife’s notoriety. In 1827, he accepted the position of Chief Secretary of Ireland in a Conservative (Tory) government even though he was a member of the Whig Party. When his father died 1828, Melbourne became the 2nd Viscount Melbourne and he moved from the House of Commons to the House of Lords. He had spent twenty-two years in the House of Commons and was not well known politically.

In 1830, the Whig Party came to power and Melbourne became Home Secretary under Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. In July 1834, Lord Grey resigned as Prime Minister and King William IV was forced to appoint another Whig to replace him because the Conservatives were not strong enough to support a government. Melbourne was the one most likely to be acceptable to King William IV and to hold the Whig party together. He was hesitant at first but did not want to let his party down and accepted the offer to become Prime Minister.

King William IV was opposed to the reforming policies of the Whig Party and dismissed Melbourne in November 1834. He then gave the Conservatives under Sir Robert Peel an opportunity to form a government. However, the Conservatives failed to win a majority in the January 1835 general elections and the Whigs Party returned to power in April 1835 with Melbourne as Prime Minister.

Embed from Getty Images 
Lord Melbourne instructing a young Queen Victoria

In 1836, Melbourne’s 29-year-old mentally disabled son Augustus died. Melbourne was greatly affected by his son’s death. It reminded him of the deceased wife he once loved, the family he really never had, and that he was alone. In June 1837, King William IV died and was succeeded by his 18-year-old niece Queen Victoria. Victoria never knew her father Prince Edward, Duke of Kent as he died when she was eight months old. Melbourne was her first Prime Minister. In Queen Victoria, Melbourne had the child, the companion, and the affection he craved. In Melbourne, Queen Victoria had the father figure she never had. Their close relationship was founded in Melbourne’s responsibility for tutoring the young queen in the world of politics and instructing her in her role but the relationship was much deeper. Queen Victoria came to regard Lord Melbourne as a mentor and personal friend and he was given a private apartment at Windsor Castle.

In 1839, Lord Melbourne announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister after a government bill passed by a very narrow margin of only five votes in the House of Commons. This led to the Bedchamber Crisis.   Sir Robert Peel, as Leader of the Opposition, was the prospective Prime Minister.  He requested that Queen Victoria dismiss some of the wives and daughters of Whig Members of Parliament who made up her personal household, arguing that the monarch should avoid any hint of political favoritism to a party out of power. Queen Victoria refused to comply. Peel refused to form a new government, and Lord Melbourne was persuaded to stay on as Prime Minister.

Eventually, Melbourne’s support in Parliament declined and by 1840 it grew difficult to hold the Cabinet together. He resigned in August 1841 after a series of parliamentary defeats. Melbourne and Queen Victoria said a private goodbye on the terrace at Windsor Castle. Victoria cried and Melbourne told her, “For four years I have seen you daily and liked it better each day.” Queen Victoria continued to write to Melbourne but eventually had to stop as it was considered inappropriate. With Melbourne gone from her life, Victoria increasingly relied on her husband Prince Albert.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne by John Partridge, 1844, NPG 941 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In October 1842, Melbourne suffered a stroke which considerably weakened him. He lived out his life at Brocket Hall, his country home near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. It was there that William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne died at the age of 69 on November 24, 1848. He was buried near his wife Lady Caroline Lamb at St. Etheldreda Church in Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. His brother Frederick Lamb succeeded him as the 3rd Viscount Melbourne but Frederick had no children and upon his death, the title became extinct.

A plaque marking the burial of William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne at St Etheldreda, Old Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • “History Of William Lamb, 2Nd Viscount Melbourne – GOV.UK”. Gov.Uk, 2018, https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/william-lamb-2nd-viscount-melbourne. Accessed 12 June 2018.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012
  • “William Lamb, 2Nd Viscount Melbourne”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lamb,_2nd_Viscount_Melbourne. Accessed 12 June 2018.
  • “William Lamb”. Es.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lamb. Accessed 12 June 2018.

Titles of English and British Sovereigns

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Besides being the Sovereign King or Queen, the English and British sovereigns had other titles over the years. One of the titles, Duke of Lancaster, will be explored in a separate article.

Duke of Normandy

Map of France in 1154; Credit – By Reigen – Own work.Sources :Image:France 1154 Eng.jpg by Lotroo under copyleftfrance_1154_1184.jpg from the Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1911., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37306574

  • Duke of Normandy: William I, William II, Henry I, Stephen, Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III

The Duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in northwest France. The duchy originated when King Charles III of West Francia granted land to the Viking leader Rollo in 911. In 1035, a young boy succeeded his father as William II, Duke of Normandy. William was the first cousin once removed of Edward the Confessor, King of the English. Edward the Confessor’s mother Emma of Normandy was the sister of William’s grandfather Richard II, Duke of Normandy. William’s marriage to Matilda of Flanders may have been motivated by his growing desire to become King of England. Matilda was a direct descendant of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex. In 1051, William visited his first cousin once removed, Edward the Confessor, King of England, and apparently Edward named William as his successor.

In 1065, Edward the Confessor, King of the English died and Harold Godwinson was selected to succeed Edward as King Harold II. When William heard that Harold Godwinson had been crowned King of the English, he began preparations for an invasion of England. At the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, the army of William II, Duke of Normandy won the battle and King Harold II was killed. On Christmas Day 1066, William, Duke of Normandy was crowned William I, King of the English at Westminster Abbey.

In 1202, during the reign of King John, King Philippe II of France confiscated the Duchy of Normandy and by 1204, the French army had conquered it. King Henry III continued to use the title until 1259 when he renounced it in the Treaty of Paris (1259).

Count of Anjou (see map above)

  • Count of Anjou: Henry II, Richard I

The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou in northwest France. The future King Henry II became Count of Anjou upon the death of his father Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou in 1151. Three years later, he became King of the English upon the death of his mother’s cousin King Stephen of England. When King Richard I of England died childless in 1199, the title was inherited by his nephew Arthur, Duke of Brittany, the son of his deceased brother Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany. However, in 1204, Anjou was lost to King Philippe II of France.

Duke of Aquitaine (see map above)

  • Duke of Aquitaine: Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III

The Duke of Aquitaine was the ruler of the Duchy of Aquitaine in western, central, and southern areas of France. It was a duchy that women could inherit and manage independently from their husbands or male relations and that is how it came into the English royal family. Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of King Henry II, was the Duchess of Aquitaine, Countess of Poitiers and Duchess of Gascony in her own right. When Henry II became King of the English in 1153, Eleanor’s possessions merged with the English crown.

In 1337, King Philippe VI of France claimed Aquitaine from King Edward III of England. Edward III then claimed the title of King of France, by right of his descent from his maternal grandfather King Philippe IV of France. This started the Hundred Years’ War, in which the House of Plantagenet and the House of Valois fought over the control of the territories in France.

Lord of Ireland

Arms of the Lordship of Ireland; Credit – Wikipedia

  • Lord of Ireland: John, Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, Henry VIII

An invasion of Ireland starting in 1169 by King Henry II eventually brought about the end of the rule of the High Kings of Ireland and the direct involvement of the English/British in Irish politics until 1922. In 1177, King Henry II gave the part of Ireland he controlled at that time to his ten-year-old son John as the Lordship of Ireland and John became Lord of Ireland. When John succeeded to the English throne in 1199, he remained Lord of Ireland, bringing the Kingdom of England and the Lordship of Ireland into personal union. The title of Lord of Ireland was abolished by King Henry VIII of England who was made King of Ireland by the Parliament of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542.

King/Queen of France

Edward III quartered the Royal Arms of England with the ancient arms of France, the fleurs-de-lis on a blue field, to signal his claim to the French throne; Credit – Wikipedia

  • King/Queen of France: Edward III, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey (disputed), Mary I, Elizabeth, James I, Charles I, Charles II, James II, William III and Mary II, Anne, George I, George II, George III

The Kings and Queens of England and Great Britain listed above were never really sovereigns of France. From 1337 to 1801, the Kings and Queens of England and Great Britain claimed the throne of France.

In 1337, King Edward III of England claimed the title of King of France, by right of his descent from his maternal grandfather King Philippe IV of France. This started the Hundred Years’ War fought from 1337 to 1453 by the English House of Plantagenet against the French House of Valois over the right to rule the Kingdom of France. By the time the war was over, France had achieved a victory and England permanently lost all of its French possessions except the Pale of Calais. The Pale of Calais remained under English control until it was lost to France in 1558 during the reign of Queen Mary I of England, who reportedly said: “When I am dead and opened, you shall find ‘Calais’ written on my heart.

Despite having no territory in France, the English and British monarchs continued to call themselves Kings/Queens of France and the French fleurs-de-lis was included in the royal arms. The French Revolution had abolished the monarchy in 1792 and replaced it with the French First Republic. The French government demanded that the King of Great Britain relinquish the title of King of France. In 1801, King George III decided to drop his claim to the French throne and the fleurs-de-lis was removed from the British royal arms.

King/Queen of Ireland

Ancient Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Ireland, as first used by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England; Credit – Wikipedia

  • King/Queen of Ireland: All sovereigns from King Henry VIII to King George V (1542 – 1927)

The Crown of Ireland Act 1542 was an act of the Irish Parliament replacing the Lordship of Ireland, which had existed since 1177, with the Kingdom of Ireland. The title changed from Lord of Ireland to King of Ireland. This was a personal union between t.he English and Irish crowns and whoever was King of England was to be King of Ireland as well. The first King of Ireland was King Henry VIII of England. In 1922, the Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland, became independent. Today’s Northern Ireland still remains part of the United Kingdom.

Defender of the Faith

  • Defender of the Faith: All sovereigns from King Henry VIII to the present sovereign

In 1521, a theological treatise called The Defense of the Seven Sacraments was published. It was written by King Henry VIII of England, supposedly with the assistance of Sir Thomas More, and it defended the Roman Catholic Church’s seven sacraments and the supremacy of the Pope. This treatise was an important opposition to the Protestant Reformation, especially Martin Luther, one of the Reformation’s chief proponents. In recognition of the treatise, Pope Leo X granted King Henry VIII the title Defender of the Faith (Fidei Defensor in Latin).

In 1530, King Henry VIII decided to break away from the Roman Catholic Church and establish himself as head of the Church of England. Since Henry VIII’s decision was considered an attack on “the Faith”, Pope Paul III revoked the title Defender of the Faith and excommunicated Henry VIII.

In 1544, the Parliament of England conferred the title “Defender of the Faith” on King Henry VIII and his successors. Now they were defenders of the Protestant Anglican faith (Church of England) except for Henry VIII’s daughter, Queen Mary I, who was Catholic.

Supreme Head/Supreme Governor of the Church of England

  • Supreme Head of the Church of England: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I
  • Supreme Governor of the Church of England: Elizabeth I to the present sovereign

The Supreme Head of the Church of England was a title created in 1531 for King Henry VIII of England. The Act of Supremacy of 1534 confirmed Henry VIII’s status as Supreme Head of the Church of England and granted the same status to subsequent sovereigns. Henry VIII’s Roman Catholic daughter Queen Mary I of England attempted to restore the Roman Catholic Church and repealed the Act of Supremacy in 1555.

After Mary I’s death in 1558, Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy 1558 which restored the original act. The act also changed the sovereign’s title to Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This change avoided the charge that the sovereign was claiming to be divine and negating that the New Testament says that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. All sovereigns from Queen Elizabeth I to the present sovereign have been the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

King/Queen of Scots

Royal Standard of the King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

  • King/Queen of Scots: James I as James VI, Charles I, Charles II, James II as James VII, William III as William II, Mary II, Anne

In 1603, when Queen Elizabeth I of England, the last Tudor monarch died, James VI, King of Scots became King of England as King James I of England. This was a personal union, the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain separate. James VI, King of Scots was the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots and her second husband (and first cousin) Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, both grandchildren of James IV, King of Scots and Margaret Tudor who was the daughter of King Henry VII of England and the sister of King Henry VIII of England. In terms of primogeniture, James VI was the next in line to the English throne and on her deathbed, Queen Elizabeth I of England gave her assent that James should succeed her.

The English Stuart monarchs that followed James I were all sovereigns of the Kingdom of England and separately sovereigns of the Kingdom of Scotland. Some of them had two different regnal numbers reflecting the English sequence of sovereigns and the Scottish sequence of sovereigns – William III of England was the third William to reign in England but was the second William to reign in Scotland so he was William II, King of Scots. During the reign of Queen Anne, England and Scotland were formally united into Great Britain by the Acts of Union 1707. The sovereign then was King/Queen of Great Britain.

Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel

Coat of Arms of the Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

King William III of England, who came to the English throne as a joint ruler with his wife and first cousin Queen Mary II of England, was also Willem III, Sovereign Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau, and Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic. William inherited the principality of Orange from his father, Willem II, Prince of Orange, who died a week before William’s birth. His mother Mary, Princess Royal was the daughter of King Charles I of England. William and Mary had no children and so William’s first cousin once removed, Johan Willem Friso, became Prince of Orange.

Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg

Coat of arms of Brunswick-Lüneburg; Credit – Wikipedia

  • Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg: George I, George II, George III

The Duchy of Brunswick-Luneburg and the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, located in northwestern Germany, was an Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire. It was commonly known as the Electorate of Hanover after its capital city of Hanover.

The Prince-Electors of the Holy Roman Empire (Electors for short) elected the Holy Roman Emperor. The Holy Roman Empire was a limited monarchy composed kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in Central Europe from 800 – 1806.

When the Stuart dynasty appeared to be dying out, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement 1701, giving the succession to the British throne to Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover and her non-Catholic heirs. This act ensured the Protestant succession and bypassed many Catholics who had a better hereditary claim to the throne. Sophia’s mother was Elizabeth Stuart who was the second child and eldest daughter of James VI, King of Scots / James I, King of England and Ireland. Sophia narrowly missed becoming queen, having died two months before the last Stuart monarch Queen Anne. Sophia’s son George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain. George remained Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg and his son George II and great-grandson George III inherited those titles.

King of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg

Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hanover; Credit – By Glasshouse – Own work, using elements by Sodacan, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78034759

  • King of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg: George III, George IV, William IV

The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, when the last Holy Roman Emperor Franz II (from 1804, Emperor Franz I of Austria) abdicated, following a military defeat by the French under Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz. After the final defeat of Napoleon in 1814, much of Europe was reorganized. The Hanover territories became the Kingdom of Hanover and became a personal union with the United Kingdom.

The personal union with the United Kingdom ended in 1837 upon the accession of Queen Victoria. The succession to the throne of Hanover followed Salic Law which did not allow female succession and so Victoria could not inherit the Hanover throne. Instead, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the eldest surviving son of King George III, became King of Hanover. His son George succeeded him as King George V of Hanover but he reigned for only fifteen years. He was exiled from Hanover in 1866 as a result of his support for Austria in the Austro-Prussian War and Hanover was annexed by Prussia.

Empress/Emperor of India

New Crowns for Old, the cartoon’s caption references a scene in Aladdin where lamps are exchanged. The Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, is offering Queen Victoria an imperial crown in exchange for an earl’s coronet. She made him the Earl of Beaconsfield at this time; Credit – Wikipedia

  • Empress/Emperor of India: Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI

One thing Queen Victoria wanted was an imperial title. She was disturbed because Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia held a higher rank than her and was appalled that her eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal who was married to the Crown Prince of Prussia and the future German Emperor, would outrank her when her husband came to the throne.

Queen Victoria pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to introduce a bill that would make her Empress of India. At the time, India was a colony of the United Kingdom. Disraeli did so but his handling of the bill was awkward. He did not notify either the Prince of Wales or the Liberal opposition. When they found out, the Prince of Wales was irritated and the Liberals went into motion with a full-scale attack. Disraeli was reluctant to bring the bill to a vote because he thought it would be defeated. However, it passed with a majority of 75.

On January 1, 1877, Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India. For the rest of her life, Victoria signed her name “Victoria R & I” – Regina et Imperatrix in Latin, Queen and Empress in English. Four of Victoria’s successors, her son Edward VII, her grandson George V and her great-grandsons Edward VIII and George VI also were Emperors of India. George VI ceased to use the title when India became an independent country in 1947.

Head of the Commonwealth

Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations; Credit – By Rob984 – Derived from File:BlankMap-World-Microstates.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50344792

  • Head of the Commonwealth: George VI, Elizabeth II

The Commonwealth of Nations, established in 1949, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three member nations that are mostly former territories of the United Kingdom. The British sovereign is head of state of sixteen member states, known as the Commonwealth realms, while thirty-two other members are republics and five others have different monarchs.

The Head of the Commonwealth is the “symbol of their free association” and serves as a leader, alongside the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth Chair-in-Office. The position of Head of the Commonwealth is technically not hereditary and does not necessarily have to be the sovereign or a member of the royal family. However, following the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Commonwealth leaders officially declared that Charles, Prince of Wales would be the next Head of the Commonwealth, and upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, King Charles III became the Head of the Commonwealth.

Sovereign of Other Realms

Currently, the British sovereign is also the sovereign of fourteen other countries, besides the United Kingdom: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

His Majesty The King

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Æthelstan, regarded as the first true king of England, presenting a book to St. Cuthbert, the earliest surviving portrait of an English king, circa 930; Credit – Wikipedia

king – noun – a male sovereign or monarch; a man who holds by life tenure, and usually by hereditary right, the chief authority over a country and people.

Origin of the word king – first used before 900 in Middle English; from Old English cyng, cyning; *cognate of German König, Dutch koning, Old Norse konungr, Swedish konung, Danish konge

*cognate – descended from the same language

from https://www.dictionary.com

Map of today’s United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Credit – Denver Public Library

From England to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

From the beginning of human civilization, there was someone who was in charge of groups of people – head of a family, tribal leader, a village chieftain – leading eventually to some kind of hereditary leader. In Old English, the word cyn (meaning kin, tribe, people) was changed into a different word by adding the suffix –ing. The new word cyning meant descendant of one of noble birth and eventually became the English word king.

Æthelstan (circa 894 – 939) became the first king to rule all of England when he conquered Northumbria in 927. He is generally regarded by historians as the first true king of England. The title Rex Anglorum in Latin (King of the English) was first used to describe Æthelstan in a 928 charter. King of the English remained in use until King John became king in 1199 when the title became King of England.

An invasion of Ireland starting in 1169 by King Henry II eventually brought about the end of rule High Kings of Ireland. In 1177, King Henry II gave the part of Ireland he controlled at that time to his ten-year-old son John as a Lordship and John became Lord of Ireland. When John succeeded as King of England in 1199, he remained Lord of Ireland, bringing the Kingdom of England and the Lordship of Ireland into personal union. In 1284, the territory of the King of England increased when the Principality of Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284. The title of King of Ireland was re-created in 1542 during the reign of King Henry VIII.  All of Ireland remained under British rule until the Irish Free State, today’s Republic of Ireland, became independent in 1922.

While British sovereigns had other titles which will be dealt with in another article, the titles King of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom will be dealt with here. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died childless and James VI, King of Scots also became King James I of England, joining the crowns of England and Scotland in a personal union, the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain separate. This practice continued through the Stuart dynasty until 1707, during the reign of Queen Anne, when England and Scotland were formally united into Great Britain by the Acts of Union 1707. The sovereign then was King/Queen of Great Britain.

In 1800, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created by the Acts of Union 1800 and King George III went from being titled King of Great Britain to King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, the Irish Free State, today’s Republic of Ireland, gained independence. Northern Ireland remained under British control and is still a part of today’s United Kingdom. The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 recognized the change in the status of Ireland and also recognized the various British dominions and so the sovereign’s title became King/Queen of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas. In 1953, separate styles and titles were adopted for each of the realms over which the sovereign reigned, for instance, King/Queen of Canada. The sovereign then became King/Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His/Her other Realms and Territories.

For more information, see

The King’s Styles

Over the years, sovereigns were occasionally and indiscriminately styled as My Lord/My Lady, His/Her Grace, His/Her Highness and His/Her Majesty. Around 1519, the Holy Roman Emperor and the King of France assumed the style Majesty and King Henry VIII copied them. Previous English sovereigns had sometimes used Majesty but it became more common during Henry VIII’s reign. However, it was not used exclusively. A legal judgment issued during King Henry VIII’s reign used three different styles: Article 15 begins with, “The Kinges Highness”, Article 16 with, “The Kinges Majestie”, and Article 17 with, “The Kinges Grace.” It was not until the reign of King James I that Majesty became the official style.

Regnal Numbers

Regnal numbers are used to distinguish sovereigns with the same name. If only one sovereign has used a particular name, no regnal number is used. For example, Queen Victoria is not known as Victoria I. During the reign of the House of Stuart, some sovereigns had two different regnal numbers because they were sovereigns of both England and Scotland. For instance, King James VI of Scotland was also King James I of England as he was the sixth King of Scots with the name James and the first King of England with the name James. When England and Scotland were united with the Acts of Union 1707, sovereigns followed the numbering consistent with the English sequence of sovereigns. This caused some controversy in Scotland. When Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne, the controversy arose again. She was the second Elizabeth to reign in England but the first Elizabeth to reign in Scotland. In 1953, Prime Minister Winston Churchill suggested that in the future, the higher of the two regnal numbers from the English and Scottish sequences should always be used.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Lord Guildford Dudley

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Credit – Wikipedia

Lord Guildford Dudley was the husband of Lady Jane Grey who was Queen of England for nine days, from July 10 – July 19, 1553. Born around 1535, Guildford was the youngest surviving son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, and Jane Guildford.

Guildford had twelve siblings but only seven survived childhood:

Coat of Arms of the Dudley Family; Credit – By Sodacan – Own work; Based on [1], CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38506101

At the time of Guildford’s birth, his father John Dudley was a knight. In 1537, John Dudley became Vice Admiral and later Lord High Admiral and in 1542, he received the title of Viscount Lisle which once belonged to his wife’s family. At the beginning of the reign of the young King Edward VI, Guildford’s father was created Earl of Warwick. By 1550, he headed the Privy Council as Lord Protector and was the de facto ruler of England. John Dudley was created Duke of Northumberland in 1551. Guildford’s mother Jane had served as a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves, King Henry VIII’s second and fourth wives.

In 1552, Guildford’s father tried to marry him to Margaret Clifford, the only surviving daughter of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland and Lady Eleanor Brandon, the younger daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. King Edward VI was in favor of the marriage but Margaret’s father was against it because Guildford was the only a duke’s younger son.

The Streatham Portrait of Lady Jane Grey; Credit – Wikipedia

In the spring of 1553, Guildford became engaged to sixteen-year-old Lady Jane Grey who was closer to the English throne than Margaret Clifford. Jane was the eldest of the three daughters of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Lady Frances Brandon. Lady Frances was the daughter of King Henry VIII’s younger sister Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Frances was the elder of her parents’ two surviving children.

On May 25, 1553, three weddings were celebrated at Durham Place, the Duke of Northumberland’s London home. Lord Guildford Dudley married Lady Jane Grey, Guildford’s sister Lady Katherine Dudley married Henry Hastings, the Earl of Huntingdon’s heir, and Jane’s sister Lady Catherine Grey married Henry Herbert, the heir of the Earl of Pembroke.

In January 1553, King Edward VI became ill with a fever and cough that gradually worsened. It is probable that he had tuberculosis. By May 1553, the royal doctors had no hope that the king would recover and John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and Lord Protector, became to scheme for a succession that would benefit him.

As King Edward VI lay dying in the late spring and early summer of 1553, the succession to the throne according to the Third Succession Act looked like this, and note that number four in the succession was the Duke of Northumberland’s daughter-in-law.

1) Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
2) Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
3) Duchess of Suffolk (born Lady Frances Brandon), daughter of Mary Tudor
4) Lady Jane Grey, daughter of Frances Brandon
5) Lady Catherine Grey, daughter of Frances Brandon
6) Lady Mary Grey, daughter of Frances Brandon
7) Lady Margaret Clifford, daughter of Countess of Cumberland (born Lady Eleanor Brandon), daughter of Mary Tudor

King Edward VI’s death and the succession of his Catholic half-sister Mary would spell trouble for the English Reformation. Many on Edward’s Privy Council feared this, including the Duke of Northumberland. What exact role the Duke of Northumberland had in what followed is still debated, but surely he played a big part in the unfolding of the events. The king opposed Mary’s succession not only for religious reasons but also because of her illegitimacy and his belief in male succession. He also opposed the succession of his Protestant half-sister Elizabeth for reasons of illegitimacy and belief in male succession. Both Mary and Elizabeth were still considered to be legally illegitimate.

King Edward VI composed a document “My devise for the succession” in which he passed over his half-sisters and the Duchess of Suffolk (Frances Brandon). Edward meant for the throne to go to the Duchess’ daughters and their male heirs. The Duke and Duchess of Suffolk were outraged at the Duchess’ removal from the succession, but after a meeting with the ailing king, the Duchess renounced her rights in favor of her daughter Jane. Many contemporary legal experts believed the king could not contravene an Act of Parliament without passing a new one that would have established the altered succession. Therefore, many thought that Jane’s claim to the throne was weak. Apparently, Jane did not have any idea of what was occurring.

Lady Jane Grey Prevailed on to Accept the Crown by Charles Robert Leslie, 1827. The painting depicts Lady Jane Grey with her husband Lord Guildford Dudley; Credit – Wikipedia

After great suffering, fifteen-year-old King Edward VI died on July 6, 1553, most likely from tuberculosis. On July 9, Jane was told that she was Queen, and reluctantly accepted the fact. She was publicly proclaimed Queen with much pomp after Edward’s death was announced on July 10. Queen Jane made a state entry into the Tower of London. Her mother carried her train and the rather short Queen wore raised shoes to give her height. Jane showed some spirit when she refused to allow her husband Guildford to be proclaimed king.

The Duke of Northumberland had to find Mary and hopefully capture her before she could gather support. However, as soon as Mary knew her half-brother was dead, she wrote a letter to the Privy Council with orders for her proclamation as Edward’s successor and started to gather support. By July 12, Mary and her supporters had assembled a military force at Framlingham Castle in Suffolk. The Duke of Northumberland set out from London with troops on July 14. The nobility was incensed with Northumberland and the people, for the most part, wanted Mary as their Queen, not Jane. In Northumberland’s absence, the Privy Council switched their allegiance from Jane to Mary and proclaimed her Queen on July 19, 1553. Mary arrived triumphantly in London on August 3, 1553, accompanied by her half-sister Elizabeth and a procession of over 800 nobles and gentlemen.

Jane and Guildford had been in residence at the Tower of London following Jane’s proclamation as Queen. They were separated and remained at the Tower. After a few days, Guildford’s father John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland and Guildford’s four surviving brothers were imprisoned at the Tower of London along with Jane’s father Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk. All the men were eventually attainted and condemned to death. The Duke of Northumberland was executed on August 22, 1553.

Queen Mary appeared as if she was going to be lenient but the Protestant rebellion of Thomas Wyatt the Younger in January 1554 sealed Jane’s fate, although she had nothing to do with the rebellion. Wyatt’s Rebellion was a reaction to Queen Mary’s planned marriage to the future King Philip II of Spain. Lady Jane Grey and Lord Guildford Dudley were executed on February 12, 1534. Jane’s father, the Duke of Suffolk, was executed on February 23, 1554.

The day before their execution, Guildford asked for a last meeting with his wife but Jane refused saying that it “would only … increase their misery and pain, it was better to put it off … as they would meet shortly elsewhere, and live bound by indissoluble ties.” About ten o’clock in the morning of February 12, 1554, Guildford was led to Tower Hill and gave a brief speech to the assembled crowd, as was customary. He knelt down, prayed, and asked the people to pray for him. Guildford was killed with a single blow of the ax and his body was then taken to the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London. Jane was beheaded within the precincts of the Tower of London within an hour and was buried next to her husband in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula within the Tower of London.

Memorial in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Guildford’s brothers John, Ambrose, Henry, and Robert Dudley remained imprisoned at the Tower of London in the Beauchamp Tower where they made carvings in the walls. John carved their heraldic devices with his name “IOHN DVDLI” which can still be seen. During 1554, Guildford’s mother Jane Dudley and his brother-in-law Sir Henry Sidney were busy befriending the Spanish nobles around Queen Mary’s new husband, Prince Philip of Spain, hoping they would use their influence to have the Dudley brothers released. In October 1554, John, Ambrose, Henry, and Robert Dudley were released due to their efforts.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dudley,_1st_Duke_of_Northumberland [Accessed 28 Nov. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Lord Guildford Dudley. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Guildford_Dudley [Accessed 28 Nov. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). King Edward VI of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-vi-of-england/ [Accessed 28 Nov. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2013). Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/july-10-daily-featured-royal-date/ [Accessed 28 Nov. 2018].
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou; Credit – Wikipedia

Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou was the second husband of Empress Matilda, Lady of the English, daughter of King Henry I of England, and the ancestor of the Plantagenet kings of England. Born on August 24, 1113, Geoffrey was the eldest of the four children and the elder of the two sons of Fulk V, Count of Anjou and his first wife Ermengarde, Countess of Maine in her own right.

Geoffrey had three younger siblings:

Geoffrey had two half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem:

In 1126, King Henry I of England arranged for his only surviving child Matilda to marry Geoffrey of Anjou. Henry I needed male heirs from his daughter. In 1120, William Ætheling, King Henry I’s only legitimate son and many others had drowned in the White Ship disaster when his ship, returning to England from Normandy, hit a submerged rock, capsized, and sank. Henry I’s nephews were then his closest male heirs. On Christmas Day 1126, Henry I gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors.

Matilda was quite unhappy about her marriage to Geoffrey. This would be her second marriage. When she was just twelve years old, Matilda married 28-year-old Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor. Matilda returned to England when she was widowed eleven years later. She was eleven years older than Geoffrey and marriage to a mere future Count would diminish her status as the widow of an Emperor. Nevertheless, the couple was married at the Cathedral of St. Julian in Le Mans, County of Maine, now in France, on June 17, 1128.

Empress Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple did not get along and their marriage was stormy with frequent, long separations. Matilda insisted on retaining her title of Empress for the rest of her life. Three years after Geoffrey’s mother died in 1126, his father Fulk abdicated his lands to Geoffrey and set out for the Holy Land, where he married Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem, and became King of Jerusalem. Geoffrey had become Count of Maine upon his mother’s death and now he was also Count of Anjou.

Geoffrey and Matilda had three sons:

Geoffrey also recognized three children by an unknown mistress/mistresses:

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died. His nephew Stephen of Blois quickly crossed from France to England, seized power in England, and was crowned King of England three weeks later. Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153.

During The Anarchy, Geoffrey concentrated on conquering the Duchy of Normandy in northwest France. After an unsuccessful attempt in 1135, Geoffrey began a systematic conquest of Normandy in 1136. By 1143, Geoffrey secured all of Normandy west and south of the Seine and assumed the title of Duke of Normandy in the summer of 1144. Geoffrey held the duchy until 1149 when he and Matilda ceded it to their son Henry.

Geoffrey died suddenly on September 7, 1151, aged 38, at Château-du-Loir, in the Duchy of Brittany, now in France. He was buried at the Cathedral of St. Julian in Le Mans, then in the County of Maine, now in France. Empress Matilda commissioned an enamel funerary plaque to decorate Geoffrey’s tomb. It is one of the earliest examples of European heraldry and can be seen at the beginning of this article. The decorated shield suggests the early origins of the three lions of the Royal Arms of England. The enamel plaque, originally at the Cathedral of St. Julian, is now in the Museum of Archeology and History in Le Mans.

Cathedral of St. Julian in Le Mans, France; Credit – Wikipedia

The House of Plantagenet was founded by Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou via his marriage to Empress Matilda. The English crown passed to their son, the future King Henry II of England, under the Treaty of Winchester, ending nineteen years of a civil war called The Anarchy fought between Matilda and her cousin King Stephen over the possession of the English crown. Generally, Henry II and his sons are called the Angevins, from Geoffrey’s noble family which originated in Anjou, France.

Common Broom or Planta Genista; Credit – Wikipedia

Although there is little evidence for the Plantagenet name before the mid-fifteenth century, Plantagenet is the name given to the fourteen English kings who reigned from 1154-1485. The name derives from the common broom plant, known then in Latin as “planta genista.” It is claimed that Geoffrey V of Anjou wore a sprig of the plant in his hat. Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, father of Edward IV and Richard III and Yorkist claimant to the throne, starting using the name around 1448.

Sharon Kay Penman‘s excellent historical fiction novel When Christ and His Saints Slept deals with The Anarchy and most of the historical figures mentioned here are characters.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Plantagenet,_Count_of_Anjou [Accessed 27 Nov. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2017). Empress Matilda, Lady of the English. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/empress-matilda-lady-of-the-english/ [Accessed 27 Nov. 2018].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Geoffroy V d’Anjou. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffroy_V_d%27Anjou [Accessed 27 Nov. 2018].
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I  

Front Page of The New York Times on November 11, 1918; Credit – Wikipedia

By the time World War I ended 100 years ago today, the Russian, German, Austrian, and Ottoman Empires had crumbled, the royal landscape of Europe had changed forever, and about 10 million military personnel and about 7 million civilians had died.  In memory of all who fought and all who died, we publish the link to our Royalty and World War I Index so you can read and remember.
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Unofficial Royalty: Royalty and World War I

Resources: Robert the Bruce, King of Scots

Statue of Robert the Bruce at Stirling Castle; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

With the release of the film Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), a Scottish national hero and King of Scots during the First War of Scottish Independence, we thought it would be a good idea to share some of our resources related to him.

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To learn more about the monarchs of Scotland, check out Unofficial Royalty: Scottish Index

European Monarchies at the End of World War I in 1918

compiled and revised by Susan Flantzer

Front Page of The New York Times on November 11, 1918; Credit – Wikipedia

At 11 AM on November 11, 1918 – “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” – a ceasefire ending World War I went into effect. The Russian, German, Austrian, and Ottoman Empires had crumbled, the royal landscape of Europe had changed forever, numerous nations regained their former independence, new nations were created, and about 10 million military personnel and about 7 million civilians had died.

Armistice Day, November 11, is still commemorated in many countries. In the United States, it is Veterans Day, a day to honor the service of all American military veterans. In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, it is Remembrance Day, honoring the memory of those who served in World War I and veterans of all subsequent wars involving British and Commonwealth troops.

All photos unless noted are from Wikipedia. For comparison, see Unofficial Royalty: European Monarchies at the Start of World War I in 1914

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LOST THRONES DURING WORLD WAR I

Principality of Albania


Wilhelm of Wied, Sovereign Prince of Albania (reigned 1914)
Wikipedia: Prince Wilhelm of Wied, Prince of Albania

William of Wied, Sovereign Prince of Albania began his on March 7, 1914. A German prince, he had been chosen to rule in Albania by the Great European Powers but things soon got very bad for William. Albania was in a state of civil war by July 1914, Greece had occupied southern Albania, World War I had started, and when the Albanian government collapsed, William left the country on September 3, 1914. Despite leaving Albania, William insisted that he was still the head of state, however, a four-member regency actually ruled.  William of Wied died in Predeal, Romania on April 18, 1945, at the age of 69.

Eventually, in 1925, Albania was declared a republic with Ahmet Zogu as President who then declared himself King Zog and reigned from 1928 – 1939, until Mussolini’s Italian forces invaded Albania.  After 1939, Zog lived in exile in England, then Egypt, and finally France where he died on April 9, 1961, at the age of 65.

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Austrian-Hungarian Empire

Credit – Wikipedia, use the link to see larger map https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungary#/media/File:Dissolution_of_Austria-Hungary.png

The Austrian-Hungarian Empire collapsed with dramatic speed during the autumn of 1918. The following countries were formed (entirely or in part) on the territory of the former Austrian-Hungary Empire:

  • German Austria and the First Austrian Republic
  • Hungarian Democratic Republic, Hungarian Soviet Republic, and the Kingdom of Hungary
  • Czecho-Slovakia (“Czechoslovakia” from 1920 to 1938)
  • State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs (joined December 1, 1918, with the Kingdom of Serbia to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia)
  • The second Polish Republic
  • West Ukrainian People’s Republic
  • Duchy of Bukovina and Transylvania was joined to the Kingdom of Romania
  • Austro-Hungarian lands were also ceded to the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Italy


Karl I, Emperor of Austria (reigned 1916 – 1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Karl I, Emperor of Austria

On November 11, 1918, the same day as the armistice ending World War I, Karl issued a proclamation in which he recognized the rights of the Austrian people to determine their form of government and released his government officials from their loyalty to him. On November 13, 1918, Karl issued a similar proclamation for Hungary. Karl did not use the term “abdicate” in his proclamations and would never admit that he abdicated. Karl and his family eventually settled on the Portuguese island of Madeira. In March of 1922, Karl caught a cold which developed into bronchitis and further developed into pneumonia. After suffering two heart attacks and respiratory failure, Karl died on April 1, 1922, at the age of 34.

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German Empire

States of the German Empire (Prussia shown in blue); Credit – Wikipedia

The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. The constituent states retained their own governments but had limited sovereignty. For example, both postage stamps and currency were issued for the German Empire as a whole. While the constituent states issued their own medals and decorations, and some had their own armies, the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army. In November 1918, all sovereigns of constituent states of the German Empire were forced to abdicate.

German territorial losses, 1919–1945; Credit – Wikipedia

After World War I, the remnants of the German Empire became the Weimar Republic, the unofficial, historical designation for the German state during the years 1919 to 1933. The Weimar Republic faced numerous problems including extreme inflation, political extremism, and poor relationships with the victors of World War I. In 1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor with the Nazi Party being part of a coalition government. Within a few months, constitutional government and civil liberties were gone. Hitler seized complete power and the founding of a single-party state began the Nazi era.


German Empire, Kingdom of Prussia: Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia (reigned 1888–1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm II, German Emperor

In the aftermath of World War I, Germany had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm abdicated on November 9, 1918. On November 10, 1918, Wilhelm Hohenzollern crossed the border by train and went into exile in the Netherlands, never to return to Germany. He first settled in Amerongen, living in the castle there. In 1919, Wilhelm purchased Huis Doorn, a small manor house outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht in the Netherlands, and moved there in 1920. He lived at Huis Doorn until his death in 1941 at the age of 82.

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German Kingdoms


Bavaria – Ludwig III, King of Bavaria (reigned 1913–1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig III, King of Bavaria

As World War I was drawing to a close, the German Revolution broke out in Bavaria. Ludwig fled Munich with his family, taking up residence at Anif Palace near Salzburg, thinking it would just be a temporary move. A week later, on November 13, 1918, King Ludwig III would be the first monarch in the German Empire to be deposed, bringing an end to 738 years of rule by the Wittelsbach dynasty.

He returned to Bavaria, living at Wildenwart Castle, Fearing that his life was in danger, he soon left the country, traveling to Hungary, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. He returned to Wildenwart Castle in April 1920 and remained until the following fall, when he traveled to his castle Nádasdy in Sárvár, Hungary where he lived until he died on October 18, 1921, at the age of 76.


Saxony – Friedrich Augustus III, King of Saxony (reigned 1904–1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Augustus III, King of Saxony

By the end of World War I, unrest had reached most of the major cities in Saxony. Unlike many of his peers, Friedrich August refused to suppress the uprisings by military force. Instead, on November 13, 1918, he released the allegiance of his military, and formally abdicated the Saxon throne, bringing about the end of the monarchy. He retired to Sibyllenort Castle in Lower Silesia (now Poland) where he would live out the rest of his life. King Friedrich August III died on February 18, 1932, at the age of 66 at Sibyllenort Castle after suffering a stroke.


Württemberg – Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg (reigned 1891–1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg

King Wilhelm’s reign came to an end on November 30, 1918, after the fall of the German Empire led to the abdications of all of the ruling families. Before formally abdicating, Wilhelm negotiated with the new government to receive an annual income for himself and his wife, and also retained Schloss Bebenhausen, where the couple lived for the remainder of their lives. The last King of Württemberg died at Schloss Bebenhausen on October 2, 1921, at the age of 73.

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German Grand Duchies


Baden – Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden (reigned 1907-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden

When Wilhelm II, German Emperor abdicated in 1918, riots broke out throughout the German Empire, and Friedrich and his family were forced to flee Karlsruhe Palace, for Zwingenberg Castle in the Neckar valley. They then arranged to stay at Langenstein Castle, where Friedrich formally abdicated the throne of Baden on November 22, 1918. Nearly blind and in poor health, Grand Duke Friedrich II died in Badenweiler on August 8, 1928, at the age of 71.


Hesse and by Rhine – Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (reigned 1892-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

Sadly, the later years of Ernst Ludwig’s life were marred by tragedy. World War I brought the murders of two sisters, Alix (Emperor Alexandra Feodorovna) and Ella (Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna), in Russia, as well as the loss of the Grand Ducal throne. With the fall of the German states, Ernst Ludwig refused to abdicate but still lost his throne on November 9, 1918. However, he was allowed to remain in Hesse and retained several of the family’s properties. Ernst Ludwig of Hesse died at Wolfsgarten Castle on October 9, 1937, at the age of 68. Tragically, just weeks later, a plane crash in Belgium took the lives of many of his remaining family – his widow, elder son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons – who were on the way to a family wedding in England.


Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (reigned 1897-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

On November 14, 1918, Friedrich Franz IV was forced to abdicate. and forced into exile. Friedrich Franz and his family traveled to Denmark at the invitation of his sister Queen Alexandrine. There, they lived at Sorgenfri Palace for a year, before being permitted to return to Mecklenburg and recovering several of the family’s properties.

After World War II, Friedrich Franz’s former states became part of Communist East Germany. Along with his wife and son Christian Ludwig, Friedrich Franz fled to Glücksburg Castle in West Germany, the home of his youngest daughter and her husband, with the intention of returning to Denmark. However, Friedrich Franz became ill, he died there on November 17, 1945, at the age of 63.


Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (reigned 1914-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

A woman with whom Adolf Friedrich had a relationship claimed to have correspondence that linked him to “certain homosexual circles” and threatened to release them to the public unless he gave in to her demands for more money. With World War I still raging, and the possibility of these letters being made public, the 35-year-old Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich VI left his home on the evening of February 23, 1918, to take his dog for a walk. The following morning, his body was found in a nearby canal with a gunshot wound to his head. He left behind a suicide note which suggested that a woman was attempting to smear his name.

In his will, he had requested that Duke Christian Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the son of his good friend Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, become the new Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The heir presumptive – Duke Carl Michael – lived in Russia and had previously indicated that he wished to renounce his rights to the grand ducal throne. However, before the matter could be resolved, Germany became a republic and the various sovereigns lost their thrones.


Oldenburg – Friedrich Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg (reigned 1900-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

With the fall of the German Empire at the end of World War I, Friedrich August was forced to abdicate his throne on November 11, 1918. He retired to Schloss Rastede where he took up farming. Claiming an “extremely precarious” financial situation, he petitioned the Oldenburg government for an annual allowance the year after his abdication. Friedrich August II, the last Grand Duke of Oldenburg, died at Schloss Rastede on February 24, 1931, at the age of 78.


Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (reigned 1901-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Wilhelm Ernst was forced to abdicate on November 9, 1918. He was stripped of his throne and his properties and forced into exile. With his family, he took up residence at Schloss Heinrichau, the family’s estate in Heinrichau, Silesia (now Henryków, Poland). He died there less than five years later, on April 24, 1923, at the age of 46.

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German Duchies


Anhalt – Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt
Unofficial Royalty: Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt

The year 1918 saw three Dukes of Anhalt. Friedrich II died in April and was succeeded by his brother Eduard Georg Wilhelm who then died in September 1918. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son 17-year-old Prince Joachim Ernst under the regency of Eduard’s younger brother, Prince Aribert. Joachim Ernst’s brief reign came to an end on 12 November 12, 1918, when the regent Prince Aribert abdicated in his name. After 1918, Schloss Ballenstedt am Harz remained as the residence of the Anhalt family. Joachim Ernst married twice and had five children.

During World War II, Joachim Ernst was arrested in January 1944 and sent to the Dachau concentration camp. At the end of World War II, Joachim Ernst was arrested by the Soviet occupation troops and sent to the former Buchenwald concentration camp, then a Soviet prison camp called NKVD special camp Nr. 2. He became seriously ill and died on February 18, 1947, at the age of 46.


Brunswick – Ernst Augustus III, Duke of Brunswick (reigned 1913-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Augustus III, Duke of Brunswick

On November 8, 1918, Ernst Augustus was forced to abdicate his throne. For the next thirty years, he would remain head of the House of Hanover, living in retirement on his various estates. He lived long enough to see one of his children become a consort to a monarch. In 1947, his daughter Frederica became Queen of Greece when her husband Prince Paul of Greece succeeded his brother as King. Ernst Augustus is the maternal grandfather of Queen Sofia of Spain and the former King Constantine II of Greece. He died at Marienburg Castle in 1953 at the age of 65.


Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (reigned 1908-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

Ernst was one of the first sovereigns to realize major changes were coming for Germany and he quickly arrived at an amicable settlement with his subjects. He was forced to abdicate as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg on November 13, 1918. After his abdication, Ernst retired to a hotel in Berlin. After World War II, Ernst became the only former reigning German prince who accepted German Democratic Republic (East Germany) citizenship, refusing to leave his home and relocate to the British occupation zone. He died on March 22, 1955, at the age of 83, the last survivor of the German sovereigns who had reigned until 1918.


Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (reigned 1900-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

On November 9, 1918, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria, as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne.  During the 1920s, Charles Edward joined the Nazi Party and became a prominent member. After the end of World War II, Charles Edward was placed under house arrest at his residence because of his Nazi sympathies. In 1949, a denazification appeals court classified Charles Edward as a Nazi Follower, Category IV. He was heavily fined and almost bankrupted. Charles Edward spent the last years of his life in seclusion. He died on March 6, 1954, at the age of 69 in Coburg.


Saxe-Meiningen – Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (reigned 1914-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

On November 10, 1918, Bernhard abdicated due to pressure from the Meininger Workers and Soldiers Council. His half-brother Ernst waived his succession rights on November 12, 1918, officially ending the monarchy of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen. Bernhard lived his remaining years at Schloss Altenstein in Bad Liebenstein, Germany where he died on January 16, 1928, at the age of 76.

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German Principalities


Lippe – Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe (reigned 1905 – 1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe

Because of the November Revolution after World War I, Leopold was forced to abdicate on November 12, 1918. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Leopold died in Detmold, the former capital of the Principality of Lippe on December 30, 1949, at the age of 78.


Reuss-Greiz – Heinrich XXIV, 6th Prince Reuss of Greiz Older Line (reigned 1902-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz

Because of his physical and mental disabilities as a result of an accident in his childhood, Heinrich XXIV was unable to govern and the Principality of Reuss-Greiz was ruled by a regent. On November 11, 1918, the regent, Heinrich XXVII, 5th Prince Reuss of Gera, abdicated in the name of Heinrich XXIV. After the abdication, Heinrich XXIV retained the right of residence of the Lower Castle in Greiz and lived there until his death in 1927 at the age of 49.


Reuss-Gera – Heinrich XXVII, 5th Prince Reuss Younger Line (reigned 1913-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line

Besides being Sovereign Prince Reuss, Younger Line, Heinrich XXVII was Regent of the Principality of Reuss of Greiz, Older Line from 1908 – 1918. (See above.) On November 11, 1918, Heinrich XXVII abdicated his position as Sovereign Prince Reuss, Younger Line and as Regent abdicated for the disabled Heinrich XXIV, 6th Prince Reuss of Greiz, Older Line. The new government made an agreement with Heinrich XXVII and granted him some castles and land. Heinrich XXVII died on November 21, 1928, at the age of 70.


Schaumburg-Lippe – Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (reigned 1911-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

Adolf II was forced to abdicate on November 15, 1918, and was exiled to Brioni, then Italy, now in Croatia. 53-year-old Adolf and his wife actress Ellen von Bischoff-Korthaus, who he married in 1920, were killed in a plane crash in Zumpango, Mexico on March 26, 1936.


Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (reigned 1909-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg

Günther Victor, the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicated on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. Günther Victor died on April 21, 1925, at the age of 72.


Waldeck-Pyrmont – Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (reigned 1893-1918)
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Friedrich was the brother of Marie, the first wife of King Wilhelm II of Württemberg (who also had to abdicate), Emma who married King Willem III of the Netherlands, and Helena, the wife of Queen Victoria’s hemophiliac son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and the mother of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (who also had to abdicate). Friedrich abdicated on November 13, 1918, and negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and Arolsen Forest. He died on May 26, 1946, aged 81, in Arolsen, the former capital of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont.

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Kingdom of Montenegro


Nikola I, King of Montenegro (reigned 1860–1918)
Wikipedia: Nikola I, King of Montenegro

After the end of World War I, a Serb-dominated meeting decided to depose Nikola and annex Montenegro to Serbia. On November 26, 1918, Serbia (including Montenegro) merged with the former South Slav territories of Austria-Hungary to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. Nikola went into exile in France in 1918 but continued to claim the throne until his death on March 1, 1921, at the age of 79.

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Russian Empire

Russia entered World War I with great patriotism and enthusiasm but the effects of the war caused food and fuel shortage, rising inflation, strikes among low-paid factory workers, and restlessness among the peasants who wanted reforms of land ownership. The tsarist regime was overthrown during the 1917 February Revolution. The government that was formed after the February Revolution was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in the 1917 October Revolution. This ultimately resulted in the Communist Soviet Union which fell in 1991.


Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia (reigned 1894–1917)
Unofficial Royalty: Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia

On March 15, 1917, Nicholas II was forced from the throne. He formally abdicated for himself and his son, making his younger brother, Michael, the new Emperor. Michael, however, refused to accept until the Russian people could decide on continuing the monarchy or establishing a republic, which never happened. From March 1917 until July 1918, Nicholas II and his family were held in protective custody, first at Alexander Palace outside of St. Petersburg and then at the Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk, Siberia, and lastly at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Siberia. On July 17, 1918, Nicholas II, his wife, their five children, their doctor, and three servants were shot to death in the basement of the Ipatiev House.

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KEPT THEIR THRONES BUT NOT FOR LONG

Some European monarchies survived World War I but ceased to exist sometime during the 20th century.

Former Tsar Simeon II in 2005

Kingdom of Bulgaria: Due to feeling responsible for being on the losing side of World War I, Tsar Ferdinand I, born Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, abdicated in favor of his son Boris on October 3, 1918. Ferdinand returned to Coburg, his birthplace, and there on September 10, 1948, at the age of 87.

After the outbreak of World War II, Tsar Boris III was courted by Hitler to join his alliance. Boris agreed to several things including the Law for Protection of the Nation, which imposed restrictions on Jewish Bulgarians. However, during a meeting with Hitler in 1943, Boris refused to deport Bulgarian Jews and declare war on Russia. Just weeks later, on August 28, 1943, Tsar Boris III died in Sofia. The circumstances of his death remain mysterious, with many believing that Boris had been poisoned because of his refusal to concede to the demands of the Nazis.

Boris was succeeded by his 6-year-old son Tsar Simeon II.  A Council of Regency was established but the following year the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria, and the regents were deposed and replaced. The Bulgarian monarchy was overthrown in 1946, replaced with a Communist government, and the royal family was forced to leave the country. Following the fall of the communist regime in 1989, Simeon was finally able to return to his homeland. He was known as Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski, the Bulgarian version of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. In 2001, he was elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria and served until 2005. He remained head of his political party until stepping down in 2009.

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Former King Constantine II and his wife, born Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, in 2010

Kingdom of Greece: After a series of political problems in the 1920s and 1930s, the Greek monarchy was abolished in 1924 when a republic was declared. In 1935, the monarchy was restored. In 1964, 23-year-old King Constantine II succeeded his father. On April 21, 1967, a coup d’état led by a group of army colonels took over Greece, and the royal family was forced to flee, living first in Italy and then in England. A republic was declared in 1975 following a referendum that chose to not restore the monarchy. The Greek government did not permit King Constantine II to return to Greece until 1981 when he was allowed to attend the funeral of his mother. After 2003, when the property dispute between King Constantine and the government of Greece was more settled, he was able to make visits to Greece and own property there.

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Umberto in 1944

Kingdom of Italy: Umberto II, the last King of Italy, took the throne in 1946 after the abdication of his father King Vittorio Emanuele III. Two months later, a referendum was held and the majority voted for Italy to become a Republic. On June 12, 1946, King Umberto II was formally deposed and left Italy, banned from ever setting foot on Italian soil. 78-year-old Umberto died on March 18, 1983, in a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Mehmed in 1918

Ottoman Empire: World War I was a disaster for the Ottoman Empire. Allied forces had conquered Baghdad, Damascus, and Jerusalem during the war and most of the Ottoman Empire was then divided among the European allies. The Sultanate limped along for four more years. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey abolished the Sultanate on November 1, 1922, and the last Sultan, Mehmed VI was expelled from the country. The former Sultan went into exile in Malta and later lived on the Italian Riviera, dying on 16 May 16, 1926, in Sanremo, Italy at the age of 65.

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Former King Mihai in 2007

Kingdom of Romania: King Mihai (Michael) was the last King of Romania. Because his father renounced his succession rights, five-year-old Mihai succeeded his grandfather in 1927. In June 1930, in a coup d’état, Mihai’s father King Carol II came to the throne until 1940, when another coup d’état took place. Carol was forced to formally abdicate and Mihai was once again King of Romania. Two years after World War II ended,  Romania had a Communist government, and Mihai was forced to sign a document of abdication and leave the country. Mihai and his family first lived in Italy and then in Switzerland. In 1997,  after the fall of the Communist government, the Romanian government restored Mihai’s citizenship and in the following years, several properties were returned to the royal family and Mihai and his family lived part of the time in Romania. Mihai died at his residence in Switzerland on December 5, 2017, at the age of 96.

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Former King Peter II in 1966

Kingdom of Serbia/Kingdom of Yugoslavia: King Peter II was the last King of Yugoslavia. He spent World War II in exile in England. In November 1945, the new Communist government in Yugoslavia abolished the monarchy and formally deposed King Peter II. Peter left England and lived in France and Switzerland before settling in the United States in 1949. Suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, Peter died on November 3, 1970, in Denver, Colorado, following a failed liver transplant. Per his wishes, he was interred at the Saint Sava Monastery Church in Libertyville, Illinois. To date, he is the only European monarch to be buried in the United States. In January 2013, his remains were returned to Serbia and buried in the Royal Family Mausoleum beneath St. George’s Church at Oplenac.

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Alfonso in 1930

Kingdom of Spain: King Alfonso XIII of Spain was the Spanish sovereign from his birth since his father died while his mother was pregnant. In 1923, General Miguel Primo de Rivera seized power in a military coup, with the support of King Alfonso XIII and served as dictator for the next seven years. In January 1930, due to economic problems and general unpopularity, Primo de Rivera resigned as Prime Minister. Alfonso had been so closely associated with the Primo de Rivera dictatorship that it was difficult for him to distance himself from the regime he had supported for almost 7 years. In 1931, elections were held, resulting in the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic. Alfonso and his family fled Spain, settling in France and then Italy. On February 28, 1941, King Alfonso XIII died at the Grand Hotel in Rome at the age of 54.

In 1969, Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain from 1936 until his death in 1975, named King Alfonso XIII’s grandson Juan Carlos as his successor, giving him the newly created title “The Prince of Spain”. Franco died on November 22, 1975, and Juan Carlos was proclaimed King.  In 2014, King Juan Carlos I abdicated in favor of his son King Felipe VI.

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Abdul Karim (The Munshi)

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Portrait of Abdul Karim by Rudolf Swoboda, 1888; Credit – Wikipedia

Abdul Karim, known as the Munshi, was Queen Victoria’s Indian attendant 1887 – 1901.

Abdul Karim was born in 1863 in Lalitpur in British India now in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. His family was Muslim and his father was a hospital assistant with the Central India Horse, a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. Karim had one older brother and four younger sisters.

Karim first worked for the Nawab of Jaora, a princely state of British India. Three years later, Karim moved to Agra where his father was then working as a clerk in the Central Jail and was then also employed as a clerk in the jail. In Agra, Karim made an arranged marriage with the sister of a co-worker.

The prisoners in the Central Jail in Agra were trained as carpet weavers. In 1886, for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, a contingent of prisoners was sent to be living exhibits, demonstrating their carpet weaving skills. Karim did not accompany the prisoners but he was instrumental in organizing the trip. Queen Victoria, who visited the exhibition, had a deep interest in India and wanted to have two Indian servants for her Golden Jubilee year. She asked John Tyler, the superintendent of the jail who had accompanied the prisoners to London, to recruit two Indian servants. Karim and Mohammed Buksh were selected and were given instruction in the English language and British customs.

Karim and Buksh arrived at Windsor Castle in June 1887 and expected to be serving at the table while learning other tasks. They first served breakfast to Queen Victoria at Frogmore House at Windsor on June 23, 1887. Describing Karim in her diary for that day, Victoria wrote: “The other, much younger, is much lighter [than Buksh], tall, and with a fine serious countenance. His father is a native doctor at Agra.” Victoria took an instant liking to Karim and ordered that he be given additional instruction in English. During the summer of 1887, she asked Karim to teach her Urdu, Karim’s native language, and Hindustani.

Karim and Queen Victoria in 1893; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

By 1888, Victoria decided that Karim was of a much higher class. She knew Karim had been a clerk in India and mistakenly believed his father was an army medical doctor. Therefore, she thought it was unsuitable that he wait on tables. Karim was appointed to the position of Munshi (teacher) with secretarial duties. Mohammed Buksh, who had come to England with Karim, remained in Queen Victoria’s service as a table servant until his death in 1899.

Over the years, other Indian servants came, sometimes along with their families including Karim’s wife. Karim’s position in the royal household was resented by the other Indian servants but it paled in comparison to the disgust felt by the middle-class and upper-class members of the household and members of the royal family. Queen Victoria expected them to welcome Karim but they were not willing to do so and Karim expected to be treated as an equal. In addition, Queen Victoria refused to believe any negative comments about Karim. This tension continued and worsened over the years.

Karim and Queen Victoria in 1897; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Victoria died on January 22, 1901. Knowing that his mother would have wished it, King Edward VII allowed Karim to view the Queen he had served in her coffin. However, Edward VII ordered the correspondence between his mother and Karim burned. He then ordered Karim and the other Indian servants back to India.

In 1890, Queen Victoria, knowing she could not trust her family or the royal household to take care of Karim after her death, had arranged for a grant of land in the Agra suburbs to be given to him. Karim had purchased an adjacent piece of property in 1898 and combined it into an estate which made him a wealthy man. He lived the rest of his life peacefully and was even visited in 1905 by the future King George V, then Prince of Wales. In April 1909, Karim Abdul died at his home Karim Lodge at the age of 46. He was buried in a mausoleum at the Panchkuin Kabaristan Cemetery in Agra beside his father.

Tomb of Abdul Karim; Photo Credit – www.indiatoday

King Edward VII ordered that Karim Lodge be searched for any correspondence between Karim and Queen Victoria or members of her household and that the letters be confiscated and sent to him. Due to a strong disapproval of the seizure of the letters by members of the colonial Indian government, some of the letters were returned to Karim’s heirs, his nephews and great-nephews. Karim’s family had possession of Karim’s diary and made the letters and the diary public in 2010.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  •  “Abdul Karim (The Munshi)”. En.Wikipedia.Org, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Karim_(the_Munshi). Accessed 7 June 2018.
  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012

Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet, Queen Victoria’s Resident Physician and Physician-in-Ordinary

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet; Credit – Wikipedia

Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet served Queen Victoria as Resident Physician 1881 – 1889 and Physician-in-Ordinary 1889 – 1901. He also served King Edward VII and King George V as Physician-in-Ordinary.

Born in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland on October 23, 1849, Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet was the son of James Reid, the local doctor in Ellon, and Beatrice Peter whose father was the steward of the Earl of Kintore. Born and bred at The Chestnuts, which was to be his home for his entire life (although he was rarely there while serving Queen Victoria), young James observed his father at work as a country doctor, going out at all hours to treat people and sometimes animals.

Reid had one younger brother:

  • John Peter Reid (1851 – 1916), married Mary Peter

Reid was first educated at the local school in Ellon and then at the Aberdeen Grammar School where he graduated in 1865 with the Gold Medal for being the best student. Reid wanted to be a doctor like his father but at sixteen he was too young to embark on that career so he enrolled in a liberal arts program at Aberdeen University. Three years later, he graduated, once again with the Gold Medal. Reid then enrolled in the medical school at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He was again at the top of his class and won first prize in Botany, Chemistry, Materia Medica (now termed pharmacology), Anatomy, Zoology, Physiology, Surgery, Midwifery, and Medical Jurisprudence.

After graduating from medical school in 1872, Reid went to London and joined the practice of Dr. William Vacy Lyle in Paddington. He gained much experience there but became restless with his prospects. In 1874, Reid left Dr. Vacy Lyle’s practice for travel and study in continental Europe. He settled in Vienna, Austria where he studied with prestigious professors at the Vienna General Hospital. In 1877, Reid returned to Scotland to work with his father in his practice. He spent four years working with his father before reaching a turning point in 1881.

Queen Victoria was looking for a Resident Medical Attendant for herself and the royal household. The Queen required that the doctor be a Scotsman, preferably from Aberdeenshire where her beloved Balmoral, the home she had built with her late husband Prince Albert, was located. She further required that the doctor be highly qualified and fluent in German. The hiring was to be done via The Queen’s Commissioner at Balmoral and Reid’s maternal uncle the Reverend George Peters was one of the people approached for recommendations. Reid met with The Queen’s Commissioner in Aberdeen and then received notice that he was to meet with Queen Victoria at Balmoral.

On June 8, 1881, Reid went to Balmoral and met with Queen Victoria. After she met with Reid, she wrote in her journal: “8 June: Saw Dr. Reid from Ellon, who has the very highest testimonials, having taken very high honors at Aberdeen and studied for two years at Vienna; he also practiced a short time in London and is now helping his father at Ellon, who has been a doctor there for many years. He is willing to come for a time or permanently in Dr. Marshall’s place.”

However, Reid could not be hired without the approval of Sir William Jenner, Queen Victoria’s Physician-in- Ordinary. Jenner interviewed Reid in London on June 11, 1881, and gave his approval. On July 8, 1881, 31-year-old Dr. James Reid arrived at Windsor Castle to start a career that would only end with his death in 1923.

Over the years, Reid became not only Queen Victoria’s doctor but her adviser and confidant. Except when he was on leave, he was always at court and he always traveled with her in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. On August 28, 1897, Reid was created 1st Baronet Reid of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, a Baronetcy that continues to this day.

As Reid was approaching the age of fifty, he still had not married. While serving Queen Victoria, he realized that if he were to serve The Queen successfully, there was no room for a wife. He had seen how the marriages of other male household staff had suffered. Reid always traveled with The Queen and only left the court to spend a few weeks with his mother in Ellon. After he received his Baronetcy, his social situation improved and his careful savings would enable him to furnish a country house for a wife.

Reid’s future wife is first mentioned in his diary on December 9, 1898: “…went to tea in Miss Bulteel’s rooms to meet Misses Baring, Ponsonby and Biddulph.” The Honorable Susan Baring, born in 1870, was the daughter of Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke, and had been appointed one of Queen Victoria’s Maids of Honor in 1898. At age 29, Susan’s marriage prospects were looking dim.

On July 24, 1899, during a bicycle ride at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, 50-year-old Reid proposed to Susan and she consented. Reid and Susan knew Queen Victoria’s reaction would be problematic, and it was. The Queen regarded Reid as essential to her health and well-being. She had had his attention for nearly twenty years and was outraged that he felt the need to marry.

Harriet Phipps, Maid of Honor from 1862 – 1889 and Woman of the Bedchamber from 1889 until The Queen died in 1901, was the go-between for Reid and The Queen. Queen Victoria knew she could not prevent Reid and Susan from marrying but intended to exert as much control of the situation as possible. She insisted that nothing be said about the engagement. Reid and Susan enlisted Princess Helena, Queen Victoria’s daughter to help. A month later, the engagement still had not been announced. Queen Victoria dictated to Harriet Phipps a paper outlining all the conditions to be observed after the marriage.

Queen Victoria demanded that Reid continue to live at court except when he was on leave. He was to come to see her after breakfast, before luncheon, and before he went out in the afternoon. If Reid wanted to dine out, he had to ask The Queen’s permission and needed to return to court by 11 PM. Susan was not allowed in his rooms at Balmoral or Osborne House but could visit him occasionally in his rooms at Windsor Castle. Finally, on August 24, 1899, Queen Victoria consented to the announcement of the engagement.

Sir James Reid and The Honorable Susan Baring were married by Randall Davidson, Bishop of Winchester (later Archbishop of Canterbury) at St Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge, London on November 28, 1899. Three of Queen Victoria’s daughters Helena, Louise, and Beatrice attended the wedding as did many of the household staff and servants. Queen Victoria stayed at Windsor Castle. Almost immediately after the honeymoon began, Reid received a letter from Queen Victoria saying she was suffering from flatulence and indigestion, her shoulder hurt, her appetite was poor and the Boer War was causing her anxiety.

Reid and Susan had a happy marriage and had four children. Their eldest child Edward was the godson of King Edward VII. Whenever possible, they spent time at Reid’s birthplace The Chestnuts. Reid arranged for his father’s old house The Chestnuts and the house next door, called Cosy Neuk, to be joined together to make a larger home. The home has since been converted into an apartment hotel.

  • Sir Edward James Reid, 2nd Baronet (1901 – 1972), married Tatiana Fenoult, had one son and one daughter
  • Admiral Sir John Peter Lorne Reid (1903 – 1973), married Jean Dundas, had one son and one daughter
  • Margaret Cecilia Reid (1904 – 1937), unmarried
  • Victoria Susan Beatrice Reid (1908 – 1997), married Leonard St. Clare Ingrams, had four sons

Queen Victoria on her deathbed possibly by Sir Hubert von Herkomer bromide print, 1901 6 5/8 in. x 9 1/8 in. (169 mm x 232 mm) Purchased, 1992 Photographs Collection NPG x38281

The last service Reid did for Queen Victoria was to carry out her written instructions in the event of her death. Victoria had finalized the instructions in December 1897, and sealed them in an envelope marked “For my Dressers to be opened directly after my death and to be always taken and kept by the one who may be traveling with me.” Victoria had chosen Reid to be responsible for her body until her coffin was sealed. He was determined to follow Queen Victoria’s wishes precisely.

Selina Tuck, known as Mrs. Tuck, was Queen Victoria’s head dresser and she privately read to Reid Victoria’s instructions and the list of items she wished to be placed in her coffin. Included in the instructions were the orders that some of the items were not to be seen by family members. With no family members present, Reid, Mrs. Tuck, and the junior dressers prepared the coffin and then arranged the items Queen Victoria wished to be placed in the coffin.

The items included favorite shawls and embroidered handkerchiefs, specified photos of family, friends, and servants, an alabaster cast of Prince Albert’s hand and his dressing gown, a robe that Princess Alice had embroidered, and other mementos, both priceless and mere baubles. A quilted cushion was laid over these items. The family then came into the room and Queen Victoria’s body was placed in the coffin.

Reid asked the family to leave the room and then with the assistance of Mrs. Tuck and the junior dressers, he performed the request that Queen Victoria wanted to keep secret from her family. First, Reid placed Victoria’s wedding veil over her face and upper torso. He then covered with tissue paper a photograph of John Brown, the Scots ghillie who had become her personal attendant, and a lock of Brown’s hair in a case, and then placed them into the Queen’s left hand. He covered the two items with the flowers Queen Alexandra had placed in the coffin. The family then came into the room again for one last look before the coffin was sealed.

Sir James Reid, May 6, 1901; Credit – http://lafayette.org.uk/rei2677.html

King Edward VII did not have a resident physician but he gave Reid an annual pension for life of £1,000 and a sum of £210 per year to remain as Physician-in-Ordinary in a consultative capacity. Reid attended King Edward VII during his final illness in May 1910. He had been appointed Physician-in-Ordinary to King George V when he was Prince of Wales and continued to hold that position when George became King when his father in 1910. As he aged, Reid continued to serve King George V and his family, but more and more infrequently.

The wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future King George VI) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in April 1923 was the last royal event Reid attended. In May 1923, he had an acute attack of phlebitis from which he never recovered. Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet died on June 29, 1923, in London at the age of 73. He had a simple funeral in his hometown of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and was buried in the Ellon Cemetery. One of the wreaths was inscribed, “For our dear old friend, Sir James Reid, from Alexandra” was from Queen Alexandra, King Edward VII’s widow. Reid’s wife Susan survived her husband by 38 years, dying in 1961 at the age of 90.

Tomb of Sir James Reid and his wife Susan; Credit – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157701736/james-reid

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book – Serving Queen Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard

Works Cited

  • Baird, Julia. Victoria The Queen. Random House, 2016.
  • Erickson, Carolly. Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria.Simon and Schuster, 1997.
  • Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life In The Royal Household. Harper Collins Publishers, 2012.
  • Packard, Jerrold M. Farewell In Splendor: The Passing Of Queen Victoria And Her Age. Dutton, 1995.
  • Reid, Michaela. Ask Sir James. Viking, 1987.
  • “Sir James Reid”. Thepeerage.Com, 2018, http://www.thepeerage.com/p5204.htm#i52035. Accessed 5 June 2018.