A much simpler analysis: Herr today, gone tomorrow?

This time, Useful Charts determines the hypothetical King (Emperor) of Germany. The Emperors from 1871 were the Hohenzollerns, an ancient family who had become Kings of Prussia, the largest of the four remaining component monarchies alongside Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttenburg and several smaller states. The 2018 video, ironically marking the centenary of the abdication shows…

Louise, the mincing monarch….!

  A little later than our period, but sometimes a laugh pops up out of nowhere and I have to share. I was looking through catch-up TV and came upon the following blurb for an episode of the Royal Palaces series: “…Versailles is one of the most enormous and impressive palaces in the world. Louise…

Clearing up a French genealogical mystery (2)

Just over six years ago, we published an article about the claimants to the French throne. They divide into three lines: BOURBONS: Charles X’s male line, comprising the entire legitimate male line of Louis XIV with one proviso, became extinct in 1883.       The exceptions are the Spanish Borbons, with their habit of…

Not Russian to judgement?

So, having examined the succession to the English monarchy according to Henry VIII’s will and the British monarchy if James VII/II had not been ousted, what do “Useful Charts” make of Russia? First, a few points to note:1) Russia had a monarch as late as 1917, more recently than France (1871).2) The Russian Revolution, with…

How did Edward III’s claim to the throne of France come about….?

Should you be interested in the background to Edward III’s claim to the throne of France, here’s a link to a fascinating article about the adulterous goings-on at the French court! And here’s me thinking the French wouldn’t dream of doing such things! 😄

Anne of Brittany’s heart has been stolen; literally….

At least the word “presumed” has been allowed in! It introduces an element of doubt about Richard III. Which is better than nothing. I hope this relic is returned to where it belongs. This sort of thievery is despicable. Footnote: I am delighted to be able to report that since I wrote this article, the stolen…

How and why the House of York laid claim to the throne….

Here is an article from English Historical Review, 1st June 1998, telling of how and why Richard, 3rd Duke of York, laid claim to the throne of England. The root cause was an entail to the will of Edward III, who was admittedly in his dotage at the time. The entail, which excluded a female…

Empress Matilda-Should She Be Listed as an English Monarch?

One of the most fascinating (and bloody) periods of English history is The Anarchy, when Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I (he who might well be found sometime soon in the ruins of Reading Abbey) fought her cousin Stephen of Blois (thought to be in Faversham Abbey) for the English throne. Battles raged across the…

Clearing up a French genealogical mystery

It can be said that every country that has ever had a monarch still has a hypothetical monarch, to whom the same selection rules apply, unless the whole family in question has been extirpated. The latter is almost impossible to achieve, as the cases of Russia and Ethiopia prove. There are probably collateral descendants of…

Anne de Beaujeu

We bring you an excellent article by Susan Abernethy about the Regent of France through most of Richard’s reign. Note the different constitutional arrangements to Richard’s appointment as Lord Protector and Defender of the Realm but France adhered to a Salic Law meaning that neither Anne nor her descendants could ever reign: http://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2015/11/13/anne-de-beaujeu-duchess-of-bourbon-and-regent-of-france/ For a…