Prince Albert, The Prince Consort; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

December 14 was the worst day of the year for Queen Victoria. On that day in 1861, her beloved husband Prince Albert had died at the age of 42. Besides the death of Prince Albert, December 14 marked several other events in Queen Victoria’s family.

• Unofficial Royalty: December 14 – Queen Victoria’s Dire Day

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by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The second child of the four children and eldest daughter of Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, Lady Frances Brandon was born on July 16, 1517, at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, England. At the time of her birth, Hatfield House belonged to the Bishop of Ely. Her mother was making a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, England when she unexpectedly went into labor, so she stopped at Hatfield House to have her baby.

Frances had two brothers and one sister, but only her sister survived childhood:

• Henry Brandon (1516 – 1522)
• Lady Eleanor Brandon (1519 – 1547), married Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland, had issue
• Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln (c. 1523 – 1534)

Although Frances and her siblings were only the children of a duke, they had their mother’s royal blood. They were the grandchildren of King Henry VII of England and the nieces and nephews of King Henry VIII of England, and therefore had claims to the English throne.  Frances and her siblings along with their older half-sisters Anne and Mary Brandon, grew up under the supervision of their nurse Anne Kynge at Westhrope Hall in Suffolk, England.

Frances’ father tried to arrange a marriage for her with Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, eldest son of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. However, the marriage proposal was rejected because Frances’ dowry was not large enough. When Frances was 12-years-old, she was betrothed to Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset. In 1533, with the permission of her uncle King Henry VIII, Frances married Henry Grey at Suffolk Place, her father’s mansion in Southwark, London. Frances’ wedding was the last public appearance of her mother Mary Tudor. Immediately after the wedding, the already seriously ill Mary went back to Westhorpe Hall where she died on June 25, 1533.

Frances and Henry’s home was Bradgate House in Leicestershire, a seat of the Grey family. Their first two children, a son and a daughter, both died young. They then had three daughters.

• Lady Jane Grey (1537–1554), married Lord Guildford Dudley, no issue; Queen of England from July 10, 1553 – July 19, 1553, executed 1554
• Lady Catherine Grey (1540–1568), married (1) Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, marriage annulled, no issue; (2) Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, had issue
• Lady Mary Grey (1545–1578), married Thomas Keyes, no issue

Three months after his wife’s death, Frances’ father Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, married his ward, 14-year-old Catherine Willoughby, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby in her own right. She had been betrothed to his son Henry Brandon, Earl of Lincoln, but he was too young to marry. Suffolk did not wish to risk losing Catherine’s lands, so he married her himself. Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk died in 1545. He had two sons with Catherine Willoughby, Henry, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (1535–1551) and Charles, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (c. 1537–1551), who both died of the sweating sickness within an hour of each other.

As the niece of King Henry VIII, Frances was one of the highest-ranking women at court and often took on ceremonial duties. Together with her cousins who were almost the same age, Princess Mary (Henry VIII’s daughter, later Queen Mary I) and Lady Margaret Douglas (Margaret Tudor’s daughter), she led the funeral procession for her uncle’s third wife Jane Seymour and was also among the ladies that welcomed his fourth wife Anne of Cleves to England. Along with her younger sister Eleanor, her stepmother Catherine Willoughby, and her cousin Margaret Douglas, Frances served as a lady-in-waiting to her uncle’s sixth wife Catherine Parr. This was a great honor and it also gave the opportunity for Frances’ eldest daughter Jane to be introduced in the higher circles at court.

After the death of Frances’ half-brothers Henry and Charles in 1551, the title Duke of Suffolk reverted back to the crown. Since Frances was now the rightful heir to her father, her husband Henry Grey was granted the title Duke of Suffolk “jure uxoris” (by right of his wife). This was not only a social advancement but also improved the family’s financial situation.

Frances was well aware of the role her daughters, especially her eldest daughter Jane, could play in England. Jane was very well educated. She studied Greek and Hebrew with John Aylmer, later Bishop of England, and Italian and Latin with Michelangelo Florio, a former Franciscan friar who converted to Protestantism. In 1547, Jane was sent to live in the household of King Edward VI’s uncle, Thomas Seymour, who married King Henry VIII’s widow, Catherine Parr. Jane lived with the couple until the death of Catherine in childbirth in September 1548 and acted as chief mourner at Catherine’s funeral.

The powerful John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland thought marrying one of his sons to Lady Jane Grey would be a good idea. On May 25, 1553, three weddings were celebrated at Durham Place, the Duke of Northumberland’s London home. Lord Guildford Dudley, the fifth surviving son of the Duke of Northumberland 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.

As King Edward VI lay dying in the 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 (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 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 what happened. 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 half-sister for reasons of illegitimacy and belief in male succession. Both Mary and Elizabeth were still considered to be legally illegitimate.

King Edward composed a document “My devise for the succession” in which he passed over his half-sisters and Frances. Edward meant for the throne to go to Frances’ daughters and their male heirs.  Frances and her husband were outraged at her removal from the succession, but after a meeting with the ailing king, Frances renounced her rights in favor of her daughter Jane.  Apparently, Jane did not have any idea of what was occurring.

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. Frances 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 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 into London on August 3, 1553, accompanied by her half-sister Elizabeth and a procession of over 800 nobles and gentlemen.

The Duke of Northumberland was executed on August 22, 1553. Lady Jane Grey and Lord Guildford Dudley were both charged with high treason as was Jane’s father Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk. They were all found guilty. Queen Mary appeared as if she was going to be lenient, but the Protestant rebellion of Thomas Wyatt the Younger in January of 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. The Duke of Suffolk was executed on February 23, 1554.

Frances’ life was now in ruins. Because her husband was a traitor, all his possessions reverted to the Crown. Frances managed to plead with her cousin Queen Mary I to show mercy. Mary agreed that some of the Duke of Suffolk’s property could remain with the family. Frances married her Master of the Horse Adrian Stokes in March of 1555. They had two stillborn children and a daughter who died in infancy. Frances, aged 42, died on November 20, 1559, at her residence Charterhouse in London with her daughters Catherine and Mary at her side. The cost of her funeral was paid by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. With her daughter Catherine acting as chief mourner, Frances was buried at Westminster Abbey. Four years later, her widower Adrian Stokes had a beautiful tomb and effigy placed over her grave with this epitaph in Latin:

Nor grace, nor splendor, nor a royal name,
Nor widespread fame can aught avail;
All, all have vanished here.
True worth alone survives the funeral pyre and silent tomb.

Tomb of Frances Brandon in Westminster Abbey; 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.

Works Cited
Abrufstatistik. “Frances Brandon.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, Jan. 2008. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
“Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
Susan. “Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 10 July 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2021

by Isaac Oliver, circa December 1610; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales was the eldest of the seven children of King James I of England/VI of Scotland and his wife Anne of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark and Norway. He was born at Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland on February 19, 1594, and was named after his grandfathers, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and King Frederik II of Denmark. At the time of his birth, his father was only King James VI of Scotland, having succeeded to the throne as an infant when his mother Mary, Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate. From birth, Henry was styled Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles, the traditional titles for the heir apparent to the Scots throne. Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England on March 24, 1603, Henry’s father became King James I of England and Henry automatically became Duke of Cornwall, traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning English (now British) monarch. On June 10, 1610, Henry was created Prince of Wales.

Henry Frederick by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, circa 1603; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry had six siblings, but only two survived childhood:

• Elizabeth (1596 – 1662), married Friedrich V, Elector Palatine, had issue including Sophia of Hanover who became heiress presumptive to the British throne under the Act of Settlement 1701; Sophia’s son was King George I
• Margaret (1598 – 1600), died aged fifteen months
• King Charles I of England (1600 – 1649), married Henrietta Maria of France, had issue including King Charles II and King James II, executed
• Robert, Duke of Kintyre (born and died 1602), died aged four months
• Mary (1605 – 1607), died aged two.
• Sophia (born and died 1606), lived only one day

‘James I and his royal progeny’ by Charles Turner, published by Samuel Woodburn, after Willem de Passe mezzotint, published 1814 NPG D9808 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Henry’s parents had a major argument over the transfer of his custody to John Erskine, Earl of Mar at Stirling Castle, in keeping with Scottish royal tradition. This led to estrangement and a competition for the custody of Henry. Henry remained in the Earl of Mar’s custody until 1603 when his father became King of England. Later that year, Henry accompanied his mother to England. Henry had an aptitude for learning and excelled at sports. He was so unlike his younger brother Charles (the future King Charles I) who was frail and late in development, possibly from rickets, At the age of three, Charles could not yet walk or talk, so he was left behind in Scotland when the rest of his family left for England in 1603.  Charles overcame his early physical problems, although he grew no taller than five feet four inches, and learned to ride, shoot, and fence. However, he was no physical match for his stronger and taller elder brother Henry, Prince of Wales, whom he adored.

Henry, Prince of Wales with Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex in the Hunting Field by Robert Peake the Elder, circa 1605; Credit – Wikipedia

Once in England, Henry and his sister Elizabeth were granted their own separate residence complete with servants and retainers. From an early age, they were treated with significant respect. In June 1603, Henry was invested with the Order of the Garter which found favor with his family’s new English subjects. In 1605, Henry began attending Magdalen College, Oxford where he proved capable in debates and arguments. Negotiations began for a bride for Henry and princesses from Spain, France, and Savoy were in the running. By the time Henry was 18 years old, he was physically mature, well-educated, an independent thinker, and ready to assume some government responsibility. He was on his way to making an excellent and popular king.

Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales by Robert Peake the Elder, circa 1610-1612; Credit – Wikipedia

Except for frequent nosebleeds when he was young, Henry’s health was excellent. However, on October 12, 1612, Henry began to have fevers but continued his physical activities. Over the next two weeks, Henry did not sleep well and continued to have fevers and developed gastrointestinal symptoms. On October 25, 1612, he played tennis and then felt much worse. He dined with his father that night, but his physicians noted that he had a fast pulse, a fever, a red face, a swollen stomach, gastrointestinal symptoms, and was very thirsty. By October 29, 1612, Henry had a continuous fever, and two days later he was delirious. On November 2, 1612, he alternated between sleeping and being confused and shouting. His servants had difficulty keeping him in bed. His condition worsened on November 4. He sang in his sleep and had violent convulsive movements. On November 6, 1612, the last day of his life, Henry was delirious, clammy, cold, and sweaty. His pulse weakened and he died. It was suspected that Henry had been poisoned, but a post-mortem found no evidence of poisoning. The cause of his death was said to be “a fever.” With modern medical knowledge, it is now suspected that Henry died from typhoid fever.

Henry’s death caused immense grief across England and Scotland and in his family. King James was too distraught to attend the funeral. Months later, in the middle of a meeting, he broke down, crying, “Henry is dead, Henry is dead.”  His mother Queen Anne could not bear to have Henry’s death mentioned and people were advised not to give her condolences.  After her son’s death, Anne’s health began to deteriorate and she withdrew from social activities. Charles, who was now the heir to the throne, felt the loss deeply and insisted until the end of his life that Henry had been poisoned. We can only wonder how different English history might have been if Henry Frederick had been King instead of his brother King Charles I.

Henry’s body lay in state at St. James’s Palace for four weeks. On December 7, 1612, two thousand people followed Henry’s funeral cortege to Westminster Abbey to hear a two-hour sermon delivered by George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury. A magnificent hearse had been built upon which was placed his richly dressed effigy. Henry was buried in the vault of his grandmother Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel. He has no monument.

Effigy of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales; Credit – http://www.westminster-abbey.org/__data/assets/thumbnail/0005/57524/Henry-Fred-fun-hearse-72.jpg

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
“Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Oct. 2016. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.
Holmes, Frederick. The Sickly Stuarts. Thrupp: Sutton Publishing, 2003. Print.
Levy, Imogen, and Duck Soup. Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. 2016. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.
Susan. “Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scots, Queen of England.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

by Anton Raphael Mengs, circa 1750

Henry Benedict Stuart was born at the Palazzo Muti in Rome, Italy on March 6, 1725. He was baptized on the day of his birth by his godfather Pope Benedict XIII and given a long string of names: Henry Benedict Thomas Edward Maria Clement Francis Xavier. Henry was the younger of the two sons of James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender, who was the son of the exiled King James II of England/VII of Scotland. Charles’ mother was Maria Clementina Sobieska, the granddaughter of King Jan III Sobieski of Poland. After his grandfather James II lost his throne, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. Henry was styled Duke of York, the traditional title of the British sovereign’s second son, from birth.

After the failure of the 1715 Jacobite Rising, Henry’s father, James Francis Edward, (henceforth called James) lived in Avignon, then a Papal territory, now in France. In 1717, Pope Clement XI offered James the Palazzo Muti in Rome as his residence. James then organized a Jacobite court in Rome. Further efforts to restore the Stuarts to the British throne in 1719 and 1722 were unsuccessful. On September 3, 1719, James Francis Edward Stuart married Maria Clementina Sobieska. Their two sons grew up in Italy where they were educated by Scottish tutors.

Henry had one elder brother:

• Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie, The Young Pretender) (1720 – 1788), married Louise of Stolberg-Gedern, no issue

Henry Benedict Stuart by Antonio David, circa 1729-1732; Credit – Wikipedia

Five years younger than his brother, Henry was more affected by his parents’ turbulent marriage. When he was eight months old, his mother Maria Clementina Sobieska retired to the convent of Santa Cecilia in Rome because she disagreed with her husband about their sons’ upbringing and was convinced that her husband had an affair. Maria returned two years later and put Henry in the care of a governess, Winifred Maxwell, Countess of Nithsdale. Thereafter, Maria lived separately from her husband, devoted herself to a life of piety and good deeds, and spent much of her time praying, fasting, and participating in Catholic ascetic rituals. In 1735, she died at the age of 32 when Henry was ten years old.

His mother’s piety and religious fervor affected Henry. In 1742, his tutor James Murray, Earl of Dunbar noted that Henry spent much of his time in prayer and sometimes attended up to four masses a day. He further noted that Henry was in a constant state of agitation, watching the clock so he would not miss any religious rituals. After the final, disastrous Jacobite Rising of 1745, Henry felt free from any military and political obligations and decided he wanted to pursue a religious life. His father, who always tried to downplay the Roman Catholicism of his family, was much displeased and said his son’s decision was “like a dagger in my heart.” Many Jacobites bitterly criticized Henry for having chosen a church career instead of marrying and begetting Stuart heirs.

On June 30, 1747, Henry received the tonsure, the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp, as a sign of religious devotion, from his godfather Pope Benedict XIII. He was then created Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Portico in a special consistory held on July 3, 1747. Henry was a Cardinal for fifty-six years and is the longest-serving Cardinal in Roman Catholic Church history.  However, in modern times it is virtually impossible to become a Cardinal at the age of 22 as Henry did. He was addressed as “Your Royal Highness and Eminence” and was known as Cardinal Duke of York.

On September 1, 1748, Henry was ordained a priest and then made a Cardinal-Priest.  He was created Cardinal-Bishop of the Diocese of Frascati near Rome on July 13, 1761. Henry became Dean of the College of Cardinals, who is often, but not necessarily, the longest-serving member of the whole College of Cardinals on September 26, 1803.

Henry Benedict Maria Clement Stuart, Cardinal York by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, pastel, circa 1786 NPG 378 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Upon the death of his elder brother Charles Edward Stuart in 1788, Henry assumed the style “King Henry IX”, but no government considered him the legal King. After the French Revolution, Henry lost the funds that the French Royal Family had been paying his exiled family and any French property he owned, causing him financial problems. In 1800, King George III granted Henry a pension of £4,000 per year. For many years the British government had promised to return the dowry of his grandmother, Maria Beatrice of Modena, but never did so. Henry considered the £4,000 per year an installment on money legally owed to him.

Henry Benedict Stuart died at the Episcopal Palace at Frascati on July 13, 1807, at the age of 82. With Henry’s death, the male line of the Royal House of Stuart was extinct. The Jacobite line of succession passed to King Carlo Emanuele IV of Sardinia through the line of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, the youngest child of King Charles I of England. The Jacobite line of succession has proceeded over the years to the House of Savoy, the House of Austria-Este, and the House of Wittelsbach. It appears in the future, that it will proceed to the House of Liechtenstein.

• Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

Henry was buried in the crypt at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican where his father had been buried and where his brother Charles Edward was also buried.  Besides the tombs in the crypt, in the left aisle of St. Peter’s Basilica is a monument to the Royal Stuarts, commemorating the last three members of the Royal House of Stuart: James Francis Edward Stuart, his elder son Charles Edward Stuart, and his younger son, Henry Benedict Stuart.

Tomb of James Francis Stuart and his two sons Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart; Credit – Wikipedia

Monument to the Royal Stuarts in St. Peter’s Basilica; 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.

Works Cited
Abrufstatistik. “Henry Benedict Stuart.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
Stuart, Henry Benedict, and Catholic-H. “Henry Benedict Stuart.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Sept. 2016. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
Susan. “Charles Edward Stuart.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 18 Nov. 2016. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
Susan. “James Francis Edward Stuart.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 13 Nov. 2016. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty

Charles Edward Stuart; Credit – Wikipedia

Fans of Diana Gabaldon‘s novels of The Outlander series and the television series of the same name know that the Battle of Culloden in 1746 resulted in a decisive defeat of the Jacobite forces that wanted to restore the heirs of Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/ VII of Scotland to the throne. Charles Edward Stuart was the instigator of the Jacobite rising of 1745 which culminated in the Battle of Culloden.

Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie, The Young Pretender) was born at the Palazzo Muti in Rome, Italy on December 31, 1720. He was baptized on the day of his birth and given a long string of names: Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria. Charles was the elder of the two sons of James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender, who was the son of the exiled King James II of England/VII of Scotland. Charles’ mother was Maria Clementina Sobieska, the granddaughter of King Jan III Sobieski of Poland. After his grandfather James II lost his throne, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. As the first-born son of the titular King James III of England/VIII of Scotland, Charles was styled as Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall from birth.

Charles had one younger brother:

• Henry Benedict Stuart (1725 – 1807), a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church

After the failure of the 1715 Jacobite Rising, Charles’ father, James Francis Edward, (henceforth called James) lived in Avignon, then a Papal territory, now in France. In 1717, Pope Clement XI offered James the Palazzo Muti in Rome as his residence. James then organized a Jacobite court in Rome. Further efforts to restore the Stuarts to the British throne in 1719 and 1722 were unsuccessful. On September 3, 1719, James Francis Edward Stuart married Maria Clementina Sobieska. Their two sons grew up in Italy where they were educated by Scottish tutors. When Charles was just 14, he took part in the War of the Polish Succession.  He was an observer at the 1734 Siege of Gaeta during the war which was his first exposure to war. In the following years, he spent much time in France trying to gain support for the Jacobite cause.

Charles Edward Stuart as a teenager; Credit – Wikipedia

In December of 1743, Charles’ father appointed him Prince Regent that gave Charles the authority to act on his father’s behalf. Eighteen months later, Charles began an uprising in an attempt to gain the English and Scottish thrones for his father. Charles Edward led the Jacobite forces in the Jacobite Rising of 1745-1746 against the British forces which were led by the second son of King George II of Great Britain, Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who is known by the nicknames “The Butcher of Culloden” and “Butcher Cumberland.”

On July 23, 1745, Charles landed at Eriskay, an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland with seven companions hoping for the support of a French fleet. However, the French fleet, damaged in a storm, was blocked by the British Royal Navy and was forced to turn back to France. Charles was then forced to raise an army in Scotland. Many of the Highland clans, both Catholic and Protestant, supported Charles and the Jacobite cause. He was able to raise sufficient troops to march on Edinburgh, which surrendered quickly. Next, Charles defeated the British Army at the Battle of Prestonpans on September 21, 1745.

Then Charles decided to march on London, and on December 4, 1745, reached Derby, 130 miles/200 kilometers from London, which he took without a shot being fired. When the news about Derby reached London, there was much panic and King George II had the royal yacht prepared to take the royal family to France just in case. Only 300 English Jacobites had joined Charles’ army and his generals considered it dangerous to proceed any further from the Scottish border. After much discussion, Charles gave in to his generals and began his retreat to Scotland with the army of Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland in pursuit.

On January 8, 1746, the Jacobite army seized control of Stirling, Scotland, but failed to take Stirling Castle. The Jacobites had their last victory on January 17, 1746, at the Battle of Falkirk Muir. Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and his army arrived in Edinburgh on January 30, 1746, and then proceeded to Inverness, where they made their headquarters. The Jacobite army marched to Nairn, 16 miles from Inverness, in a snowstorm. By the time the Jacobite army reached Nairn, it was an ill-fed, sorry sight due to Charles’ indecisive leadership and his failure to delegate authority to Lord George Murray, the second-in-command.

Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Culloden Moor, the site of the Battle of Culloden; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The two armies met at Culloden Moor (which this writer has visited) near Inverness, Scotland at dawn on April 16, 1746. The exhausted Jacobite forces consisted of about 5,000 men while the British forces numbered 9,000 well-trained troops. The superior British forces needed just 25 minutes to defeat the Jacobite forces in the Battle of Culloden. Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded while the British losses were much lighter, with 50 dead and 259 wounded. William Augustus’ severity and brutality in pursuing the Jacobites after the battle earned him the nicknames “The Butcher of Culloden” and “Butcher Cumberland.” He ordered his troops to go through the battlefield and stab to death any wounded Jacobite troops and non-combatants. Towns suspected to be rebellious were burned and the livestock was confiscated. The captured Jacobites were hanged. Men and women suspected of being Jacobite sympathizers were arrested and shipped to London for trial. The conditions on the ships were horrible and many died en route. In Scotland, his name is still infamous. After the Battle of Culloden, there were no further Jacobite uprisings.

The Battle of Culloden by David Morier, 1746; Credit – Wikipedia

After the Battle of Culloden, there was a £30,000 price (about £4,210,000 today) on Charles’ head and he was forced into hiding. Disguised as a woman, Charles wandered for five months in the West Highlands and the Outer Hebrides, escorted by two or three companions. Charles eventually escaped with the help of Jacobite heroine Flora MacDonald, who took him to the Isle of Skye in a small boat disguised as her Irish maid Betty Burke. The escape is commemorated in the song “The Skye Boat Song.”  Flora MacDonald was imprisoned in the Tower of London for her part in helping Charles escape, but she was eventually released under the Act of Indemnity of 1747.

Flora MacDonald by Allan Ramsay; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles Edward Stuart circa 1747; Credit – Wikipedia

With the Jacobite cause lost, Charles took refuge first in France, where he had many affairs. His most prominent mistresses were:

• Marie Louise de La Tour d’Auvergne, Charles’ maternal first cousin, had one son Charles Godefroi Sophie Jules Marie de Rohan who died at five months of age in December 1748
• Clementina Walkinshaw, had one daughter Charlotte Stuart (1753 – 1789), was legitimized in 1784 and was created Duchess of Albany in the Jacobite Peerage

Charlotte Stuart circa 1785-1786; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1766, Charles’s father James Francis Edward died. Pope Clement XIII had recognized James as King of England and Scotland as “James III and VIII”, but did not give Charles the same recognition. Charles was still unmarried and his only sibling was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, so Charles decided to find himself a bride so the Stuart line could be continued. On March 28, 1772, 52-year-old Charles married 20-year-old Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern by proxy in Paris. The couple met for the first time on April 14, 1772, when they married in person in Macerata, Italy. Charles and Louise settled in Florence, Italy, but there was no child and in 1780, Louise left Charles due to his drinking and physical abuse. The couple separated but did not divorce since no such legal procedure existed in the Papal States. Louise was given permission to live separately from her husband.

Louise of Stolberg-Gedern 1793; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1784, Charles’ daughter Charlotte Stuart went to her father’s home in Florence where she found her alcoholic father living in a disgusting state. Charlotte enlisted the help of her uncle Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart to get Charles back to his birthplace and boyhood home, the Palazzo Muti in Rome. Thereafter, Charlotte remained her father’s caretaker and companion and did her best to make his life bearable.

Charles Edward Stuart circa 1785; Credit – Wikipedia

67-year-old Charles Edward Stuart died of a stroke on January 31, 1788, at the Palazzo Muti in Rome. He was initially buried in the Cathedral of San Pietro in Frascati, Italy where his brother Henry Benedict Stuart was Cardinal Bishop. Upon Henry’s death in 1807, Charles’ remains were transferred to the crypt in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican where his father had been buried and where Henry was also buried.  Besides the tombs in the crypt, in the left aisle of St. Peter’s Basilica is a monument to the Royal Stuarts, commemorating the last three members of the Royal House of Stuart: James Francis Edward Stuart, his elder son Charles Edward Stuart, and his younger son, Henry Benedict Stuart. With their deaths, the male line of the British Royal House of Stuart became extinct.

The Jacobite line of succession to the British throne passed to King Carlo Emanuele IV of Sardinia through the line of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, the youngest child of King Charles I of England. The Jacobite line of succession has proceeded over the years to the House of Savoy, House of Austria-Este, and to the House of Wittelsbach. It appears in the future, that it will proceed to the House of Liechtenstein.

• Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

Tomb of James Francis Stuart and his two sons Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart; Credit – Wikipedia

Monument to the Royal Stuarts in St. Peter’s Basilica; Credit – Wikipedia

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• Abrufstatistik. “Charles Edward Stuart.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
• “Charles Édouard Stuart.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
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• Fraser, Flora. (2023). Flora Macdonald: Pretty Young Rebel: Her Life and Story. Alfred A. Knopf.
• “Flora MacDonald.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
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• Riding, Jacqueline. (2017). Jacobites: A New History of the ’45 Rebellion. Bloomsbury.
• Williamson, David. (1996). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell