Sybilla of Normandy, Queen of Scots, Illegitimate Daughter of King Henry I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King Henry I of England, father of Sybilla of Normandy; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Alexander I, King of Scots, Sybilla of Normandy, Queen of Scots, one of the many illegitimate children of King Henry I of England, was born circa 1092 in Domfront, Duchy of Normandy, then a possession of the King of England, now in France. She was the daughter of King Henry I of England and his mistress Lady Sybilla Corbet of Alcester (1077 – circa 1157), the daughter of Robert Corbet of Alcester, Constable of Warwick, and Adèle d’Alcester, Sybilla’s maternal grandparents. Sybilla’s paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Sybilla’s half-siblings.

Sybilla had four full siblings, the children of King Henry I and Lady Sybilla Corbet of Alcester:

  • William Constable (circa 1105 – circa 1187), married Alice Constable
  • Reginald de Dunstanville, Earl of Cornwall (circa 1110 – 1175), married Mabel FitzRichard, had six children
  • Gundred FitzRoy (1114 – 1130)
  • Rohese FitzRoy (circa 1114 – 1176, married Henry de la Pomerai, had two children

Sybilla had two royal half-siblings from her father’s marriage to Matilda of Scotland:

Sybilla’s mother married Herbert FitzHerbert, Lord of Blaen Llyfni. Sybilla had four half-brothers from her mother’s marriage:

  • Robert FitzHerbert (circa 1106 – 1147), unmarried
  • Henry FitzHerbert (circa 1110 – ?)
  • William FitzHerbert (1118 – 1132)
  • Herbert FitzHerbert, Lord of Blaen Llyfni, Lord Chamberlain of King Henry II of England (1125 – 1204), married Lucy FitzMiles de Gloucester and Hereford, had five children

The reverse of Alexander I’s seal; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1107, upon his accession to the Scots throne, Alexander I, King of Scots married the fifteen-year-old Sybilla. Alexander I and Sybilla’s father King Henry I were brothers-in-law as Henry I had married Alexander I’s sister Matilda (also known as Edith) of Scotland. Alexander I and Matilda were the children of Malcolm III, King of Scots and Margaret of Wessex, better known as Saint Margaret of Scotland. Margaret was born an Anglo-Saxon princess. Her father was Edward the Exile (also called Edward Ætheling), the son Edmund Ironside II, King of the English, and the last descendant of the House of Wessex and pretender to the crown of England.

The chronicler William of Malmesbury wrote an unflattering account of Sibylla. However, there is evidence that Alexander I and Sibylla were a loving but childless couple and that both were very pious. Alexander I and Sibylla founded Scone Abbey, circa 1114 – 1122.

Engraving of the ruins of the priory where Sybilla died and was buried from Adam de Cardonnell Picturesque Antiquities of Scotland, 1788; Credit: Canmore – National Record of the Historical Environment

On July 12, 1122, Sybilla of Normandy, Queen of Scots, aged around thirty, died on the Isle of Loch Tay (in Gaelic Eilean nam Bannaomh, Isle of Holy Women), north of Kenmore, a small village in Perthshire in the Highlands of Scotland. Alexander had erected a priory on the Isle of Loch Tay and granted it to Scone Abbey, which he and Sybilla had founded. It was at the priory on the Isle of Loch Tay that Sybilla died and was buried. Some sources say Sybilla was buried at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland where her husband was buried. Alexander I is listed as being buried “within the church” at Dunfermline Abbey in the source Dunfermline Abbey Burial Grounds Desk-top Survey, however, Sibylla is not listed at all in the source.

Alexander I, King of Scots did not remarry. He survived Sibylla by only two years, dying on April 23, 1124, aged 45, at Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland. Because his marriage had been childless, Alexander I, King of Scots was succeeded by his brother David I, King of Scots.

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

  • Ashley, Mike. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens. Carroll & Graf Publishers.
  • Family Tree of Lady Sybilla Corbet of Alcester. Geneanet. https://gw.geneanet.org/comrade28?lang=en&n=alcester&oc=0&p=lady%2Bsybilla%2Bcorbet%2Bof
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King Henry I of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-i-of-england/
  • Sybil Corbet, Lady of Alcester, Concubine #5 of Henry I of England. geni_family_tree. (2022). https://www.geni.com/people/Sybil-Corbet-Lady-of-Alcester-Concubine-5-Of-Henry-I-Of-England/6000000000440064763
  • Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Alexander I of Scotland. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_I_of_Scotland
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2021). Sibilla di Normandia. Wikipedia (Italian). https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibilla_di_Normandia

Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The Hawaiian Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, were originally divided into several independent chiefdoms. The Kingdom of Hawaii was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great of the independent island of Hawaii, conquered the independent islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, and unified them under one government and ruled as Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when Kauai and Niihau voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Hawaii. Two major dynastic families ruled the kingdom: the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalākaua.

In 1778, British explorer James Cook visited the islands. This led to increased trade and the introduction of new technologies and ideas. In the mid-19th century, American influence in Hawaii dramatically increased when American merchants, missionaries, and settlers arrived on the islands. Protestant missionaries converted most of the native people to Christianity. Merchants set up sugar plantations and the United States Navy established a base at Pearl Harbor. The newcomers brought diseases that were new to the indigenous people including influenza, measles, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, and whooping cough. At the time of James Cook’s arrival in 1778, the indigenous Hawaiian population is estimated to have been between 250,000 and 800,000. By 1890, the indigenous Hawaiian population declined had to less than 40,000.

In 1893, a group of local businessmen and politicians composed of six non-native Hawaiian Kingdom subjects, five American nationals, one British national, and one German national overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani, her cabinet, and her marshal, and took over the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This led to the 1898 annexation of Hawaii as a United States territory. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.

In 1993, one hundred years after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, the United States Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Apology Resolution which “acknowledges that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum”. As a result, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, a grassroots political and cultural campaign to reestablish an autonomous or independent nation or kingdom in Hawaii, was established along with ongoing efforts to redress the indigenous Hawaiian population.

********************

Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands; Credit – Wikipedia

Born Prince Liholiho in November 1797, in Hilo, Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands was the eldest of the three children and the elder of the two sons of Kamehameha I the Great, King of the Hawaiian Islands and his chief wife Keōpūolani. King Kamehameha I had many wives and many children. The exact number is debated because documents that recorded the names of his wives were destroyed. While he had many wives and children, only his children from his highest-ranking wife Keōpūolani succeeded him to the throne.

Kamehameha II had two full siblings:

Queen Kaʻahumanu, Kamehameha II’s official guardian and later his co-regent; Credit – Wikipedia

Kamehameha II’s care was entrusted to his father’s trusted servant Hanapi. However, after several months, he was taken back by his maternal grandmother Queen Kekuʻiapoiwa Liliha because she felt he was not getting the proper care. Kamehameha I then put his son in the care of Queen Kaʻahumanu, his favorite wife, who was appointed as Kamehameha II’s official guardian.

Jean Baptiste Rives, a Frenchman who arrived in the Kingdom of Hawaii in the early 19th century, taught the royal princes some English and French and became a close friend of Kamehameha II. He also had three other close companions. Charles Kanaʻina was an aliʻi (hereditary noble) of the Kingdom of Hawaii who served on both the Privy Counsel and in the House of Nobles. Mataio Kekūanaōʻa was governor of the island of Oʻahu, held the office of Kuhina Nui  (equivalent of the 19th-century European office of Prime Minister), and was the father of two kings, Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V. Gideon Peleioholani Laanu was a Hawaiian chief and the great nephew of Kamehameha I.

Kamāmalu, Kamehameha II’s favorite wife, his half-sister; Credit – Wikipedia

Kamehameha II continued the practice of polygamy and had five wives but none of the marriages produced children:

  • Kamāmalu (circa 1802 – 1824), Kamehameha II’s favorite wife, his half-sister
  • Kīnaʻu (circa 1805 – 1839), Kamehameha II’s half-sister
  • Kekāuluohi (1794 – 1845), Kamehameha II’s cousin
  • Pauahi (circa 1804–1826), often referred to as often referred to as Kalanipauahi, Kamehameha II’s niece
  • Kekauʻōnohi (circa 1805 – 1851), Kamehameha II’s niece

On May 14, 1819, Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands died and 22-year-old Kamehameha II became King of the Hawaiian Islands. However, Queen Kaʻahumanu, who had been Kamehameha II’s official guardian, had no intention of giving up her power. When she first saw Kamehameha II after his father’s death, she was wearing Kamehameha I’s royal red cape and announced to the surprised young king, “We two shall rule the land.” The council of advisors agreed and created her Kuhina Nui. Her role was similar to a co-regent or modern-day prime minister. Queen Kaʻahumanu held the administrative power while Kamehameha II was forced to take on just a ceremonial role. Kaʻahumanu ruled as co-regent during the reigns of both Kamehameha II and his brother and successor Kamehameha III, until she died in 1832.

Kamehameha II’s reign is best known for the ‘Ai Noa, the elimination of the Hawaiian kapu system in October 1819. Kapu was the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct of laws and regulations governing lifestyle, gender roles, politics, and religion. After the elimination of the kapu system, women were allowed to eat formerly forbidden food and to eat with men, the priests no longer offered human sacrifices, and the many prohibitions surrounding the high chiefs were relaxed. Kamehameha II’s mother Keōpūolani played an important role in the elimination of the Hawaiian kapu system, and the move from the ancient religion and traditions. In 1820, when Christian missionaries came to the Hawaiian Islands, Keōpūolani and her second husband Hoapili were among the first of the Hawaiian nobles to convert to Christianity. Keōpūolani then wore Western clothing and learned to read and write. She made a public declaration that the custom of taking multiple spouses by royalty would end and the Christian practice of monogamy would be followed. Kamehameha II never officially converted to Christianity because he refused to give up four of his five wives and his love of alcohol. He was the last Hawaiian king to practice polygamy.

On April 16, 1822, English missionary William Ellis arrived in the Hawaiian Islands with a gift from King George IV of Great Britain, the Prince Regent, a schooner with six guns, to add to the Kingdom of Hawaiian Island’s fleet of ships. Kamehameha II wanted to travel to Great Britain to thank King George IV and to encourage closer diplomatic ties between their two kingdoms. All Kamehameha II’s advisors, including his mother Keōpūolani and his co-regent Kaʻahumanu, were opposed to the trip. After the death of his mother on September 16, 1823, Kamehameha II was determined to travel to Great Britain.

King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu in the Royal Box at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane; Credit – Wikipedia

King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu arrived in Great Britain on May 17, 1824. They were an unusual sight to the British people who had seen few Native Hawaiians or a person as tall as Kamāmalu who was over six feet tall. They toured London, visiting Westminster Abbey but Kamehameha II refused to enter because he did not want to desecrate the British royal burial place “with his presence or his feet stepping in that area.” The royal couple attended the opera and ballet at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, and a play at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London.

King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu were scheduled to meet King George IV on June 21, 1824, but the meeting had to be canceled because Queen Kamāmalu became ill. Members of the Hawaiian entourage had caught measles and they had no natural immunity because the people of the Hawaiian Islands had lived in isolation until their contact with Europeans. The Hawaiian entourage was likely exposed to measles on their June 5 visit to the Royal Military Asylum, an orphanage for the children of military parents that was known for its epidemics of childhood diseases. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, epidemics of measles, smallpox, and other diseases threatened to wipe out the entire Native Hawaiian population and disrupted the culture and lives of the islands’ residents.

Twenty-one-year-old Queen Kamāmalu died on July 8, 1824. Her grief-stricken husband King Kamehameha II died six days later on July 14, 1824, at the age of twenty-six.  King Kamehameha II lay in state at the Caledonian Hotel in London on July 17, 1824, and large crowds paid their respects. On the following day, the coffins of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu were placed in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London, awaiting the voyage back to the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands.

HMS Blonde, the British ship that transported the coffins of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu back to Hawaii; Credit – Wikipedia

In August 1824, the coffins of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu left Great Britain on the Royal Navy frigate HMS Blonde under the command of Captain George Anson Byron, 7th Baron Byron. The HMS Blonde arrived in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands on May 6, 1825.

King Kamehameha II’s brother-in-law William Pitt Kalanimoku, a High Chief who functioned similarly to a prime minister, had been notified of the deaths, and so Hawaiian royalty and nobility gathered at his house where the bodies were moved for the funeral. On May 11, 1825, a state funeral was held for the late King and Queen, the first Christian memorial service for a ruler of Hawaii. The crew from the HMS Blonde participated in the formal procession from the ship to the funeral site, the chaplain of the HMS Blonde said an Anglican prayer, and an American missionary said a prayer in the Hawaiian language.

In the background, the Royal Mausoleum, Mauna ʻAla, now a chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

A Western-style mausoleum was constructed for King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu near the ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu. The mausoleum was a small house made of coral blocks with a thatched roof. King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu were interred there on August 23, 1825. Over time, as more coffins were added, the small vault became crowded. In 1863, construction began on Mauna ʻAla (Fragrant Hills), the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii in Honolulu. On October 30, 1865, the remains of past deceased royals, including King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu, were transferred in a torchlit ceremony at night to the new mausoleum. On November 9, 1887, after the Royal Mausoleum became too crowded, the caskets of the members of the House of Kamehameha were moved to the newly built Kamehameha Tomb, an underground vault, under the Kamehameha Dynasty Tomb. Two additional underground vaults were built over the years. In 1922, the Royal Mausoleum, Mauna ʻAla was converted to a chapel after the last royal remains were moved to tombs constructed on the grounds.

Kamehameha Dynasty Tomb – Royal Mausoleum, Honolulu, Hawai; Credit – By Daderot. – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1101293

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

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2024). Kamehameha I The Great, King of the Hawaiian Islands. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/kamehameha-i-the-great-king-of-the-hawaiian-islands/
  • U.S. Department of the Interior. Liholiho (Kamehameha II). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/puhe/learn/historyculture/kamehameha2.htm
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2024). Kamehameha II. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_II
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Royal Mausoleum (Mauna ʻAla). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mausoleum_(Mauna_%CA%BBAla)
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Hawaiian Kingdom. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Kingdom

A thank you message from His Majesty The King

“I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks for the many messages of support and good wishes I have received in recent days.

As all those who have been affected by cancer will know, such kind thoughts are the greatest comfort and encouragement.

It is equally heartening to hear how sharing my own diagnosis has helped promote public understanding and shine a light on the work of all those organisations which support cancer patients and their families across the UK and wider world. My lifelong admiration for their tireless care and dedication is all the greater as a result of my own personal experience.”

Charles R

Royal News Recap for Friday, February 9, 2024

Please join us on our Facebook group at Facebook: Unofficial Royalty

* * * * * * * * * *

Royal News Recaps are published Mondays-Fridays and on Sundays, except for Thanksgiving in the United States, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The Royal News Recap for Sundays will be a weekend recap. If there is any breaking or major news, we will add an update as necessary.

* * * * * * * * * *

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.

* * * * * * * * * *

Denmark

Italy

Jordan

Monaco

United Kingdom

* * * * * * * * * *

Disclaimer: Please be advised that any media article titles or content that appear in the Royal News that identify members of royal families with their maiden names, nicknames, incorrect style or title, etc., come directly from the media source and not from Unofficial Royalty. We encourage you to contact the media sources to express your concern about their use of the incorrect name, style, title, etc. Contact information can usually be found at the bottom of each media source’s main page.

Juliane of Fontevrault, Illegitimate Daughter of King Henry I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Juliane’s father KIng Henry I had around 25 illegitimate children; Credit – WIkipedia

Known for trying to shoot her father King Henry I of England with a crossbow after he allowed her two young daughters to be blinded, Juliane of Fontevrault (also called Juliane FitzRoy) was born circa 1090 at the Old Palace of Westminster in London, England. Her mother was probably Ansfride (circa 1070 – 1164), who was sometimes called a mistress and sometimes called a concubine. Ansfride was the widow of Anskill of Abingdon, a knight and a tenant of Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, England, who died following a few days of harsh treatment after being imprisoned by King William II Rufus, King Henry I’s brother and predecessor. Juliane’s paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Juliane’s half-siblings.

Juliane’s probable full siblings:

Juliane had two royal half-siblings from her father’s marriage to Matilda of Scotland:

In 1103, Juliane married the Norman noble Eustace de Pacy, Lord of Pacy, Breteuil, and Pont-Saint-Pierre (circa 1090 – 1136). Eustace was the illegitimate son of an unknown mother and Guillaume de Breteuil, a Benedictine abbot at the Notre-Dame de Breteuil Abbey in Breteuil, then in the Duchy of Normandy and a possession of England, now in France. Upon his father’s death in 1071, Guillaume de Breteuil inherited his father’s titles and extensive estates in Normandy. King Henry I arranged the marriage between Juliane and Guillaume’s son Eustace to have allies in the English strongholds of the Duchy of Normandy.

Juliane and Eustace had four children:

  • Daughter #1 de Pacy
  • Daughter #2 de Pacy
  • Guillaume de Pacy (circa 1116 – 1153)
  • Roger de Pacy (circa 1118 – ?)

The ruins of the Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille; Credit – By I, Nitot, CC BY-SA 3.0,

In 1119, when the Norman nobles revolted against King Henry I, Juliane’s husband Eustace threatened to ally himself with the Norman nobles unless the Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille in Ivry-la-Bataille in the Duchy of Normandy, which had belonged to his predecessors, was returned to him. At that time, the castle was in the possession of Eustace’s maternal fist cousin Raoul II de Gaël. King Henry I took his time dealing with the issue but assured Eustace that the issue would be concluded. To ensure his daughter and son-in-law’s loyalty, King Henry I took their two daughters as hostages and traded them for the son of Ralph Harnec, Constable of Ivry. While the son of Ralph Harnec was in the custody of Eustace and Juliane, Eustace had the boy’s eyes gouged out. Ralph Harnec demanded his right to retaliation because he had not been guilty of any offense against Eustace and Juliane that could justify that treatment of his son. King Henry I approved Harnec’s right to retaliate and Harnec gouged out the eyes and cut off the noses of Eustace and Juliane’s two daughters, King Henry I’s own grandchildren.

Juliane and Eustace were outraged. Eustace fortified his castles in the Duchy of Normandy at Lire, Gls, Pont-Saint-Pierre, and Pacy-sur-Eure. Juliane went to the Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille with the troops needed to guard the castle. The citizens of Bretuil refused to support her against the powerful King Henry I and opened the castle doors to him. Julianne agreed to meet with her father. However, when she went to the meeting, she took a crossbow and attempted to shoot him. King Henry I destroyed the drawbridge, confining Juliane to the castle. Eventually, Juliane managed to escape by having herself lowered along the wall into the moat, full of half-frozen water. She made her way to Eustace who was at his castle in Pacy-sur-Eure in the Duchy of Normandy.

King Henry I confiscated Juliane and Eustace’s property except for the castle in Pacy-sur-Eure. The Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille was given back to the de Gaël family for their loyalty to Henry. Juliane and Eustace begged King Henry I for forgiveness. He did forgive them and gave them 300 silver marks a year for the loss of Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille.

Fontrevault Abbey; Credit – By Pierre Mairé, PixAile.com – www.pixAile.com, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1356886

In 1123, Juliane became a nun at Fontevrault Abbey, near Chinon in the Duchy of Anjou, now in France. Some sources say her two blinded daughters went with her. Juliane died in 1136 at Fontevrault Abbey.

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

  • Ansfride Concubine #3 of Henry I King of England. geni_family_tree. (2022a, August 22). https://www.geni.com/people/Ansfride-Concubine-3-of-Henry-I-King-Of-England/6000000001563248849
  • Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter, & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King Henry I of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-i-of-england/
  • Juliane Fitzroy. geni_family_tree. (2022). https://www.geni.com/people/Juliane-FitzRoy/6000000003219799748
  • Lea. (2021). A King’s Daughter Who Attempted to Murder Her Father. https://worldroyals.medium.com/a-kings-daughter-who-attempted-to-murder-her-father-45a1a23de27f
  • Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). Juliane de Fontevrault. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_de_Fontevrault
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Juliane de Fontevrault. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_de_Fontevrault
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Julienne (Bâtarde). Wikipedia (French). https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julienne_(b%C3%A2tarde)

Keōpūolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The Hawaiian Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, were originally divided into several independent chiefdoms. The Kingdom of Hawaii was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great of the independent island of Hawaii, conquered the independent islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, and unified them under one government and ruled as Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when Kauai and Niihau voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Hawaii. Two major dynastic families ruled the kingdom: the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalākaua.

In 1778, British explorer James Cook visited the islands. This led to increased trade and the introduction of new technologies and ideas. In the mid-19th century, American influence in Hawaii dramatically increased when American merchants, missionaries, and settlers arrived on the islands. Protestant missionaries converted most of the native people to Christianity. Merchants set up sugar plantations and the United States Navy established a base at Pearl Harbor. The newcomers brought diseases that were new to the indigenous people including influenza, measles, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, and whooping cough. At the time of James Cook’s arrival in 1778, the indigenous Hawaiian population is estimated to have been between 250,000 and 800,000. By 1890, the indigenous Hawaiian population declined had to less than 40,000.

In 1893, a group of local businessmen and politicians composed of six non-native Hawaiian Kingdom subjects, five American nationals, one British national, and one German national overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani, her cabinet, and her marshal, and took over the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This led to the 1898 annexation of Hawaii as a United States territory. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.

In 1993, one hundred years after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, the United States Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Apology Resolution which “acknowledges that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum”. As a result, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, a grassroots political and cultural campaign to reestablish an autonomous or independent nation or kingdom in Hawaii, was established along with ongoing efforts to redress the indigenous Hawaiian population.

********************

An illustration of Keōpūolani and her retinue from 1855 book The Christian Queen; Credit – Wikipedia

Keōpūolani was the highest-ranking wife of Kamehameha I the Great, King of the Hawaiian Islands. She was born around 1778, in Pāpōhaku, near present-day Wailuku, on the island of Maui. Keōpūolani was the daughter of Kīwalaʻō, the aliʻi nui (supreme monarch or chief) of the island of Hawaii, and Kekuʻiapoiwa Liliha, half-sister of Kamehameha I. In July 1782, Keōpūolani’s father Kiwalao was overthrown and killed at the Battle of Mokuʻōhai. This was the first step toward Kamehameha I’s domination over all the Hawaiian Islands.

Kamehameha I the Great, King of the Hawaiian Islands, 1816; Credit – Wikipedia

Keōpūolani and Kamehameha I were married in 1795. Their marriage linked the House of Kamehameha to the ruling house of Maui and the old ruling house of Hawaii. Kamehameha I had many wives and many children. The exact number is debated because documents that recorded the names of his wives were destroyed. While he had many wives and children, only his children from his highest-ranking wife Keōpūolani succeeded him to the throne. Keōpūolani had eleven children, all but three died young. Kamehameha I was about twenty years older than Keōpūolani. Because of the large age difference, Kamehameha I called his children with Keōpūolani his grandchildren. (Note: Unofficial Royalty articles are coming for Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III.)

Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands died on May 14, 1819. His eldest son with Keōpūolani, Liholiho, succeeded as Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands. After the death of Kamehameha I, Keōpūolani married Hoapili, a close friend and advisor of Kamehameha I.

Keōpūolani played an important role in the ʻAi Noa, the elimination of the Hawaiian kapu system in 1819. Kapu was the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct of laws and regulations governing lifestyle, gender roles, politics, and religion. After the elimintion of the kapu system, women were allowed to eat formerly forbidden food and to eat with men, the priests no longer offered human sacrifices, and the many prohibitions surrounding the high chiefs were relaxed. In 1820, Christian missionaries came to the Hawaiian Islands and Keōpūolani and her second husband Hoapili were among the first of the Hawaiian nobles to convert to Christianity. Keōpūolani then wore Western clothing and learned to read and write. She made a public declaration that the custom of taking multiple spouses by royalty would end and the Christian practice of monogamy would be followed.

In August 1823, Keōpūolani became ill and her condition quickly worsened. Many chiefs visited her to pay their respects. When William Pitt Kalanimoku, a High Chief who functioned as the prime minister of the Hawaiian Kingdom, arrived to pay her respects, Keōpūolani told him: “Jehovah is a good God. I love him and I love Jesus Christ. I have given myself to him to be his. When I die, let none of the evil customs of this country be practiced. Let not my body be disturbed. Let it be put in a coffin. Let the teachers attend, and speak to the people at my interment. Let me be buried, and let my burial be after the manner of Christ’s people. I think very much of my grandfather, Kalaniopuʻu, and my father Kiwalaʻo, and my husband Kamehameha, and all my deceased relatives. They lived not to see these good times, and to hear of Jesus Christ. They died depending on false gods. I exceedingly mourn and lament on account of them, for they saw not these good times.”

Keōpūolani had not yet been baptized and wished to do so before she died. English missionary William Ellis, who was fluent in Hawaiian, conducted the baptism in Hawaiian so all could understand. Keōpūolani’s son Kamehameha II, King of the Hawaiian Islands and all the assembled family and nobles listened to Ellis. When they saw that she was baptized with holy water in the name of God, they said that she was no longer one of them and that they believed she was God’s and would go to dwell with him. Keōpūolani stated that she wanted her eight-year-old daughter Princess Nāhienaena to be raised as a Christian and so she was also baptized too. Keōpūolani and her daughter took their Christian name Harriet after Harriet Stewart, the wife of missionary Charles Stewart. An hour later in the early evening of September 16, 1823, 45-year-old Keōpūolani died at Hale Kamani, her home on the beach in Lahaina, on the island of Maui.

The funeral procession of Keōpūolani by missionary William Ellis who baptized Keōpūolani (1823); Credit – Wikipedia

After a large public funeral on September 18, 1823, Keōpūolani was buried at her home Hale Kamani in Lahaina, Maui. In 1837, her second son King Kamehameha III transferred her remains to the sacred island of Mokuʻula in Lahaina, Maui. Later her remains were reburied at the Christian cemetery at Waiola Church in Lahaina, Maui along with her daughter, her second husband, and other royal family members.

The royal cemetery at at Waiola Church in Lahaina, Maui; 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

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2024). Kamehameha I the Great, King of the Hawaiian Islands. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/kamehameha-i-the-great-king-of-the-hawaiian-islands/
  • Kamehameha I. Royal Family Hawaii. https://www.crownofhawaii.com/kamehameha-i
  • U.S. Department of the Interior. Kamehameha the Great. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/puhe/learn/historyculture/kamehameha.htm
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Hawaiian Kingdom. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Kingdom
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Kamehameha I. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_I
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023c, August 16). Keōpūolani. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ke%C5%8Dp%C5%ABolani
  • Young, Peter T. (2022). Hawaiian Woods – Hawaiian Royal Residences. Images of Old Hawaiʻi. https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/hawaiian-woods-hawaiian-royal-residences/

Breaking News: King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer

Credit – Wikipedia

Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles III has been diagnosed with “a form of  cancer.” Check our daily (except for Saturdays) Royal News Recap for more news on this.

The statement read:

During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual. The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.

Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester, Illegitimate Son of King Henry I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

1840 drawing of Robert’s effigy in St James’ Priory, Bristol; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa the late 1080s-1095, Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. His paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders. Robert was the half-brother of Empress Matilda, Lady of the English (sometimes called Maud or Maude), King Henry I’s only legitimate surviving child, and was her chief military supporter during the long civil war (1135 – 1153) known as The Anarchy, when Matilda unsuccessfully battled with her first cousin Stephen of Blois for the throne of England.

King Henry I of England, the father of Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester; Credit – Wikipedia

Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester was probably the eldest of his father’s many illegitimate children and King Henry I recognized him as his son at birth. He was probably born in Caen, then in the Duchy of Normandy, a possession of the English crown, now in France, before his father became King of England in 1100, during the reign of either his paternal grandfather King William I (the Conqueror) or his paternal uncle King William II Rufus. The identity of Robert’s mother is uncertain. Robert’s mother may have been an unknown woman from Caen, Duchy of Normandy. Robert was educated by Robert Bloet, Bishop of Lincoln who educated many noblemen, including illegitimate children of King Henry I. Robert spoke Latin, was interested in philosophy and history, and as an adult, was an active patron of science and art in England. Contemporary chroniclers Geoffrey of Monmouth and William of Malmesbury both dedicated some of their works to Robert.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Robert’s half-siblings.

Robert had two royal half-siblings from her father’s marriage with Matilda of Scotland:

Robert and his wife Mabel holding churches or abbeys which they founded or were benefactors of; Credit – Wikipedia

Robert married Mabel FitzRobert (circa 1100 – 1157), the daughter of Robert FitzHamon, Lord of Gloucester and Glamorgan and Sybil de Montgomery. Mabel was the eldest of her father’s four children, all daughters, and because her three younger sisters became nuns, she was the sole heir to her father’s titles and vast estates in England, Wales, and Normandy upon his death in 1107.

Robert and Mabel had at least eight children:

During the latter part of his father’s reign, Robert was the recognized leader of the Welsh border barons and of Norman expansion in southern Wales. His Lordship of Glamorgan which came from his wife, became a model for the economic and political organization of Anglo-Norman possessions in the conquered territories. However, in 1120 an event occurred that would affect the succession to the English throne and have an impact on many people, including Robert – the sinking of the White Ship.

The Sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

Because the Kings of England still held the Duchy of Normandy (now in France) and were Dukes of Normandy, they were often in Normandy, and this was the case in November 1120. After the successful military campaign in which King Henry I of England had defeated King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Brémule, the English were finally preparing to return to England. King Henry I was offered the White Ship for his return to England, but he had already made other arrangements. Instead, King Henry I suggested that his only son and heir William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy sail on the White Ship along with his retinue which included William Ætheling ’s illegitimate half-brother Richard of Lincoln, William Ætheling’s illegitimate half-sister Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche and many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock and capsized. William Ætheling’s bodyguard quickly got the heir to the throne into the safety of a dinghy. However, William Ætheling heard the screams of his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche and ordered the dinghy to turn back to rescue her. At this point, the White Ship began to sink and the many people in the water desperately sought the safety of William Ætheling ’s dinghy. The chaos and the weight were too much causing William Ætheling’s dinghy to capsize and sink without a trace. The tragedy of the White Ship resulted in King Henry I losing his only legitimate son and heir and two of his illegitimate children. All three were half-siblings of Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester. The contemporary chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night.

Robert’s half sister Empress Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Although King Henry I had many illegitimate children, the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. King Henry I’s nephews were the closest male heirs. In 1118, King Henry I’s first wife Matilda of Scotland died, aged 38. In January 1121, King Henry I married for a second time to Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless. King Henry I’s daughter 12-year-old daughter Matilda married 23-year-old Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1114. The couple had no children, and Heinrich died from cancer on May 23, 1125, at the age of 44, leaving Matilda as a 23-year-old childless widow with the choice of becoming a nun or remarrying. Some offers of marriage started to arrive but Matilda chose to return to her father’s court.

In 1126, King Henry I arranged for his daughter Matilda to marry Geoffrey of Anjou, eldest son of Fulk V, Count of Anjou. Matilda was quite unhappy about the marriage. She was eleven years older than Geoffrey and marriage to a future mere Count would diminish her status as the widow of an Emperor. Nevertheless, the couple was married on June 17, 1128. Matilda and Geoffrey 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. In 1129, her husband became Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou when his father left for the Holy Land where he was to become King of Jerusalem. Matilda and Geoffrey had three sons including the future King Henry II of England.

King Henry I’s choice of a successor fell to his daughter Matilda and her successors. On Christmas Day 1126, King Henry I gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heirs she might have as his successors. Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester did homage to his half-sister Matilda, recognizing her as his father’s successor in the kingdom. However, King Henry I’s plan did not work out.

King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died. His nephew Stephen of Blois, the son of King Henry I’s sister Adela of Normandy and Stephen II, Count of Blois, quickly crossed the English Channel, arriving in England accompanied by his military household. With the help of his brother Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned King Stephen of England on December 22, 1135, at Westminster Abbey in London. Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long, brutal civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153, known as “When Christ and His Saints Slept”.

Matilda’s husband Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou; Credit – Wikipedia

For the first few years after the death of his father King Henry I and the usurpation of the crown by his first cousin King Stephen, Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester was an inactive spectator of the struggle between his half-sister Matilda and his first cousin Stephen for the English throne. In June 1138, Matilda’s husband Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou persuaded Robert to join the faction opposing King Stephen. Robert rebelled against King Stephen, starting the beginnings of civil war in England. Meanwhile, Matilda’s husband Geoffrey took advantage of the situation by invading Normandy. Matilda’s maternal uncle King David I of Scotland invaded the north of England and announced that he was supporting the claim of Matilda to the English throne. Matilda gathered an invasion army and landed in England in September 1139 with the support of her half-brother Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester who served as her commander and several powerful barons.

In 1141, at the Battle of Lincoln where Robert commanded Matilda’s forces, King Stephen was captured, imprisoned, and deposed and Matilda ruled for a short time. Stephen’s brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester turned against his brother and a church council at Winchester declared that Stephen was deposed and declared Empress Matilda “Lady of the English.” Stephen’s wife Matilda of Boulogne rallied Stephen’s supporters and raised an army with the help of William of Ypres, Stephen’s chief lieutenant. Matilda of Boulogne recaptured London for Stephen and forced Matilda to withdraw from the Siege of Winchester, leading to Stephen’s release in 1141 in exchange for Matilda’s half-brother Robert who had also been captured.

By freeing Stephen, Matilda gave up her best chance of becoming Queen of England. The civil war continued for several more years, without much success, with alternate triumphs and defeats. However, it came to a quiet close in 1147 when Matilda’s half-brother Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester, her valiant commander, died at Bristol Castle in Bristol, England. Robert was buried at St. James’ Priory in Bristol, which he had founded in 1129. Deprived of Robert’s protection, Matilda returned to Normandy in 1147 where she focused on stabilizing the Duchy of Normandy and promoting the rights of her son Henry FitzEmpress, the future King Henry II, to the English throne.

Matilda’s son King Henry II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Although Robert, Earl of Gloucester did not achieve his goal of seeing his half-sister become Queen of England, Matilda lived long enough to see her son Henry FitzEmpress firmly established on the English throne. In the 1154 Treaty of Winchester, King Stephen recognized Matilda’s son Henry FitzEmpress as his heir. Stephen died on October 25, 1154, and Henry ascended the throne as King Henry II, the first King of England from the House of Angevin. Matilda spent the rest of her life in Normandy, often acting as King Henry II’s representative and presiding over the government of the Duchy of Normandy. She died, aged about 65, on September 10, 1167, in Rouen, Duchy of Normandy, now in France.

Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester, Empress Matilda, King Stephen, and their families are characters in the late Sharon Kay Penman‘s excellent historical fiction novel When Christ and His Saints Slept about the civil war, The Anarchy. The years of the civil war fought by Matilda and Stephen also serve as a backdrop for Ellis Peters‘ historical detective series about Brother Cadfael, set between 1137 and 1145.

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

  • Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter, & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2017). Empress Matilda, Lady of the English. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/empress-matilda-lady-of-the-english/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King Henry I of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-i-of-england/
  • Robert de Caen 1st Earl of Gloucester. Genealogics. (n.d.). https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00027782&tree=LEO
  • Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert,_1st_Earl_of_Gloucester
  • Williamson, David. (1996). Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. Cassell.

Kamehameha I the Great, King of the Hawaiian Islands

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The Hawaiian Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, were originally divided into several independent chiefdoms. The Kingdom of Hawaii was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great of the independent island of Hawaii, conquered the independent islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, and unified them under one government and ruled as Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when Kauai and Niihau voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Hawaii. Two major dynastic families ruled the kingdom: the House of Kamehameha and the House of Kalākaua.

In 1778, British explorer James Cook visited the islands. This led to increased trade and the introduction of new technologies and ideas. In the mid-19th century, American influence in Hawaii dramatically increased when American merchants, missionaries, and settlers arrived on the islands. Protestant missionaries converted most of the native people to Christianity. Merchants set up sugar plantations and the United States Navy established a base at Pearl Harbor. The newcomers brought diseases that were new to the indigenous people including influenza, measles, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, and whooping cough. At the time of James Cook’s arrival in 1778, the indigenous Hawaiian population is estimated to have been between 250,000 and 800,000. By 1890, the indigenous Hawaiian population declined had to less than 40,000.

In 1893, a group of local businessmen and politicians composed of six non-native Hawaiian Kingdom subjects, five American nationals, one British national, and one German national overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani, her cabinet, and her marshal, and took over the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This led to the 1898 annexation of Hawaii as a United States territory. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.

In 1993, one hundred years after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, the United States Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Apology Resolution which “acknowledges that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum”. As a result, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, a grassroots political and cultural campaign to reestablish an autonomous or independent nation or kingdom in Hawaii, was established along with ongoing efforts to redress the indigenous Hawaiian population.

********************

Kamehameha I the Great, King of the Hawaiian Islands, 1816; Credit – Wikipedia

Kamehameha I the Great, reigned as King of the Hawaiian Islands from 1795 – 1819. He was born Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea and known as Paiʻea. His father was Keōua Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui Ahilapalapa, from an old Hawaiian noble family, and his mother was Kekuʻiapoiwa II, a Hawaiian chiefess. Kamehameha was probably born in November 1758.  At the time of his birth, a comet was visible. Since Halley’s Comet was visible from Hawaii in 1758, it is believed that Kamehameha was probably born in 1758. His birth ceremony was held at the Moʻokini Heiau, an ancient temple that is preserved at the Kohala Historical Sites State Monument.

The Hawaiian Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, were originally divided into several independent chiefdoms. Kamehameha I grew up at the court of his uncle Kalaniʻopuʻu, the aliʻi nui (supreme monarch or chief) of the island of Hawaii. During Kalaniʻopuʻu’s reign, British explorer Captain James Cook visited the island of Hawaii three times and had two cordial visits with Kalaniʻopuʻu. However, in 1779, during Cook’s third exploratory voyage in the Pacific, tensions escalated between his men and the people of the island of Hawaii. The theft of a longboat and an attempt by Cook to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu led to the death of Cook’s death.

After Kalaniʻopuʻu’ died in April 1782, his son Kiwalao became the aliʻi nui (supreme monarch or chief) of the island of Hawaii. In July 1782, Kiwalao was overthrown and killed at the Battle of Mokuʻōhai. This was the first step toward Kamehameha I’s domination over all the Hawaiian Islands. The island of Hawaiʻi was divided into three parts: Kamehameha I ruled Kona, Kohala, and Hāmākua, Kiwalao’s half-brother Keawemaʻuhili controlled Hilo and Kiwalao’s son Keōua Kūʻahuʻula controlled Kaʻū.

Kamehameha and his council of chiefs planned to unite the rest of the Hawaiian Islands. British and American traders sold guns and ammunition to Kamehameha. Captain William Brown of the Butterworth Squadron, a British commercial group of three vessels, gave Kamehameha the formula for gunpowder: sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal, all of which are abundant in the islands. Welshman Isaac Davis and the British John Young who both lived on the island of Hawaii and had married native Hawaiian women, became valued advisors to Kamehameha. By 1795, Kamehameha had conquered the independent islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lānaʻi and unified them under one government, the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1810, the whole Hawaiian archipelago became unified when the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau joined the Kingdom of Hawaii voluntarily.

Keōpūolani, Kamehameha’s highest ranking wife and her retinue; Credit – Wikipedia

Kamehameha had many wives and many children. The exact number is debated because documents that recorded the names of his wives were destroyed. While he had many wives and children, only his children from his highest-ranking wife Keōpūolani succeeded him to the throne. Keōpūolani had eleven children, all but three died young.

The ʻAhuʻena Heiau, the personal shrine of Kamehameha at Kamakahonu  in 1816; Credit – Wikipedia

Kamehameha I spent the last years of his life at Kamakahonu, the compound he built in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii. It was at Kamakahonu that Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands died on May 14, 1819. After his death, Kamehameha I’s body was hidden by his trusted friends Hoapili and Hoʻolulu in the ancient custom called hūnākele (to hide in secret). The mana, or power of a person, was considered to be sacred and his body was buried in a hidden location because of his mana. His final resting place remains unknown. King Kamehameha III asked Hoapili to show him where his father was buried, but on the way there Hoapili knew that they were being followed, so he turned around.

Statue of King Kamehameha I in Honolulu, Hawaii; 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

  • Kamehameha I. Royal Family Hawaii. https://www.crownofhawaii.com/kamehameha-i
  • U.S. Department of the Interior. Kamehameha the Great. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/puhe/learn/historyculture/kamehameha.htm
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Hawaiian Kingdom. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Kingdom
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Kamehameha I. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_I

Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche, Illegitimate Daughter of King Henry I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

An 1866 watercolor by Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise showing a scene from the sinking of the Blanche Nef or White Ship. A male figure, probably William Ætheling, is shown in a lifeboat to the lower left. He is shown full-length, standing with his hands clasped together and looking up towards his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche who is still on board the ship. Drowning men are shown trying to climb into the small boat which is soon to capsize; Credit – Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023

Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche, who lost her life in the sinking of the White Ship, was the illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England and a mistress identified only as Edith. Matilda’s birth date is unknown. King Henry I recognized at least twenty of his illegitimate children, including Matilda. Her surname FitzRoy comes from the Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning “son of” and Roy, meaning “king”, implying the original bearer of the surname was a child of a king. Her paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Matilda’s half-siblings.

Matilda’s royal half-siblings, the children of her father King Henry I and his first wife Matilda of Scotland were:

Matilda’s husband Rotrou III, Count of Perche; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda married Rotrou III, Count of Perche (circa 1077 – 1144) in 1103, becoming his second wife. The County of Perche was a medieval county between Normandy and Maine, in present-day France. Matilda’s husband took part in the First Crusade (1096 – 1099) and in the Reconquista in eastern Spain, a series of military campaigns that Christian kingdoms waged against the Muslim kingdoms.

As a dowry, Matilda brought lands in Wiltshire, England to the marriage. During their marriage, the couple received possession of the Bellême estate in Normandy, which had been confiscated from Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury in 1102.

Matilda and Rotrou had two daughters:

Because the Kings of England still held Normandy (in France) and were Dukes of Normandy, they were often in Normandy, and this was the case in November of 1120. After the successful military campaign in which King Henry I of England had defeated King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Brémule, the English were finally preparing to return to England. King Henry I was offered the White Ship for his return to England, but he had already made other arrangements. Instead, Henry suggested that his only son and heir William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy sail on the White Ship along with his retinue which included William’s illegitimate half-brother Richard of Lincoln, William’s illegitimate half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perch, Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester and many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy.

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 25, 1120, William Ætheling and his retinue boarded the ship in a festive mood and barrels of wine were brought on board to celebrate the return to England. Soon both passengers and crew were inebriated. By the time the ship was ready to set sail, there were about 300 people on board, including many high-ranking people of Norman England. William and his retinue ordered the captain of the White Ship to overtake the ship of King Henry I so that the White Ship would be the first ship to return to England. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock and capsized. William’s bodyguard quickly got the heir to the throne into the safety of a dinghy. However, William Ætheling heard the screams of his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche, and ordered the dinghy to turn back to rescue her. At this point, the White Ship began to sink and the many people in the water desperately sought the safety of William’s dinghy. The chaos and the weight were too much causing William Ætheling’s dinghy to capsize and sink without a trace. The contemporary chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night.

King Henry I mourning the loss of three children in the sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

The sinking of the White Ship caused King Henry I to lose two illegitimate children, Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche and Richard of Lincoln, and most importantly, King Henry I’s only son William Ætheling. King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children, but the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. Henry I’s nephews were the closest male heirs. In January 1121, Henry married a second time to Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless. On Christmas Day in 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize his daughter Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors. That plan did not work out. Upon hearing of Henry I’s death on December 1, 1135, Stephen of Blois, one of Henry I’s nephews, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. This started the terrible civil war between first cousins Stephen and Matilda known as The Anarchy. England did not see peace for more than 18 years until Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1154.

La Trappe Abbey today; Credit – Von PY. Stucki, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11471582

After her tragic death, Matilda’s husband Rotrou III, Count of Perche built a small chapel to the Virgin Mary, in Soligny-la-Trappe, then in the Duchy of Normandy, now in France, as a memorial to his wife. A few years later Rotrou built an adjoining monastery, the La Trappe Abbey, known for being the house of origin of the Trappists (also known as the Cistercians), to whom it gave its name.

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

  • Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter, & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-25-1120-the-sinking-of-the-white-ship-and-how-it-affected-the-english-succession/
  • Spencer, Charles. (2022). The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream. William Collins.
  • Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Matilda Fitzroy, Countess of Perche. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_FitzRoy,_Countess_of_Perche
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Rotrou III, Count of Perche. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotrou_III,_Count_of_Perche