1.
Richard Rothwell
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Richard Rothwell was a nineteenth-century Irish portrait and genre painter. Rothwell was born in Athlone, Ireland to James and Elizabeth and was the oldest of their seven children and he trained to become a painter at the Dublin Societys school from 1814 until 1820 and won a silver medal for his work. At the age of 24, he was made a member of the newly established Royal Hibernian Academy and he subsequently moved to London and worked as a studio assistant to Thomas Lawrence. When Lawrence died in 1830, Rothwell completed many of his works and was poised to become the next foremost portrait painter in Britain. From 1831 to 1834, Rothwell toured Italy to study Italian art so that he could paint history paintings, when he returned to London, his popularity had evaporated. Rothwell lived and exhibited works in Ireland, the United States, London, and Italy, in 1842 Rothwell married Rosa Marshall, the couple had several children. In 1868, Rothwell contracted a fever while working in Rome, joseph Severn, who painted a portrait of the Romantic poet John Keats, arranged for Rothwells funeral and tomb in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome. In the 1830s, he started painting pictures, such as The Poor Mendicants. Rothwell usually painted Italian-inspired pieces, such as his semi-nude study Calisto and he was furious when the painting was poorly hung at the 1862 International Exhibition in London and published a pamphlet on the topic
Richard Rothwell
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Pen and ink drawing by
Charles West Cope of Richard Rothwell circa 1862.
Richard Rothwell
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Mary Shelley (1840)
Richard Rothwell
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William Huskisson (1831)
Richard Rothwell
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Portrait of a young man
2.
Coburg
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Coburg is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, until the revolution of 1918, it was one of the capitals of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Through successful dynastic policies, the princely family married into several of the royal families of Europe, most notably in the person of Prince Albert. As a result of close links with the royal houses of Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Coburg was frequently visited by the crowned heads of Europe. Coburg is also known as the location of Veste Coburg, one of Germanys largest castles, in 1530, Martin Luther lived there for six months during which he worked on translating the Bible into German. Today, Coburgs population is close to 41,500, since it was little damaged in World War II, Coburg retains many historic buildings, making it a popular tourist destination. Coburg lies about 90 kilometres south of Erfurt and about 100 kilometres north of Nuremberg on the river Itz and it is an urban district and is surrounded by the Landkreis Coburg. Coburg lies at the foot of the Thuringian Highland, on three sides it is surrounded by Thuringia. Until reunification in 1990 the border between Bavaria and Thuringia was also the inner German border, the origin of the name Coburg is unclear, the first element may be kuh, which would give a literal meaning of cow borough. Coburg initially referred to a property centred on the hill where Veste Coburg was later built and its oldest remains date to the 12th or 13th century. During the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 reformer Martin Luther spent six months at the castle while his lord, John, Elector of Saxony. Luther was forbidden to attend by the Elector, who feared that he would be imprisoned and burned as a heretic, while quartered at the castle Luther continued with his translation of the Bible into German. In 1547, the residence was moved from the Veste to a former monastery, rebuilt as a Renaissance palace. In 1596, Coburg was raised to the status of capital of one of the dynastys splintered Saxon-Thuringian territories, from 1699 to 1826, it was one of the two capitals of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and from 1826-1918 it was a capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Ernest Frederick, the fourth Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, moved his capital from Saalfeld to Coburg in 1764, Coburg then became capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and later of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In the early 19th century, the medieval fortifications were demolished and replaced by parks. The duke also started the collection of engravings that is today part of the Veste Coburg museum. Under his son, Ernest, the Schlossplatz with what is today the Landestheater Coburg was created and he also rebuilt the Ehrenburg in Gothic revival style
Coburg
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View over Coburg
Coburg
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Ehrenburg Palace, rebuilt after a catastrophic fire in 1690, received its
neo-Gothic exterior in the 19th century.
Coburg
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Fortress of Coburg
Coburg
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Old print image of Coburg
3.
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
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Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was one of the Saxon Duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty. After the Duke of Saxe-Gotha, Ernest the Pious, died on 26 March 1675 in Gotha, the lands of Saxe-Saalfeld went to the youngest of them, who became John Ernest IV, the Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld. But the new Principality did not have complete independence, Saalfeld was the residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Saalfeld from 1680 to 1735. Most of the Saxe-Coburg properties were given to the new Ernestine line of Saxe-Saalfeld, however, the Districts of Sonneberg and Neuhaus am Rennweg had to be handed over to Saxe-Meiningen and the District of Sonnefeld had to be given to Saxe-Hildburghausen. One-third of the District of Römhild and five-twelfths of the District of Themar remained with Saxe-Coburg. After the death of John Ernest IV in 1729, his sons Christian Ernest II and Francis Josias ruled the country, Christian Ernst remained in Saalfeld, while Franz Josias chose Coburg as his residence. In 1745, when Christian Ernest II died childless, his domains were inherited by his brother, in 1747 Francis Josias was able to anchor his birthright in the Line of Succession laws and confer it on his rapidly growing family for the long-term survival of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. It was the children of Duke Francis Frederick Anton who assured the dynastic success, the fame of Prince Frederick Josias led to the wedding of his daughter, Princess Juliane, with Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia. Another daughter, Princess Marie Luise Victoire, married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, in 1818, the youngest surviving son, Prince Leopold, was elected in 1831 as Leopold I, King of the Belgians. In addition, the heir to the throne of Saxe-Coburg was Prince Ernst and he was the father of Prince Albert, who married his cousin, Queen Victoria, in 1840 and became The Prince Consort of Great Britain and Ireland. On 15 December 1806, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, along with the other Ernestine duchies, from November 1806 until the Peace of Tilsit in July 1807, the Principality was occupied by the French. Only then Duke Ernst I was able to return from his exile in Königsberg in East Prussia, a border treaty with the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1811 led to a territorial swap of the disputed territories. The towns of Fürth am Berg, Hof an der Steinach, Niederfüllbach and Triebsdorf came to Saxe-Coburg, Gleußen, on 8 August 1821, the Duchy received a constitution. The extinction of the oldest line, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg in 1825 again led to disputes among the other lines of the Ernestine family. On 12 November 1826 the decision, from the arbitration of the head of the family, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony. Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Saxe-Saalfeld with the District of Themar from Saxe-Meiningen, but Saxe-Coburg gained from Saxe-Hildburghausen the two Districts – Königsberg and Sonnefeld. The new duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born as a union of the two duchies of Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha. Ernest III, the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, then became Ernest I, the first Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
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Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld, shown within the other
Ernestine duchies
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
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Schloss Saalfeld, built after 1677 as the ducal residence
4.
Frogmore House
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Frogmore House is a 17th-century English country house owned by the Crown Estate. The house is situated within the Frogmore Estate, which is located within the grounds of the Home Park, Windsor. Half a mile south of Windsor Castle, Frogmore was let to a number of tenants until the late 18th century, the house is currently uninhabited, but it is used by the royal family to host both private and official events. It is a Grade I listed building, the Frogmore estate has been under royal ownership since the 16th century and was then leased to a series of Crown tenants. Construction on Frogmore house was not begun until 1680 for tenants Anne Aldworth, work continued until 1684 and is thought to be the work of Hugh May, an architect employed by Charles II at Windsor Castle and uncle of tenant Thomas May. The houses first royal resident was George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, the duke died in 1716, but his wife continued to live at Frogmore until her death in 1738. There were a number of tenants, including Edward Walpole, until 1792 when George III purchased the house for his wife. Queen Charlotte used the house as a retreat for her and her unmarried daughters. They used Frogmore as an away from court life where they could practice their pastimes of painting, drawing, needlework, japanning, reading. The Queens interest in botany is reflected in a number of the rooms at Frogmore, including a room decorated with painted flowers by the artist Mary Moser. Great attention was paid to the gardens, where the queen planted a number of Spanish chestnut, laburnum and birch trees, when Charlotte died 1818, she left the house to her daughter Princess Augusta Sophia, who lived there until her death 1840. The house was in condition, but to make it fit for royal inhabitants, James Wyatt was employed to enlarge. Between 1795 and 1804, Wyatt enlarged the floor, added flanking pavilions to the north and south of the house and extended to make room for a new dining room. After the Princesss death in 1840, Queen Victoria gave it to her mother, during this time the house was subject to a number of alterations. The Duchesss taste differed greatly to Queen Charlottes and much of the decoration from her time was lost. The house was used regularly between 1841 and the death of the Duchess of Kent in 1861, with Queen Victoria often visiting and a number of private family functions were held there. Victoria wrote of the house, All is peace and quiet and you hear the hum of the bees, the singing of the birds. Frogmore was used intermittently for the remainder of the 19th century, helena and her husband moved to Cumberland Lodge in 1872
Frogmore House
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Frogmore House
Frogmore House
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The Dining Room, 1819
Frogmore House
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The Japan Room, 1819
Frogmore House
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The Queen's Library, 1817
5.
Windsor, Berkshire
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Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the residences of the British Royal Family. The town is situated 23 miles west of Charing Cross, London,7 miles south east of Maidenhead and it is immediately south of the River Thames, which forms its boundary with its ancient twin town of Eton. Windlesora is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the name originates from old English Windles-ore or winch by the riverside. By the late 12th century the settlement at Windelsora was renamed Old Windsor, the early history of the site is unknown, although it was almost certainly settled some years before 1070 when William the Conqueror had a timber motte and bailey castle constructed. The focus of royal interest at that time was not the castle, however, from about the 8th century, high status people started to visit the site occasionally, and possibly this included royalty. From the 11th century the sites link with king Edward the Confessor is documented, after the Conquest of 1066 royal use of the site increased, probably because it offered good access to woodlands and opportunities for hunting – a sport which also practised military skills. Windsor Castle is noted in the Domesday Book under the entry for Clewer, although this might seem strange, it occurred because plans for the castle had changed since 1070, and more land had been acquired in Clewer on which to site a castle town. This plan was not actioned until the early 12th century, King Henry married his second wife at Windsor Castle in 1121, after the White Ship disaster. The settlement at Old Windsor largely transferred to New Windsor during the 12th century,1170, under Henry II, following the civil war of Stephens reign. At about the time, the present upper ward of the castle was rebuilt in stone. It had a merchant guild from the early 13th century and, under patronage, was made the chief town of the county in 1277. Somewhat unusually, this gave no new rights or privileges to Windsor. Windsors position as town of Berkshire was short-lived, however. Wallingford took over this position in the early 14th century, as a self-governing town Windsor enjoyed a number of freedoms unavailable to other towns, including the right to hold its own borough court, the right of membership and some financial independence. The town accounts of the 16th century survive in part, although most of the once substantial borough archive dating back to the 12th century was destroyed, probably in the late 17th century. New Windsor was a significant town in the Middle Ages. Its prosperity came from its association with the royal household
Windsor, Berkshire
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Windsor Bridge, Windsor and
Windsor Castle
Windsor, Berkshire
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Windsor Castle, viewed from the Long Walk
Windsor, Berkshire
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The Last Supper by Franz de Cleyn in the West Gallery of Windsor parish church of St John The Baptist.
Windsor, Berkshire
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The
Windsor Guildhall
6.
Frogmore
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The Frogmore Estate or Gardens comprise 33 acres of private gardens within the grounds of the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in the English county of Berkshire. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have lived in this low-lying. It is the location of Frogmore House, a Royal retreat, Frogmore House was built in the 1680s and purchased by George III as a country retreat for Queen Charlotte in 1792. In 1900 Earl Mountbatten of Burma was born there and this mausoleum within the Frogmore Gardens is the burial place of Queen Victorias mother, Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the Duchess of Kent. The Mausoleum was designed by the architect A J Humbert, to a design by Prince Alberts favourite artist. In the latter years of her life, the Duchess lived in Frogmore House and in the 1850s, the top portion of the finished building was intended to serve as a summer-house for the Duchess during her lifetime, while the lower level was destined as her final resting place. The Duchess died at Frogmore House on 16 March 1861 before the summer-house was completed so the chamber became part of the mausoleum. The mausoleum for the Queens mother was being constructed at Frogmore in 1861 when Prince Albert died in December of the same year. Within a few days of his death, proposals for the mausoleum were being drawn up by the designers involved in the Duchess of Kents Mausoleum, Professor Gruner. The dome was made by October and the building was consecrated in December 1862, the building is in the form of a Greek cross. The exterior was inspired by Italian Romanesque buildings, the walls are of granite and Portland stone, the interior decoration is in the style of Alberts favourite painter, Raphael, an example of Victoriana at its most opulent. The interior walls are predominantly in Portuguese red marble, a gift from King Luis I of Portugal, the monumental tomb itself was designed by Baron Carlo Marochetti. It features recumbent marble effigies of the Queen and Prince Albert, the sarcophagus was made from a single piece of flawless grey Aberdeen granite. The Queens effigy was made at the time, but was not put in the mausoleum until after her funeral. Only Victoria and Albert are interred there, but the mausoleum contains other memorials, among those is a monument to Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse-Darmstadt, Victorias second daughter, who died of diphtheria shortly after her youngest daughter May. In the centre of the chapel is a monument to Edward, Duke of Kent and he died in 1820 and is buried in St Georges Chapel, Windsor. One of the sculptures is of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in Saxon Dress, commissioned after Prince Alberts death and it was unveiled on 20 May 1867 in Windsor Castle, and was moved to the Royal Mausoleum in 1938. The plaster model, which was exhibited in 1868 at the Royal Academy of Arts, is on loan from the Royal Collection to the National Portrait Gallery, the inscription on the plinth alludes to the poets lament for the passing of the imagined village of Sweet Auburn
Frogmore
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Mausoleum of the Duchess of Kent.
Frogmore
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Mausoleum of
Queen Victoria &
Prince Albert.
Frogmore
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Queen Victoria &
Prince Albert 's Mausoleum and the
Royal Burial Ground (front)
Frogmore
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Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore
7.
Berkshire
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Berkshire is a county in south east England, west of London. It was recognised as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of Windsor Castle by the Queen in 1957, Berkshire is a county of historic origin and is a home county, a ceremonial county and a non-metropolitan county without a county council. Berkshire County Council was the main county governance from 1889 to 1998 except for the separately administered County Borough of Reading, in 1974, significant alterations were made to the countys administrative boundaries although the traditional boundaries of Berkshire were not changed. The towns of Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage were transferred to Oxfordshire, Slough was gained from Buckinghamshire, since 1998, Berkshire has been governed by the six unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham. It borders the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Surrey, according to Asser, it takes its name from a large forest of box trees that was called Bearroc. Berkshire has been the scene of notable battles through its history. Alfred the Greats campaign against the Danes included the Battles of Englefield, Ashdown, Newbury was the site of two English Civil War battles, the First Battle of Newbury in 1643 and the Second Battle of Newbury in 1644. The nearby Donnington Castle was reduced to a ruin in the aftermath of the second battle, another Battle of Reading took place on 9 December 1688. It was the only military action in England during the Glorious Revolution. Reading became the new county town in 1867, taking over from Abingdon, boundary alterations in the early part of the 20th century were minor, with Caversham from Oxfordshire becoming part of the Reading county borough, and cessions in the Oxford area. On 1 April 1974 Berkshires boundaries changed under the Local Government Act 1972, Berkshire took over administration of Slough and Eton and part of the former Eton Rural District from Buckinghamshire. 94 Signal Squadron still keep the Uffington White Horse in their insignia, the original Local Government White Paper would have transferred Henley-on-Thames from Oxfordshire to Berkshire, this proposal did not make it into the Bill as introduced. On 1 April 1998 Berkshire County Council was abolished under a recommendation of the Banham Commission, unlike similar reforms elsewhere at the same time, the non-metropolitan county was not abolished. Berkshire divides into two distinct sections with the boundary lying roughly on a north-south line through the centre of Reading. The eastern section of Berkshire lies largely to the south of the River Thames, in two places the county now includes land to the north of the river. Tributaries of the Thames, including the Loddon and Blackwater, increase the amount of low lying land in the area. Beyond the flood plains, the land rises gently to the county boundaries with Surrey, much of this area is still well wooded, especially around Bracknell and Windsor Great Park. In the west of the county and heading upstream, the Thames veers away to the north of the county boundary, leaving the county behind at the Goring Gap
Berkshire
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Windsor Castle, viewed from the Long Walk
Berkshire
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Berkshire shown within England
Berkshire
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Aerial view of
Virginia Water Lake on the southern edge of
Windsor Great Park
Berkshire
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Physical map of Berkshire. From a book called Berkshire, by H. W. Monckton, published by Cambridge University Press, 1911. Map is credited to George Philip & Son, Ltd.
8.
Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen
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Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen was a German nobleman. He is an ancestor of various European royals, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Felipe VI of Spain, and Constantine II of Greece. After his death, his widow, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, married a son of George III of Great Britain, on 3 July 1779, his father was made a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and Emich Carl became Hereditary Prince of Leiningen. On 9 January 1807, he succeeded his father as second Prince of Leiningen, Emich Carl was married firstly, on 4 July 1787, to Henriette, youngest daughter of Heinrich XXIV, Count of Reuss-Ebersdorf, by his wife, Countess Karoline Ernestine of Erbach-Schönberg. Henriette died on 3 September 1801 and his second wife was a niece of his late wife. She bore him two children, Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Emich, succeeded his father as third prince, married on 13 February 1829, Countess Maria Klebelsberg. Princess Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine of Leiningen, married in 1828, Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and she is an ancestor of various European royals, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Felipe VI of Spain, and Constantine II of Greece. Emich Carl died at Amorbach on the 4 July 1814 and was succeeded by his surviving son. Four years after his death, his widow was married to Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, by him, she had a single daughter, Princess Victoria of Kent, who would later become Queen regnant of the United Kingdom. Börde Verlag, Werl 2011, ISBN 978-3-9811993-9-0, S.25 Marek, Miroslav
Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen
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Emich Carl
9.
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
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The Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn KG KP GCB GCH PC was the fourth son and fifth child of King George III of the United Kingdom and the father of Queen Victoria. On 23 March 1802, he was appointed Governor of Gibraltar, the Duke of Kent was appointed Field-Marshal of the Forces on 3 September 1805. He was the first member of the family to live in North America for more than a short visit and, in 1794. On June 27,1792, Edward is credited with the first use of the term Canadian to mean both French and English settlers in Upper and Lower Canada. The Prince used the term in an effort to quell a riot between the two groups at a station in Charlesbourg, Lower Canada. Recently he has been styled the Father of the Canadian Crown for his impact on the development of Canada, Prince Edward was born on 2 November 1767. His parents were the reigning British monarch, George III, as a son of the British monarch, he was styled His Royal Highness The Prince Edward from birth, and was fourth in the line of succession to the throne. He was named after his uncle, the Duke of York and Albany. The Prince began his training in Germany in 1785. King George III intended to send him to the University of Göttingen, instead, Prince Edward went to Lüneburg and later Hanover, accompanied by his tutor, Baron Wangenheim. From 1788 to 1789, he completed his education in Geneva, in 1789, he was appointed colonel of the 7th Regiment of Foot. In 1790, he returned home without leave and, in disgrace, was sent off to Gibraltar as an ordinary officer and he was joined from Marseilles by Madame de Saint-Laurent. Due to the extreme Mediterranean heat, Edward requested to be transferred to Canada, specifically Quebec, Edward and his mistress, Julie St. Laurent, became close friends with the French Canadian de Salaberry family - the Prince mentored all of the familys sons throughout their military careers. Edward guided Charles de Salaberry throughout his career, and made sure that the commander was duly honoured after his leadership during the Battle of Chateauguay. After 1794, Prince Edward lived at the headquarters of the Royal Navys North American Station which was Halifax and he was instrumental in shaping that settlements military defences, protecting its important Royal Navy base, as well as influencing the citys and colonys socio-political and economic institutions. Edward was responsible for the construction of Halifaxs iconic Garrison Clock, Lieutenant Governor Sir John Wentworth and Lady Francis Wentworth provided their country residence for the use of Prince Edward and Julie St. Laurent. Extensively renovated, the became known as Princes Lodge as the couple hosted numerous dignitaries. The only remains of the residence is a rotunda built by Edward for his regimental band to play music
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
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by
Sir William Beechey, 1818 (originally the property of Thérèse-Bernardine Montgenet)
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
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Prince Edward, Duke of Kent,
Commander-in-Chief, North America, 1791–1802
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
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Madame de Saint-Laurent - Mistress of Prince Edward
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
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Castle Hill Lodge 1814
10.
Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen
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Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Emich, Prince of Leiningen, was the maternal half-brother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Leiningen briefly played an important role in German politics as the first Prime Minister of the government formed by the Frankfurt Parliament in 1848, Carl was the son of Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen and his second wife, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. He was the son, as Emich Carls son by his first wife. Emich Carl died on 4 July 1814 and Carl succeeded him as third Prince of Leiningen, in 1818, his mother married Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III of the United Kingdom. In 1819, Carl and his sister Feodora were taken to Britain, Carl later pursued a career in the Bavarian army. He was Revolutionary Minister-President of Germany from 15 July until 5 September 1848, on 13 February 1829, he married Countess Maria Klebelsberg, daughter of Count Maximilian Klebelsberg and his wife Maria Anna von Turba. Carl was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1837, in 1855, shortly after his niece Victoria, Princess Royal became engaged to Prince Frederick of Prussia, he suffered a severe apoplectic attack. A second attack in November the following year was fatal, and he died at Amorbach at the age of fifty-two, Hermann Nehlsen Fürst Karl zu Leiningen. In, Gerhard Köbler, Hermann Nehlsen, Wirkungen europäischer Rechtskultur, festschrift für Karl Kroeschell zum 70. Beck, München, ISBN 3-406-42994-7, S. 763f
Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen
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Carl
11.
Princess Feodora of Leiningen
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Princess Feodora of Leiningen was the only daughter of Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Feodora and her older brother Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen were maternal half-siblings to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and she is a matrilineal ancestor of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and of King Felipe VI of Spain. Feodora was born on 7 December 1807 to Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen, on 29 May 1818, her mother remarried to Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III of the United Kingdom. The following year, the household was taken to the United Kingdom as the Duchess pregnancy came to an end, by all accounts, Feodora enjoyed a very close relationship with her sister Victoria, who was devoted to her elder sister. In early 1828 at Kensington Palace, Feodora married Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, after her honeymoon, she returned to the German Confederation where she lived until her death in 1872. The prince had no actual domain as the principality had been mediatised to Württemberg in 1806, the couple lived in the large and uncomfortable Schloss Langenburg. Feodora maintained a correspondence with her sister, and was granted an allowance of £300 whenever she could visit England. Feodoras youngest daughter, the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, died in early 1872 of scarlet fever, Feodora and Ernest had three sons and three daughters, Gill, Gillian. We Two, Victoria and Albert, Rulers, Partners, Rivals, an Uncommon Woman, The Empress Frederick, Daughter of Queen Victoria, Wife of the Crown Prince of Prussia, Mother of Kaiser Wilhelm. New York, Simon and Schuster Inc
Princess Feodora of Leiningen
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Princess Feodora in about 1828.
Princess Feodora of Leiningen
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Sculpture on the tomb of Princess Fedora of Leiningen
12.
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom
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Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the title of Empress of India. Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, both the Duke of Kent and King George III died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her German-born mother Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne aged 18, after her fathers three brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already a constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments, publicly, Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together, after Alberts death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength and her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration. Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era and it was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover and her son and successor, Edward VII, belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the line of his father. Victorias father was Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, until 1817, Edwards niece, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was the only legitimate grandchild of George III. Her death in 1817 precipitated a crisis that brought pressure on the Duke of Kent. In 1818 he married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed German princess with two children—Carl and Feodora —by her first marriage to the Prince of Leiningen and her brother Leopold was Princess Charlottes widower. The Duke and Duchess of Kents only child, Victoria, was born at 4.15 a. m. on 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace in London. Victoria was christened privately by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton, on 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace and she was baptised Alexandrina, after one of her godparents, Emperor Alexander I of Russia, and Victoria, after her mother. Additional names proposed by her parents—Georgina, Charlotte, and Augusta—were dropped on the instructions of the Dukes eldest brother, George, the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of Kent married on the same day in 1818, but both of Clarences daughters died as infants. Victorias father died in January 1820, when Victoria was less than a year old, a week later her grandfather died and was succeeded by his eldest son, George IV. The Duke of York died in 1827, when George IV died in 1830, he was succeeded by his next surviving brother, William IV, and Victoria became heir presumptive
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom
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Victoria wearing her
small diamond crown Photograph by
Alexander Bassano, 1882
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom
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Victoria, aged four Painting by
Stephen Poyntz Denning, 1823
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom
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Victoria with her spaniel Dash, 1833 Painting by
George Hayter
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom
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Self-portrait, 1835
13.
Dynasty
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A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a feudal or monarchical system but sometimes also appearing in elective republics. The dynastic family or lineage may be known as a house, historians periodize the histories of many sovereign states, such as Ancient Egypt, the Carolingian Empire and Imperial China, using a framework of successive dynasties. As such, the dynasty may be used to delimit the era during which the family reigned and to describe events, trends. The word dynasty itself is often dropped from such adjectival references, until the 19th century, it was taken for granted that a legitimate function of a monarch was to aggrandize his dynasty, that is, to increase the territory, wealth, and power of his family members. The longest-surviving dynasty in the world is the Imperial House of Japan, dynasties throughout the world have traditionally been reckoned patrilineally, such as under the Frankish Salic law. Succession through a daughter when permitted was considered to establish a new dynasty in her husbands ruling house, however, some states in Africa, determined descent matrilineally, while rulers have at other times adopted the name of their mothers dynasty when coming into her inheritance. It is also extended to unrelated people such as poets of the same school or various rosters of a single sports team. The word dynasty derives via Latin dynastia from Greek dynastéia, where it referred to power, dominion and it was the abstract noun of dynástēs, the agent noun of dynamis, power or ability, from dýnamai, to be able. A ruler in a dynasty is referred to as a dynast. For example, following his abdication, Edward VIII of the United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the House of Windsor. A dynastic marriage is one that complies with monarchical house law restrictions, the marriage of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, to Máxima Zorreguieta in 2002 was dynastic, for example, and their eldest child is expected to inherit the Dutch crown eventually. But the marriage of his younger brother Prince Friso to Mabel Wisse Smit in 2003 lacked government support, thus Friso forfeited his place in the order of succession, lost his title as a Prince of the Netherlands, and left his children without dynastic rights. In historical and monarchist references to formerly reigning families, a dynast is a member who would have had succession rights, were the monarchys rules still in force. Even since abolition of the Austrian monarchy, Max and his descendants have not been considered the rightful pretenders by Austrian monarchists, nor have they claimed that position. The term dynast is sometimes used only to refer to descendants of a realms monarchs. The term can therefore describe overlapping but distinct sets of people, yet he is not a male-line member of the royal family, and is therefore not a dynast of the House of Windsor. Thus, in 1999 he requested and obtained permission from Elizabeth II to marry the Roman Catholic Princess Caroline of Monaco. Yet a clause of the English Act of Settlement 1701 remained in effect at that time and that exclusion, too, ceased to apply on 26 March 2015, with retroactive effect for those who had been dynasts prior to triggering it by marriage to a Catholic
Dynasty
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Charles I of England and his son, the future
James II
14.
Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
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Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, was one of the ruling Thuringian dukes of the House of Wettin. He is the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II. He was the eldest son of Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and he received a private, careful and comprehensive education and became an art connoisseur. He was commissioned into the army in 1793 when his country was invaded by the Revolutionary armies of France. The allied forces included Hanoverians, Hessians, and the British and he fought in several actions against the French. Francis succeeded his father as reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1800, in the discharge of his fathers debts the Schloss Rosenau had passed out of the family but in 1805 he bought back the property as a summer residence for the ducal family. Emperor Francis II dissolved the Holy Roman Empire on 6 August 1806, Duke Francis died 9 December 1806. On 15 December 1806, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, along with the other Ernestine duchies, entered the Confederation of the Rhine as the Duke, in Hildburghausen on 6 March 1776, Francis married Princess Sophie of Saxe-Hildburghausen, a daughter of his Ernestine kinsman, Duke Ernst Friedrich II. She died on 28 October 1776, only seven months after her wedding, there were no children born from this marriage. In Ebersdorf on 13 June 1777, Francis married Countess Augusta Reuss-Lobenstein-Ebersdorf and his son Leopold ruled as Leopold I of the Belgians. A grandson reigned jure uxoris as King Ferdinand II of Portugal while a great-grandson named Ferdinand became the first modern king of Bulgaria, one of his granddaughters was Empress Carlota of Mexico while another became Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The latters son, Edward VII, a patrilineal as well as matrilineal great-grandson of Francis, August Beck, Franz Friedrich Anton, Herzog von Sachsen-Koburg-Saalfeld. VII, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p.296, carl-Christian Dressel, Die Entwicklung von Verfassung und Verwaltung in Sachsen-Coburg 1800 -1826 im Vergleich, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-428-12003-1. Christian Kruse, Franz Friedrich Anton von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld,1750 -1806, in, Jahrbuch der Coburger Landesstiftung, Coburg 1995
Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
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Francis
15.
Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf
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Countess Augusta Caroline Sophie Reuss of Ebersdorf, was by marriage a duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She was the grandmother of Queen Victoria and the paternal grandmother of Albert. She was the second of seven children of Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss of Ebersdorf and her birthplace, Ebersdorf, was a center of Pietism in Thuringia and Augustas grandparents were ardent admirers of this religious movement. Augustas great-aunt Countess Erdmuthe Dorothea, by marriage Countess of Zinzendorf, was married to the founder of the Moravian Church and this background explains the deep religious feelings of Princess Augusta in later years. Augusta was one of the most beautiful women of her time and her father commissioned a portrait of Augusta as Artemisia by the painter Johann Heinrich Tischbein. Count Heinrich XXIV showed this painting during the Perpetual Diet so potential marriage candidates were aware of his beautiful daughter, in Ebersdorf on 13 June 1777 Augusta married Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Princess Sophie died seven months after the wedding, so the Duke was free to pursue the hand of his beloved. During her marriage, Augusta bore her husband ten children, some of them played important roles in European history, Victoria, Duchess of Kent, and King Leopold I of Belgium. The House of Reuss became princes on 9 April 1806, Augusta died in Coburg on 16 November 1831, aged seventy-four, five months after the election of her son Leopold as King of the Belgians
Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf
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Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf
16.
Queen Victoria
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Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the title of Empress of India. Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, both the Duke of Kent and King George III died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her German-born mother Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne aged 18, after her fathers three brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already a constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments, publicly, Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together, after Alberts death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength and her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration. Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era and it was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover and her son and successor, Edward VII, belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the line of his father. Victorias father was Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, until 1817, Edwards niece, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was the only legitimate grandchild of George III. Her death in 1817 precipitated a crisis that brought pressure on the Duke of Kent. In 1818 he married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed German princess with two children—Carl and Feodora —by her first marriage to the Prince of Leiningen and her brother Leopold was Princess Charlottes widower. The Duke and Duchess of Kents only child, Victoria, was born at 4.15 a. m. on 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace in London. Victoria was christened privately by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton, on 24 June 1819 in the Cupola Room at Kensington Palace and she was baptised Alexandrina, after one of her godparents, Emperor Alexander I of Russia, and Victoria, after her mother. Additional names proposed by her parents—Georgina, Charlotte, and Augusta—were dropped on the instructions of the Dukes eldest brother, George, the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of Kent married on the same day in 1818, but both of Clarences daughters died as infants. Victorias father died in January 1820, when Victoria was less than a year old, a week later her grandfather died and was succeeded by his eldest son, George IV. The Duke of York died in 1827, when George IV died in 1830, he was succeeded by his next surviving brother, William IV, and Victoria became heir presumptive
Queen Victoria
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Victoria wearing her
small diamond crown Photograph by
Alexander Bassano, 1882
Queen Victoria
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Victoria, aged four Painting by
Stephen Poyntz Denning, 1823
Queen Victoria
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Victoria with her spaniel Dash, 1833 Painting by
George Hayter
Queen Victoria
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Self-portrait, 1835
17.
Principality of Leiningen
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The Principality of Leiningen was a short-lived principality, which emerged in 1803 in the course of secularization and was created especially for a line of the nobility of the House of Leiningen. It lay for the most part in todays Baden-Wuerttemberg and for the part in todays Bavaria. Laurenz Hannibal Fischer, Die Verwaltungsverhältnisse des fürstlichen Hauses Leiningen, Amorbach 1828, umbruchserfahrungen einer Adelsherrschaft zur Zeit der Französischen Revolution. Sandra Schwab, Die Entschädigung des Hauses Leiningen durch den Reichsdeputationshauptschluß von 1803, GRIN Verlag für akademische Texte, BoD. Ingo Toussaint, Die Grafen von Leiningen, Studien zur leiningischen Genealogie und Territorialgeschichte bis zur Teilung von 1317/18, fürstenhaus zu Leiningen Das Fürstentum Leiningen in einer Geschichte Baden-Württembergs
Principality of Leiningen
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Arms of the Princes of Leiningen
Principality of Leiningen
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The
coat of arms of the
House of Leiningen
18.
Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
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The Holy Roman Empire was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806. On 25 December 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as Emperor, reviving the title in Western Europe, more than three centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The title was revived in 962 when Otto I was crowned emperor, fashioning himself as the successor of Charlemagne, some historians refer to the coronation of Charlemagne as the origin of the empire, while others prefer the coronation of Otto I as its beginning. Scholars generally concur, however, in relating an evolution of the institutions and principles constituting the empire, the office of Holy Roman Emperor was traditionally elective, although frequently controlled by dynasties. Emperor Francis II dissolved the empire on 6 August 1806, after the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine by Napoleon, before 1157, the realm was merely referred to as the Roman Empire. In a decree following the 1512 Diet of Cologne, the name was changed to Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, by the end of the 18th century, the term Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation had fallen out of official use. As Roman power in Gaul declined during the 5th century, local Germanic tribes assumed control, by the middle of the 8th century, however, the Merovingians had been reduced to figureheads, and the Carolingians, led by Charles Martel, had become the de facto rulers. In 751, Martel’s son Pepin became King of the Franks, the Carolingians would maintain a close alliance with the Papacy. In 768 Pepin’s son Charlemagne became King of the Franks and began an expansion of the realm. He eventually incorporated the territories of present-day France, Germany, northern Italy, on Christmas Day of 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor, restoring the title in the west for the first time in over three centuries. After the death of Charles the Fat in 888, however, the Carolingian Empire broke apart, according to Regino of Prüm, the parts of the realm spewed forth kinglets, and each part elected a kinglet from its own bowels. After the death of Charles the Fat, those crowned emperor by the pope controlled only territories in Italy, the last such emperor was Berengar I of Italy, who died in 924. Around 900, autonomous stem duchies reemerged in East Francia, on his deathbed, Conrad yielded the crown to his main rival, Henry the Fowler of Saxony, who was elected king at the Diet of Fritzlar in 919. Henry reached a truce with the raiding Magyars, and in 933 he won a first victory against them in the Battle of Riade, Henry died in 936, but his descendants, the Liudolfing dynasty, would continue to rule the Eastern kingdom for roughly a century. Upon Henry the Fowlers death, Otto, his son and designated successor, was elected King in Aachen in 936 and he overcame a series of revolts from an elder brother and from several dukes. After that, the managed to control the appointment of dukes. In 951, Otto came to the aid of Adelaide, the queen of Italy, defeating her enemies, marrying her. In 955, Otto won a victory over the Magyars in the Battle of Lechfeld
Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
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The Holy Roman Empire at its maximal extent, in the 13th century
Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
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Imperial Banner
Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
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An illustration from
Schedelsche Weltchronik depicting the structure of the Reich: The Holy Roman Emperor is sitting; on his left are three ecclesiastics; on his right are four secular electors.
Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
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Double-headed eagle with coats of arms of individual states, symbol of the Holy Roman Empire (painting from 1510)
19.
Leopold I of Belgium
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Leopold I was a German prince who became the first King of the Belgians following Belgian independence in 1830. He reigned between July 1831 and December 1865, Charlotte died in 1817, but Leopold continued to enjoy considerable status in Britain. After the Greek War of Independence, LeopoId was offered the position of King of Greece but turned it down, instead, Leopold accepted the kingship of the newly established Kingdom of Belgium in 1831. The Belgian government offered the position to Leopold because of his connections with royal houses across Europe. Leopold took his oath as King of the Belgians on 21 July 1831 and his reign was marked by attempts by the Dutch to recapture Belgium and, later, by internal political division between liberals and Catholics. As a result of the ambiguities in the Belgian Constitution, Leopold was able to expand the monarchs powers during his reign. He also played an important role in stopping the spread of the Revolutions of 1848 into Belgium and he died in 1865 and was succeeded by his son, Leopold II. Leopold was born in Coburg in the tiny German duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in modern-day Bavaria on 16 December 1790 and he was the youngest son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf. In 1826, Saxe-Coburg acquired the city of Gotha from the neighboring Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and gave up Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen, becoming Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Ln 1795, at just five years old, Leopold was given a commission of the rank of colonel in the Izmaylovsky Regiment, part of the Imperial Guard. Seven years later, he received a promotion to the rank of Major General, when French troops occupied the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars, Leopold went to Paris where he became part of the Imperial Court of Napoleon. Napoleon offered him the position of adjutant, but Leopold refused, instead, he went to Russia to take up a military career in the Imperial Russian cavalry, which was at war with France at the time. He campaigned against Napoleon and distinguished himself at the Battle of Kulm at the head of his cuirassier division, in 1815, by the time of the final defeat of Napoleon and, aged 25, reached the rank of lieutenant general. Leopold received British citizenship in 1815, on 2 May 1816, Leopold married Princess Charlotte of Wales at Carlton House in London. Charlotte was the legitimate child of the Prince Regent George. The same year he received a commission to the rank of Field Marshal. On 5 November 1817, Princess Charlotte gave birth to a stillborn son and she herself died the next day following complications. Despite Charlottes death, the Prince Regent granted Prince Leopold the British style of Royal Highness by Order in Council on 6 April 1818, from 1828 to 1829, Leopold had several-months long affair with the actress Caroline Bauer, who bore a striking resemblance to Charlotte
Leopold I of Belgium
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Portrait of Leopold by
George Dawe
Leopold I of Belgium
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Ehrenburg Palace in
Coburg, where Leopold was born in 1790, pictured c. 1900
Leopold I of Belgium
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Engraving of the wedding of Charlotte and Leopold in 1816
Leopold I of Belgium
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Louis-Philippe refuses the crown of Belgium on behalf of his son, the
Duke of Nemours, 17 February 1831
20.
Princess Charlotte of Wales
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Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales was the only child of George, Prince of Wales and Caroline of Brunswick. Had she outlived both her grandfather King George III and her father, she would have become Queen of the United Kingdom, Charlottes parents disliked each other from before their arranged marriage and soon separated. The Prince of Wales left most of Charlottes care to governesses and servants, but only allowed her limited contact with the Princess of Wales, who eventually left the country. As Charlotte grew to adulthood, her father pressured her to marry William, Hereditary Prince of Orange and this resulted in an extended contest of wills between her and her father, and finally the Prince of Wales permitted her to marry Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After a year and a half of marriage, Charlotte died after delivering a stillborn son. Charlottes death set off tremendous mourning among the British, who had seen her as a sign of hope, as she had been King George IIIs only legitimate grandchild, there was considerable pressure on the Kings unmarried sons to find wives. King George IIIs fourth son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, fathered the eventual heir, Victoria, in 1794, George, Prince of Wales, sought a suitable bride. He did not do so out of any desire to secure the succession. George, despite receiving large incomes as Prince of Wales and as Duke of Cornwall, lived well beyond his means, George had attempted marriage once, to his mistress, Maria Fitzherbert. The attempted marriage was invalid as no attempt had been made to obtain the consent of King George III, the Princes father. Nevertheless, the Prince kept Fitzherbert as his mistress, that is, George considered two German princesses as possible brides, both of whom were his first cousins. Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the daughter of Georges mothers brother, while Caroline of Brunswick was his fathers sisters daughter. Princess Caroline had, it was said, behaved improperly with an Irish officer in her fathers army, Harris found the Princess dressed in a dishevelled manner, and it was obvious that she had not washed in several days. He found her conversation coarse and overly familiar, the diplomat brought Caroline to St. Jamess Palace, on first sight of his bride, the Prince stated, Harris, I am not well, pray get me a glass of brandy. After the Prince had left, Caroline said, I think he is very fat and nothing like as handsome as his portrait. Before the wedding on 8 April 1795, George sent his brother William, Duke of Clarence, to tell Fitzherbert that she was the woman he would ever love, then went to the ceremony. Caroline on the other hand later hinted that the Prince was impotent, the royal couple separated within weeks, though they remained under the same roof. One day short of nine months after the wedding, Caroline gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte was born at the Princes residence, Carlton House, London, on 7 January 1796
Princess Charlotte of Wales
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A portrait of Charlotte by
George Dawe, 1817
Princess Charlotte of Wales
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George, Prince of Wales in 1792
Princess Charlotte of Wales
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Caroline in 1795, shortly before her marriage to the future George IV
Princess Charlotte of Wales
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Charlotte as a young girl
21.
King George IV
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George IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover following the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as Prince Regent during his fathers mental illness. George IV led an extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the Regency era and he was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace and he even forbade Caroline to attend his coronation and asked the government to introduce the unpopular Pains and Penalties Bill in a desperate, unsuccessful attempt to divorce her. For most of Georges regency and reign, Lord Liverpool controlled the government as Prime Minister and his ministers found his behaviour selfish, unreliable and irresponsible. At all times he was much under the influence of favourites, taxpayers were angry at his wasteful spending at a time when Britons were fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. He did not provide leadership in time of crisis, nor act as a role model for his people. Liverpools government presided over Britains ultimate victory, negotiated the peace settlement, after Liverpools retirement, George was forced to accept Catholic emancipation despite opposing it. His only child, Princess Charlotte, died before him in 1817 and so he was succeeded by his younger brother, George was born at St Jamess Palace, London, on 12 August 1762, the first child of King George III of the United Kingdom and Queen Charlotte. As the eldest son of a British sovereign, he automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at birth, he was created Prince of Wales, on 18 September of the same year, he was baptised by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Duke of Cumberland, George was a talented student, and quickly learned to speak French, German and Italian, in addition to his native English. He was a witty conversationalist, drunk or sober, and showed good, the Prince of Wales turned 21 in 1783, and obtained a grant of £60,000 from Parliament and an annual income of £50,000 from his father. It was far too little for his needs – the stables alone cost £31,000 a year and he then established his residence in Carlton House, where he lived a profligate life. Animosity developed between the prince and his father, who desired more frugal behaviour on the part of the heir apparent, the King, a political conservative, was also alienated by the princes adherence to Charles James Fox and other radically inclined politicians. Soon after he reached the age of 21, the prince became infatuated with Maria Fitzherbert and she was a commoner, six years his elder, twice widowed, and a Roman Catholic. Despite her complete unsuitability, the prince was determined to marry her, nevertheless, the couple went through a marriage ceremony on 15 December 1785 at her house in Park Street, Mayfair. Legally the union was void, as the Kings consent was not granted, however, Fitzherbert believed that she was the princes canonical and true wife, holding the law of the Church to be superior to the law of the State. For political reasons, the union remained secret and Fitzherbert promised not to reveal it, the prince was plunged into debt by his exorbitant lifestyle
King George IV
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Coronation portrait by Sir
Thomas Lawrence, 1821
King George IV
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George (left) with his mother
Queen Charlotte and younger brother
Frederick, portrait by
Allan Ramsay, 1764
King George IV
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Portrait miniature by
Richard Cosway, c. 1780–82
22.
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
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Carl XVI Gustaf is the King of Sweden. He ascended the throne upon the death of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf on 15 September 1973 and he is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The Kings heir apparent, upon passage on 1 January 1980 of a new law establishing absolute primogeniture, is Crown Princess Victoria, Carl Gustaf was born on 30 April 1946 at 10,20 in Haga Palace in Solna, Stockholm County. He was the youngest of five children and the son of Swedens Prince Gustaf Adolf. He was christened at the Royal Chapel on 7 June 1946 by the Archbishop of Uppsala and he was baptized in Charles XIs baptismal font, which stood on Gustav IIIs carpet and he lay in Charles XIs cradle with Oscar IIs crown beside him. The same christening gown in white linen batiste which the prince carried had been worn by his father in 1906, Prince Carl Gustaf was also given the title of the Duke of Jämtland. His father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, was killed in a crash on 26 January 1947. His fathers death had left the prince second in line for the throne, behind his grandfather. When his great-grandfather Gustaf V died in 1950, the prince became the heir apparent of Sweden. Carl Gustaf was seven years old before he was told about his fathers death, after graduating from high school, Carl Gustaf completed two and a half years of education in the Royal Swedish Army, the Royal Swedish Navy, and the Royal Swedish Air Force. He received his commission as an officer in all three services in 1968, and he rose to the rank of captain and lieutenant. He has also completed his studies in history, sociology, political science, tax law. In addition, he studied the affairs of the Riksdag, Government. On 15 September 1973, Carl Gustaf became King of Sweden upon the death of his grandfather, on September 19, he took the required regal assurance during an extraordinary meeting of the cabinet. Afterwards, he appeared before the parliament, diplomatic corps, court, both the cabinet meeting and ceremony at the Hall were broadcast live on television. Following the ceremonies, he appeared on the balcony to acknowledge gathered crowds, at the cabinet meeting, the King declared that his name would be Carl XVI Gustaf and that his title would be King of Sweden. He adopted, For Sweden – With the times as his personal motto, when Carl Gustaf ascended the throne, plans were already in place to replace the 1809 Instrument of Government which gave the King extensive involvement with government. Though the King was a near-autocrat on paper, the Riksdags authority grew steadily into the early 20th century, in 1914, Gustaf V made a speech which resulted in what is known as the Courtyard Crisis wherein he was accused of interfering with politics
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
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The 15-year-old Crown Prince of Sweden looks at the recently recovered 17th century warship
Vasa in 1961.
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
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Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
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The King and Queen of Sweden welcomed at the
Kremlin by
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife
Lyudmila at the start of the King's State Visit to Russia, 8 October 2001.
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
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King Carl XVI Gustaf with
Queen Silvia.
23.
Felipe VI of Spain
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Felipe VI is the King of Spain. He ascended to the throne on 19 June 2014 following the abdication of his father and he is the only son of Juan Carlos and his wife Sofía of Greece and Denmark. When Juan Carlos was chosen in 1969 to be Francisco Francos successor, Felipe became heir apparent when Juan Carlos succeeded Franco as head of state following his death in 1975. He was created Prince of Asturias in 1977, the title for the first in line. As Prince of Asturias, he worked to support philanthropic causes, in 2004, Felipe married TV presenter Letizia Ortiz with whom he has two daughters. Leonor, the elder, is his heir apparent and he succeeded his father as King of Spain when he abdicated in 2014. Felipe was born at Our Lady of Loreto Clinic in Madrid and he was baptised on 8 February 1968 at the Palace of Zarzuela by the Archbishop of Madrid, Casimiro Morcillo. His godparents were his paternal grandfather Juan and his paternal great-grandmother, shortly after his birth he was styled infante, although his father was not yet king. The ruling dictator General Francisco Franco died just over two months before Felipes eighth birthday, and Felipes father ascended the throne, in his first official appearance, Felipe attended his fathers proclamation as king on 22 November 1975. In 1977, Felipe was formally created Prince of Asturias, in May, nine-year-old Felipe was made an honorary soldier of the 1st Kings Immemorial Infantry Regiment. The occasion was marked on 28 May and was attended by the king, on 1 November the same year, he was ceremoniously paid homage as Prince of Asturias in Covadonga. In 1981 Felipe received the Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece from his father, Felipe attended school at Santa María de los Rosales, which his daughters currently attend. As the heir to the throne, a regulated and structured plan was laid out for Felipes military training. In August 1985, a Royal Decree named Felipe as officer at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza and he began his military training there in September. He completed the first phase of his formation in October, in July 1986, he was promoted to Cadet 2nd Lieutenant. He was also named as Midshipman, on September 1986, he began his naval training at the Escuela Naval Militar in Pontevedra, joining the Third Brigade. In January 1987, he continued his training on board the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano. In July, he was named as Student Ensign at the Academia General del Aire in Murcia, in September 1987, he began his air force training there
Felipe VI of Spain
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Felipe VI
Felipe VI of Spain
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Felipe meeting President
Vladimir Putin of Russia, 2002
Felipe VI of Spain
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Felipe and President
Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, 2010
Felipe VI of Spain
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Felipe and Letizia at the
wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling, in
Stockholm, 2010
24.
Constantine II of Greece
–
Constantine II was the last King of Greece, reigning from 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy in 1973. He acceded as king following the death of his father King Paul in March 1964, later that year he married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark with whom he eventually had five children. The coup was successful, leaving Constantine, as head of state, as a result, he reluctantly agreed to inaugurate the putschist government on the condition that it be made up largely of civilian ministers. On 13 December 1967, he was forced to flee the country and he formally remained the head of state in exile until 1 June 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy. This abolition was confirmed after the fall of the junta by a plebiscite on 8 December 1974, Constantine, who was not allowed to return to Greece to campaign, accepted the results of the plebiscite. Constantine was born at Psychiko, a suburb in northern Athens, the nephew of King George II and his mother was Crown Princess Frederica, the former Princess Frederica of Hanover. Constantines older sister Sofia is the queen consort of Spain, while his younger sister. He was one year old when Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany invaded Greece and he returned to Greece with his family in 1946. King George died in 1947, and Constantines father became King Paul and he was educated at a preparatory school and later a boarding school where he was an above average student academically. A fellow student recalled him as, a good chap, a man with all the right instincts. He was at his best on the playing fields, Constantine served in all three armed services, attending the requisite military academies. He also attended the NATO Air Force Special Weapons School in Germany, as well as the University of Athens, in 1960, aged 20, he won an Olympic gold medal in sailing, which was the first Greek gold medal in sailing since the Stockholm 1912 Summer Olympics. He was also a swimmer and had a black belt in karate, with interests in squash, track events. In 1963 Constantine became a member of the International Olympic Committee and he resigned in 1974 because he was no longer a Greek resident, and was made an Honorary IOC Member. In March 1964, King Paul died of cancer, and the 23-year-old Constantine succeeded him as king, prior to this, Constantine had already been appointed as regent for his ailing father. King Pauls long-time prime minister Konstantinos Karamanlis regarded him partly responsible for his fall in 1963, however, due to his youth, he was also perceived as a promise of change. It was hoped that the new king and the new prime minister would be able to overcome past dissensions. Initially, relations between the king and Papandreou seemed good, but by 1965, they had deteriorated, the conservative establishment feared the rising influence of Papandreous left-leaning son Andreas, and the outbreak of the purported ASPIDA scandal seemed to confirm their suspicions
Constantine II of Greece
–
Constantine in 1987
Constantine II of Greece
–
Constantine as a young man in 1959
Constantine II of Greece
–
Constantine and his wife with their youngest children, Theodora and Philippos, by
Allan Warren
Constantine II of Greece
–
Constantine II and his wife arriving at the
Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling
25.
Amorbach
–
Amorbach is a town in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany, with some 4,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the small river Mud, in the part of the Odenwald. The town began as a Benedictine monastery, which bit by bit grew into a settlement until in 1253 it was raised to the status of a town, over the years, the town changed hands several times. It was part of the Bishopric of Würzburg until 1656, when it became part of the Archbishopric of Mainz, as a result of the 1803 German Mediatisation the Archbishopric of Mainz was secularized, and Amorbach became the residence town of the short-lived Principality of Leiningen. Only in 1816 did it become part of the Kingdom of Bavaria, in 1965, Amorbach attained the status of climatic spa. Amorbach is the seat of the princely Haus zu Leiningen. In 1992, the town was awarded the Europa Nostra Medal, the Benedictine abbey, formerly owned by the princely Haus zu Leiningen with its library, and the abbey church with its Stumm organ draw thousands of visitors each year. The late-Baroque hall church St. Gangolf replaced an earlier one, St. Gangolf and St. Sebastian and it was built in 1751-3 by local Oberamtmann Johann Franz Wolfgang Damian von Ostein and his brother and Archbishop, Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein. The design was based on plans by Anselm Franz von Ritter zu Groenesteyn, the design was inspired by St. Peters Church at Mainz. The interior reflects Rococo style and the onset of the Neoclassical style, ceiling frescoes by Johannes Zick show the lives of St. Gangolf and Saint Sebastian as well as King David as the father of Solomons Temple. Oil paintings in the choir by Konrad Huber depict the legendary beginnings of Amorbach, the marble high altar was made by Georg Schrantz, while Josef Keilwerth added the four statues. The cross by J. B. Berg dates from 1808, the side altars were originally used in the predecessor building. The organ also dates from 1720, but was located at Neustadt am Main Abbey until 1806, the church has two pulpits, made from stucco by Antonio Rossi. St. Gangolf is the Catholic parish church of Amorbach, the Sammlung Berger mit Teekannenmuseum is a museum of art and teapots. The tithe barn in Amorbach, built in 1488, has for five hundred years played a role in the town. Originally built to store tithes in the form of produce for the prince, the Kulturkreis Zehntscheuer Amorbach e. V. which outfitted the building in 1991 as a cabaret theatre maintains and renovates the building, which stands in the historical town centre. In 2001, this club bought the tithe barn, in Amorbach, Bundesstraße 469 meets Bundesstraße 47. The railway station lies on the Seckach−Miltenberg railway line, also known as the Madonnenlandbahn, princess Feodora of Leiningen, elder half-sister of Queen Victoria
Amorbach
–
Amorbach 1735
Amorbach
–
St. Gangolf’s Parish Church in Amorbach
Amorbach
–
Abbey church
26.
Kew
–
Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is also the home of important historical documents such as Domesday Book, successive Tudor, Stuart and Georgian monarchs maintained links with Kew. During the French Revolution, many established themselves there and it was the home of several artists in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since 1965 Kew has incorporated the area of North Sheen which includes St Philip and All Saints. It is now in a combined Church of England ecclesiastical parish with St Lukes Church, today, Kew is an expensive residential area because of its suburban hallmarks. Among these are open spaces, schools, transport links, architecture, restaurants, no high rise buildings, modest road sizes, trees. Most of Kew developed in the late 19th century, following the arrival of the District line of the Underground. The earliest written reference to Kew is thought to be contained in Julius Caesars Gallic Wars, the name Kew is a combination of two words, the Old French kai and Old English hoh. The land spur is formed by the bend in the Thames, the name was recorded in 1327 as Cayho. Kew forms part of the Richmond Park UK Parliament constituency, the current Member of Parliament is Sarah Olney. For elections to the European Parliament it is part of the London constituency, for elections to the London Assembly it is part of the South West London Assembly constituency. Kew was added in 1892 to the Municipal Borough of Richmond which had formed two years earlier, and which was in the county of Surrey. In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, the boundaries of Greater London were expanded to include Kew which, with Richmond, the fashion clothing retailer Jigsaws headquarters are in Mortlake Road, Kew. A former industry in Kew was that of manufacturing, by the Caxton Name Plate Manufacturing Company. The company was founded in 1964 and folded in 1997, another former industry in Kew was car and lorry manufacturing. From the 1920s until 1967 Dodge and later Chrysler both made cars and lorries here, and one of Chryslers vehicles was called the Kew, Kew Retail Park stands on the site of the former factory. Henry V developed a Carthusian monastery to the south west of where Kew Observatory now stands, Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester was granted lands at Kew in 1517. When he died in 1526 he left his Kew estates to his wife, Eleanor
Kew
–
The Parish Church of St Anne, Kew
Kew
–
Temperate House in
Kew Gardens
Kew
–
West Hall, Kew
Kew
–
"Sarah Kirby (née Bull) and
Joshua Kirby ", by
Thomas Gainsborough
27.
King William IV
–
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. The third son of George III and younger brother and successor to George IV, he was the last king, William served in the Royal Navy in his youth and was, both during his reign and afterwards, nicknamed the Sailor King. He served in North America and the Caribbean, in 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. Since his two brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. Although William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, through his brother, the Viceroy of Hanover, he granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution. William was succeeded in the United Kingdom by his niece, Victoria, William was born in the early hours of the morning on 21 August 1765 at Buckingham House, the third child and son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He had two brothers, George and Frederick, and was not expected to inherit the Crown. He was baptised in the Great Council Chamber of St Jamess Palace on 20 September 1765 and his godparents were his paternal uncles, the Duke of Gloucester and Prince Henry, and his paternal aunt, Princess Augusta, then hereditary duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He spent most of his life in Richmond and at Kew Palace. At the age of thirteen, he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and his experiences in the navy seem to have been little different from those of other midshipmen, though in contrast to other sailors he was accompanied on board ships by a tutor. He did his share of the cooking and got arrested with his shipmates after a brawl in Gibraltar. He served in New York during the American War of Independence, I am fully persuaded, that it is unnecessary to caution you against offering insult or indignity to the persons of the Prince or Admiral. The plot did not come to fruition, the British heard of it and assigned guards to William and he became a lieutenant in 1785 and captain of HMS Pegasus the following year. The two were friends, and dined together almost nightly. At Nelsons wedding, William insisted on giving the bride away and he was given command of the frigate HMS Andromeda in 1788, and was promoted to rear-admiral in command of HMS Valiant the following year. William sought to be made a duke like his brothers, and to receive a similar parliamentary grant. To put pressure on him, William threatened to stand for the House of Commons for the constituency of Totnes in Devon, Williams political record was inconsistent and, like many politicians of the time, cannot be certainly ascribed to a single party. William ceased his active service in the Royal Navy in 1790, the following year he spoke in favour of the war, expecting a command after his change of heart, none came
King William IV
–
Portrait by Sir
Martin Archer Shee, 1833
King William IV
–
William aged thirteen (left) and his younger brother
Edward, painted by
Benjamin West, 1778
King William IV
–
William in dress uniform painted by Sir Martin Archer Shee, c.1800
King William IV
–
Mrs. Jordan in the Character of Hypolita,
mezzotint by John Jones of London, 1791, after a painting by
John Hoppner
28.
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
–
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and of Hanover as spouse of William IV of the United Kingdom. Adelaide was the daughter of George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is named after her. Adelaide was born on 13 August 1792 at Meiningen, Thuringia and her father was George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, and her mother was Luise Eleonore, daughter of Prince Christian of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Saxe-Meiningen was a state, covering about 423 square miles. It was the most liberal German state and, unlike its neighbours, permitted a free press, by the end of 1811, King George III was mad and, although still King in name, his heir-apparent and eldest son George was Prince Regent. On 6 November 1817 the Prince Regents only daughter, Princess Charlotte, wife of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Princess Charlotte was second in line to the throne, had she outlived her father and grandfather, she would have become Queen. With her death, the King was left with twelve children, the Prince Regent was estranged from his wife, who was forty-nine years-old, thus there was little likelihood that he would have any further legitimate children. To secure the line of succession, Prince William, Duke of Clarence, William already had ten children by the popular actress Dorothea Jordan, but, being illegitimate, they were debarred from the succession. Considerable allowances were likely to be voted by Parliament to any Royal Duke who married, the allowance proposed was slashed by Parliament, and the outraged Duke considered calling off the marriage. However, Adelaide seemed the ideal candidate, amiable, home-loving, the arrangement was settled and William wrote to his eldest son, She is doomed, poor dear innocent young creature, to be my wife. They had only met for the first time about a week earlier, neither William nor Adelaide had been married before, and William was twenty-seven years her senior. Despite these unromantic circumstances, the couple settled amicably in Hanover, Adelaide improved Williams behaviour, he drank less, swore less and became more tactful. Observers thought them parsimonious, and their simple, even boring. William eventually accepted the reduced increase in his allowance voted by Parliament, on the Continent, Adelaide became pregnant, but in her seventh month of pregnancy, she caught pleurisy and gave birth prematurely on 27 March 1819 during the illness. Her daughter, Charlotte, lived only a few hours and she became pregnant again, and a second daughter, Elizabeth, was born on 10 December 1820. Elizabeth seemed strong but died less than three months old on 4 March 1821 of inflammation in the Bowels, ultimately, William and Adelaide had no surviving children. Twin boys were stillborn on 8 April 1822, and a possible brief pregnancy may have occurred within the same year, Princess Victoria of Kent came to be acknowledged as Williams heiress presumptive, as Adelaide had no further pregnancies. While there were rumours of pregnancies well into Williams reign, they seem to have been without basis, at the time of their marriage, William was not heir-presumptive to the throne, but became so when his brother Frederick, Duke of York, died childless in 1827
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
–
Portrait by Sir
William Beechey, c.1831
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
–
Signature
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
–
Wax figure of Queen Adelaide, 1830
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
–
Portrait of Queen Adelaide painted by
John Simpson in 1832.
29.
Germany
–
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
Germany
–
The
Nebra sky disk is dated to c. 1600 BC.
Germany
–
Flag
Germany
–
Martin Luther (1483–1546) initiated the
Protestant Reformation.
Germany
–
Foundation of the
German Empire in
Versailles, 1871.
Bismarck is at the center in a white uniform.
30.
Kensington Palace
–
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Today, the State Rooms are open to the public and managed by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, the offices and private accommodation areas of the Palace remain the responsibility of the Royal Household and are maintained by the Royal Household Property Section. The palace also displays paintings and other objects from the Royal Collection. Kensington Palace was originally a two-storey Jacobean mansion built by Sir George Coppin in 1605 in the village of Kensington, the mansion was purchased in 1619 by Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham and was then known as Nottingham House. In the summer of 1689, William and Mary bought Nottingham House from Secretary of State Daniel Finch and they then instructed Sir Christopher Wren, Surveyor of the Kings Works to begin an immediate expansion of the house. In order to time and money, Wren kept the structure intact and added a three-story pavilion at each of the four corners, providing more accommodation for the King and Queen. The Queen’s Apartments were in the north-west pavilion and the King’s in the south-east, Wren then re-oriented the house to face west, building north and south wings to flank the approach, made into a proper cour dhonneur that was entered through an archway surmounted by a clock tower. The palace was surrounded by straight cut solitary lawns, and formal gardens, laid out with paths and flower beds at right angles. Jamess Palace, which has not been the royal residence in London since the 17th century. William had constructed the South Front, to the design of Nicholas Hawksmoor, after William IIIs death, the palace became the residence of Queen Anne. These were primarily used by the Queen to give access between the apartments and gardens. Queen Annes most notable contribution to the palace were the gardens and she commissioned the Hawksmoor designed Orangery, modified by John Vanbrugh, that was built for her in 1704. The level of decoration of the interior, including carved detail by Grinling Gibbons, reflects its use, not just as a greenhouse. Also, a magnificent 30 acre baroque parterre, with sections of clipped scrolling designs punctuated by trees formally clipped into cones, was out by Henry Wise. Kensington Palace was also the setting of the argument between Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough and Queen Anne. The Duchess, who was known for being outspoken and manipulative, was jealous of the attention the Queen was giving to Abigail Masham, Queen Anne died at Kensington Palace on 1 August 1714. George I spent lavishly on new royal apartments, creating three new state known as the Privy Chamber, the Cupola Room and the Withdrawing Room. He hired the unknown William Kent in 1722 to decorate the state rooms, the Cupola Room was Kents first commission for the King
Kensington Palace
–
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace
–
Kensington Palace south front with its
parterres, engraved by
Jan Kip, 1724.
Kensington Palace
–
Kensington Palace Orangery
Kensington Palace
–
The Cupola Room
31.
Sir George Hayter
–
Sir George Hayter was a notable English painter, specialising in portraits and large works involving in some cases several hundred individual portraits. Queen Victoria appreciated his merits and appointed Hayter her Principal Painter in Ordinary and his father secured his release, and they came to an agreement that Hayter should assist him while pursuing his own studies. In 1809 he secretly married Sarah Milton, a lodger at his fathers house, together they had three children Georgiana, Leopold and Henry. At the Royal Academy Schools he studied under Fuseli, and in 1815 was appointed Painter of Miniatures, Hayter was awarded the British Institution’s premium for history painting for the Prophet Ezra, purchased by Richard Payne Knight. Around 1816 his wife left him, for reasons which are not apparent and he subsequently began a relationship with Louisa Cauty, daughter of Sir William Cauty, with whom he lived openly for the next decade and who bore him two children, Angelo and Louisa. Encouraged by his patron, John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, there he met Canova, whose studio he attended while painting his portrait, where he absorbed Canova’s classical style. He is also believed to have learned sculpture from Canova at this time, Hayter thereby became the Academys youngest ever member. Returning to London in 1818, Hayter practised as a painter in oils. Dubbed ‘The Phoenix’ by William Beckford, Hayter showed a pomposity that irritated his fellow artists and his unconventional domestic life set him apart from official Academy circles, he was never elected to the Royal Academy. Hayter was most productive and innovative during the 1820s, in the Trial of William, Lord Russell, in the Old Bailey in 1683 Hayter celebrated John Russell’s ancestry, in a work reminiscent of fashionable tableaux vivants of the country-house set. In 1826 Hayter settled in Italy, in 1827 his mistress, Louisa Cauty, died after poisoning herself with arsenic. Although it was apparently an accident, in a bid for attention, it was assumed that he had driven her to suicide. By late 1828 he was in Paris, where his portraits of English society members were stylistically akin to the work of recent French portrait painters such as François Gérard, in 1831 Hayter returned to England. Hayter was an ardent supporter of the movement and this painting was not commissioned but to all intents. It occupied him for ten years with no guarantee of financial reward and this is one of the last images executed of the interior of the old House of Commons before its destruction in the fire of 1834. The painting was purchased by the government for the nation in 1854,20 years after it was started. Having painted the young Princess Victoria, Hayter was not a choice as the new Queen’s Portrait. He painted several royal ceremonies including Queen Victoria’s coronation of 1838 and marriage of 1840 and he also painted several royal portraits including his most well known work the State Portrait of the new Queen Victoria
Sir George Hayter
–
Self Portrait painted in 1843 (Private collection)
Sir George Hayter
–
Self portrait of George Hayter aged 28, painted in 1820 (National Portrait Gallery)
Sir George Hayter
–
The Tribute Money by George Hayter, 1817. Exhibited at the British Institution 1825
Sir George Hayter
–
A Controversy on Colour, by
John Hayter (1800-1891) showing from left to right
Charles Hayter (father of John and George), John Hayter,
Edwin Landseer and George Hayter (Shipley Art Gallery, UK)
32.
King George III
–
He was concurrently Duke and prince-elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire until his promotion to King of Hanover on 12 October 1814. He was the third British monarch of the House of Hanover, early in his reign, Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years War, becoming the dominant European power in North America and India. However, many of Britains American colonies were soon lost in the American War of Independence, further wars against revolutionary and Napoleonic France from 1793 concluded in the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In the later part of his life, George III had recurrent, although it has since been suggested that he had the blood disease porphyria, the cause of his illness remains unknown. After a final relapse in 1810, a regency was established, on George IIIs death, the Prince Regent succeeded his father as George IV. Historical analysis of George IIIs life has gone through a kaleidoscope of changing views that have depended heavily on the prejudices of his biographers and the sources available to them. Until it was reassessed in the half of the 20th century, his reputation in the United States was one of a tyrant. George was born in London at Norfolk House and he was the grandson of King George II, and the eldest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. As Prince George was born two months prematurely and he was unlikely to survive, he was baptised the same day by Thomas Secker. One month later, he was baptised at Norfolk House. His godparents were the King of Sweden, his uncle the Duke of Saxe-Gotha, George grew into a healthy but reserved and shy child. The family moved to Leicester Square, where George and his younger brother Prince Edward, Duke of York, Family letters show that he could read and write in both English and German, as well as comment on political events of the time, by the age of eight. He was the first British monarch to study science systematically and his religious education was wholly Anglican. At age 10 George took part in a production of Joseph Addisons play Cato and said in the new prologue, What. It may with truth be said, A boy in England born, historian Romney Sedgwick argued that these lines appear to be the source of the only historical phrase with which he is associated. Georges grandfather, King George II, disliked the Prince of Wales, however, in 1751 the Prince of Wales died unexpectedly from a lung injury, and George became heir apparent to the throne. He inherited one of his fathers titles and became the Duke of Edinburgh, now more interested in his grandson, three weeks later the King created George Prince of Wales. Georges mother, now the Dowager Princess of Wales, preferred to keep George at home where she could imbue him with her moral values
King George III
–
Coronation portrait by
Allan Ramsay, 1762
King George III
–
George (right) with his brother
Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, and their tutor,
Francis Ayscough, later
Dean of
Bristol, c. 1749
King George III
–
Pastel portrait of George as
Prince of Wales by
Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1754
King George III
–
George III by
Allan Ramsay, 1762
33.
George IV of the United Kingdom
–
George IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover following the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as Prince Regent during his fathers mental illness. George IV led an extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the Regency era and he was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace and he even forbade Caroline to attend his coronation and asked the government to introduce the unpopular Pains and Penalties Bill in a desperate, unsuccessful attempt to divorce her. For most of Georges regency and reign, Lord Liverpool controlled the government as Prime Minister and his ministers found his behaviour selfish, unreliable and irresponsible. At all times he was much under the influence of favourites, taxpayers were angry at his wasteful spending at a time when Britons were fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. He did not provide leadership in time of crisis, nor act as a role model for his people. Liverpools government presided over Britains ultimate victory, negotiated the peace settlement, after Liverpools retirement, George was forced to accept Catholic emancipation despite opposing it. His only child, Princess Charlotte, died before him in 1817 and so he was succeeded by his younger brother, George was born at St Jamess Palace, London, on 12 August 1762, the first child of King George III of the United Kingdom and Queen Charlotte. As the eldest son of a British sovereign, he automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at birth, he was created Prince of Wales, on 18 September of the same year, he was baptised by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Duke of Cumberland, George was a talented student, and quickly learned to speak French, German and Italian, in addition to his native English. He was a witty conversationalist, drunk or sober, and showed good, the Prince of Wales turned 21 in 1783, and obtained a grant of £60,000 from Parliament and an annual income of £50,000 from his father. It was far too little for his needs – the stables alone cost £31,000 a year and he then established his residence in Carlton House, where he lived a profligate life. Animosity developed between the prince and his father, who desired more frugal behaviour on the part of the heir apparent, the King, a political conservative, was also alienated by the princes adherence to Charles James Fox and other radically inclined politicians. Soon after he reached the age of 21, the prince became infatuated with Maria Fitzherbert and she was a commoner, six years his elder, twice widowed, and a Roman Catholic. Despite her complete unsuitability, the prince was determined to marry her, nevertheless, the couple went through a marriage ceremony on 15 December 1785 at her house in Park Street, Mayfair. Legally the union was void, as the Kings consent was not granted, however, Fitzherbert believed that she was the princes canonical and true wife, holding the law of the Church to be superior to the law of the State. For political reasons, the union remained secret and Fitzherbert promised not to reveal it, the prince was plunged into debt by his exorbitant lifestyle
George IV of the United Kingdom
–
Coronation portrait by Sir
Thomas Lawrence, 1821
George IV of the United Kingdom
–
George (left) with his mother
Queen Charlotte and younger brother
Frederick, portrait by
Allan Ramsay, 1764
George IV of the United Kingdom
–
Portrait miniature by
Richard Cosway, c. 1780–82
34.
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
–
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany KG GMB GCH, a member of the House of Hanover, was the second son and child of King George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover. However, he died before his brother, Prince Frederick Augustus, or the Duke of York as he became in later life, belonged to the House of Hanover. He was born on 16 August 1763, at St. Jamess Palace and his father was the reigning British monarch, King George III. On 27 February 1764, when Prince Frederick was six months old and he received this title because his father, as Elector of Hanover, was entitled to select every other holder of this. He was invested as Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath on 30 December 1767, George III decided that his second son would pursue an army career and had him gazetted colonel on 4 November 1780. From 1781 to 1787, Prince Frederick lived in Hanover, where he studied at the University of Göttingen and he was appointed colonel of the 2nd Horse Grenadier Guards on 26 March 1782 before being promoted to major-general on 20 November 1782. Promoted to lieutenant general on 27 October 1784, he was appointed colonel of the Coldstream Guards on 28 October 1784 and he was created Duke of York and Albany and Earl of Ulster on 27 November 1784 and became a member of the Privy Council. He retained the bishopric of Osnabrück until 1803, when, in the course of the preceding the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. On 26 May 1789 he took part in a duel with Colonel Charles Lennox, who had insulted him, Lennox missed, on 12 April 1793 Frederick was promoted to full general. That year, he was sent to Flanders in command of the British contingent of Coburgs army destined for the invasion of France, Frederick and his command fought in the Flanders Campaign under extremely trying conditions. He won several engagements, such as the Siege of Valenciennes in July 1793. In the 1794 campaign he was successful at the Battle of Willems in May but was defeated at the Battle of Tourcoing later that month, the British army was evacuated through Bremen in April 1795. After his return to Britain, his father George III promoted him to the rank of field marshal on 18 February 1795, on 3 April 1795, George appointed him effective Commander-in-Chief in succession to Lord Amherst although the title was not confirmed until three years later. He was also colonel of the 60th Regiment of Foot from 19 August 1797 and his second field command was with the army sent for the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in August 1799. On 7 September 1799, he was given the title of Captain-General. Sir Ralph Abercromby and Admiral Sir Charles Mitchell, in charge of the vanguard, had succeeded in capturing some Dutch warships in Den Helder. However, following the Dukes arrival with the body of the army. On 17 October 1799, the Duke signed the Convention of Alkmaar,1799 also saw Fort Frederick in South Africa named after him
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
–
The Duke of York, painted by
Sir Joshua Reynolds in the robes of the
Order of the Garter, 1788.
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
–
The Duke of York in 1790.
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
–
"The modern Circe or a sequel to the petticoat", caricature of Frederick's lover,
Mary Anne Clarke by
Isaac Cruikshank, 15 March 1809. The prince resigned as head of the British army ten days after the caricature's publication.
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
–
Statue of Frederick Duke of York in Waterloo Place,
Westminster, London
35.
British Parliament
–
It alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories. Its head is the Sovereign of the United Kingdom and its seat is the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster, one of the boroughs of the British capital, the parliament is bicameral, consisting of an upper house and a lower house. The Sovereign forms the third component of the legislature, prior to the opening of the Supreme Court in October 2009, the House of Lords also performed a judicial role through the Law Lords. The House of Commons is an elected chamber with elections held at least every five years. The two Houses meet in separate chambers in the Palace of Westminster in London, most cabinet ministers are from the Commons, whilst junior ministers can be from either House. The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Treaty of Union by Acts of Union passed by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The UK parliament and its institutions have set the pattern for many throughout the world. However, John Bright – who coined the epithet – used it with reference to a rather than a parliament. In theory, the UKs supreme legislative power is vested in the Crown-in-Parliament. However, the Crown normally acts on the advice of the Prime Minister, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created in 1801, by the merger of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland under the Acts of Union. The principle of responsibility to the lower House did not develop until the 19th century—the House of Lords was superior to the House of Commons both in theory and in practice. Members of the House of Commons were elected in an electoral system. Thus, the borough of Old Sarum, with seven voters, many small constituencies, known as pocket or rotten boroughs, were controlled by members of the House of Lords, who could ensure the election of their relatives or supporters. During the reforms of the 19th century, beginning with the Reform Act 1832, No longer dependent on the Lords for their seats, MPs grew more assertive. The supremacy of the British House of Commons was established in the early 20th century, in 1909, the Commons passed the so-called Peoples Budget, which made numerous changes to the taxation system which were detrimental to wealthy landowners. The House of Lords, which consisted mostly of powerful landowners, on the basis of the Budgets popularity and the Lords consequent unpopularity, the Liberal Party narrowly won two general elections in 1910. Using the result as a mandate, the Liberal Prime Minister, Herbert Henry Asquith, introduced the Parliament Bill, in the face of such a threat, the House of Lords narrowly passed the bill. However, regardless of the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 created the parliaments of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland and reduced the representation of both parts at Westminster
British Parliament
British Parliament
–
Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
British Parliament
–
Parliament at night, with the
London Eye visible at right
British Parliament
–
Leading 17th century Parliamentarian
John Hampden is one of the
Five Members annually commemorated
36.
Regent
–
A regent is a person appointed to administer a state because the monarch is a minor, is absent or is incapacitated. The rule of a regent or regents is called a regency, a regent or regency council may be formed ad hoc or in accordance with a constitutional rule. Regent is sometimes a formal title, if the formally appointed regent is unavailable or cannot serve on a temporary basis, a Regent ad interim may be appointed to fill the gap. In a monarchy, a regent usually governs due to one of these reasons and this was the case in the Kingdom of Finland and the Kingdom of Hungary, where the royal line was considered extinct in the aftermath of World War I. In Iceland, the regent represented the King of Denmark as sovereign of Iceland until the country became a republic in 1944, in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, kings were elective, which often led to a fairly long interregnum. In the interim, it was the Roman Catholic Primate who served as the regent, in the small republic of San Marino, the two Captains Regent, or Capitani Reggenti, are elected semi-annually as joint heads of state and of government. Famous regency periods include that of the Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, giving rise to terms such as Regency era. Strictly this period lasted from 1811 to 1820, when his father George III was insane, as of 1 December 2016, Liechtenstein is the only country with an active regency. The term regent may refer to lower than the ruler of a country. The term may be used in the governance of organisations, typically as an equivalent of director, some university managers in North America are called regents and a management board for a college or university may be titled the Board of Regents. The term regent is used for members of governing bodies of institutions such as the national banks of France. This type of group portrait was popular in Dutch Golden Age painting during the 17th century, in the Dutch East Indies, a regent was a native prince allowed to rule de facto colonized state as a regentschap. Consequently, in the state of Indonesia, the term regent is used in English to mean a bupati. Again in Belgium and France, Regent is the title of a teacher in a lower secondary school. In the Philippines, specifically, the University of Santo Tomas, the Father Regent and they also form the Council of Regents that serves as the highest administrative council of the university. In the Society of Jesus, a regent is a training to be a Jesuit. A regent in the Jesuits is often assigned to teach in a school or some other academic institution as part of the formation toward final vows, list of regents Viceroy, an individual who, in a colony or province, exercised the power of a monarch on his behalf
Regent
–
Regentesses of the Old Men's Almshouse in
Haarlem,
Frans Hals, 1664
37.
King of the Belgians
–
The monarchy of Belgium is a constitutional, popular and hereditary monarchy whose incumbent is titled the King or Queen of the Belgians and serves as the countrys head of state. There have been seven Belgian monarchs since independence in 1830, the incumbent, Philippe, ascended the throne on 21 July 2013, following the abdication of his father. When Belgium became independent in 1830 the National Congress chose a constitutional monarchy as the form of government, the Congress voted on the question on 22 November 1830, supporting monarchy by 174 votes to 13. Following this refusal, the National Congress appointed Erasme-Louis, Baron Surlet de Chokier to be the Regent of Belgium on 25 February 1831 and this day has since become a national holiday for Belgium and its citizens. As a hereditary constitutional monarchy system, the role and operation of Belgiums monarchy is governed by the Constitution, the royal office of King is designated solely for a descendant of the first King of the Belgians, Leopold I. Since he is bound by the Constitution the King is intended to act as an arbiter and guardian of Belgian national unity, Belgiums monarchs are inaugurated in a purely civil swearing-in ceremony. The Kingdom of Belgium was never an absolute monarchy, nevertheless, in 1961, the historian Ramon Arango, wrote that the Belgian monarchy is not truly constitutional. King Leopold I was head of Foreign Affairs as an ancien régime monarch, millions of Congolese were killed as a result of Leopolds policies in the Congo. On several occasions Leopold II publicly expressed disagreement with ruling government and was accused by Yvon Gouet of noncompliance with the parliamentary system. In a similar manner, Albert I of Belgium would later state that he was in command of the Belgian army contrary to his Prime Minister Charles de Broqueville, Louis Wodon, thought the Kings oath to the Constitution implied a royal position over and above the Constitution. The family is, of course, an institution as is the state. But what would a family be where everything was limited among those who compose it to simply legal relationships. For Raymond Fusilier, the Belgian monarchy had to be placed - at least in the beginning - between the regimes where the rules and those in which the king does not rule. The Belgian monarchy is closer to the principle the King does not rule But the Belgian kings were not only at the head of the part of the Constitution. For Francis Delpérée, to reign does not only mean to preside over ceremonies, the Belgian historian Jean Stengers wrote that some foreigners believe the monarchy is indispensable to national unity. He is only a piece on the chessboard, but a piece which matters, to date all have belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This is a tree of the Kings of the Belgians, hereditary. Dutch monarchs family tree The proper title of the Belgian monarch is King of the Belgians rather than King of Belgium, the title indicates a popular monarchy linked to the people of Belgium, whereas King of Belgium would indicate standard constitutional or absolute monarchy linked to territory or state
King of the Belgians
–
King of the Belgians
King of the Belgians
–
Coat of arms of Belgium
King of the Belgians
–
Busts of the first five Kings of the Belgians
King of the Belgians
–
The
Basilica of the Sacred Heart,
Brussels is the National
Basilica of Belgium.
38.
Sir John Conroy
–
Conroy was born in Wales to Anglo-Irish parents. In 1817, after holding several ranks in the army, he became the equerry of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Edward died two years later, leaving a widow and infant daughter. Holding the position of comptroller of the Duchess of Kents household for the nineteen years, Conroy also acted as her confidant and political agent. Princess Victoria grew to hate Conroy, thanks to the oppressive system and his efforts to place the Duchess in the role of regent were ultimately unsuccessful, as Victoria ascended the throne after reaching her majority in 1837. Conroy was immediately expelled from Victorias household, though he remained in the Duchess of Kents service for more years. Given a pension and a baronetcy, Conroy retired to his estate near Reading, Berkshire, in 1842, historians have often referred to Conroy as someone with strong ambition, with varying degrees of positive or negative opinion. Rumours circulated during and after his lifetime that he was perhaps the Duchess of Kents lover, Queen Victoria was shocked to hear this, stating that her mothers piety would have prevented it. Conroy was born on 21 October 1786 in Maes-y-castell, Caerhun, Caernarvonshire and he was one of six children born to John Ponsonby Conroy, Esq. and Margaret Wilson, both native to Ireland. His father was a barrister and the younger Conroy was privately educated in Dublin, on 8 September 1803, he was commissioned in the Royal Artillery as a Second Lieutenant and was promoted to First Lieutenant on 12 September. In 1805, Conroy enrolled in the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich and he made his career during the Napoleonic Wars, though his ability to avoid battle attracted disdain from other officers. Conroy did not participate in the Peninsular War or the Waterloo Campaign, further advancement of rank was facilitated with Conroys marriage to Elizabeth Fisher on 26 December 1808 in Dublin, though not as far as Conroy felt he deserved. Elizabeth was the daughter of Colonel Benjamin Fisher and Conroy served under him in Ireland and England while performing various administrative duties, Conroy was promoted to Second Captain on 13 March 1811 and appointed adjutant in the Corps of Artillery Drivers on 11 March 1817. Conroy and Elizabeth had six children together, Sir Edward Conroy, 2nd Baronet, married Lady Alice Parsons, daughter of Laurence Parsons and they were the parents of the analytical chemist Sir John Conroy, 3rd Baronet. Stephen Rowley Conroy, served with the Coldstream Guards, henry George Conroy, served with the Grenadier Guards, aide-de-camp to the commander of the forces in Ireland. Victoria Maria Louisa Conroy, married Sir Wyndham Edward Hanmer, 4th Baronet, through the connection of his wifes uncle, Conroy came to the attention of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. Conroy was appointed as an equerry in 1817, shortly before the Dukes marriage to Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, an efficient organiser, Conroys planning ensured the Duke and Duchess speedy return to England in time for the birth of their first child. The child was Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, later Queen Victoria, while Kent had promised Conroy military advancement, he was still a captain by the time of the Dukes death in 1820. Conroy was named an executor of the Dukes will, though he was unsuccessful in persuading the man to name him Victorias guardian
Sir John Conroy
–
Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet in an 1837 painting by
Henry William Pickersgill
Sir John Conroy
–
Conroy's relationship with the Duchess of Kent (pictured) was subject to rumours that they were lovers.
Sir John Conroy
–
Princess Victoria, 1833. She grew up in the controlling
Kensington System devised by her mother and Conroy.
Sir John Conroy
–
Victoria's ascension to the throne in 1837 led to Conroy's banishment from her household.
39.
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. The third son of George III and younger brother and successor to George IV, he was the last king, William served in the Royal Navy in his youth and was, both during his reign and afterwards, nicknamed the Sailor King. He served in North America and the Caribbean, in 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. Since his two brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. Although William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, through his brother, the Viceroy of Hanover, he granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution. William was succeeded in the United Kingdom by his niece, Victoria, William was born in the early hours of the morning on 21 August 1765 at Buckingham House, the third child and son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He had two brothers, George and Frederick, and was not expected to inherit the Crown. He was baptised in the Great Council Chamber of St Jamess Palace on 20 September 1765 and his godparents were his paternal uncles, the Duke of Gloucester and Prince Henry, and his paternal aunt, Princess Augusta, then hereditary duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He spent most of his life in Richmond and at Kew Palace. At the age of thirteen, he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and his experiences in the navy seem to have been little different from those of other midshipmen, though in contrast to other sailors he was accompanied on board ships by a tutor. He did his share of the cooking and got arrested with his shipmates after a brawl in Gibraltar. He served in New York during the American War of Independence, I am fully persuaded, that it is unnecessary to caution you against offering insult or indignity to the persons of the Prince or Admiral. The plot did not come to fruition, the British heard of it and assigned guards to William and he became a lieutenant in 1785 and captain of HMS Pegasus the following year. The two were friends, and dined together almost nightly. At Nelsons wedding, William insisted on giving the bride away and he was given command of the frigate HMS Andromeda in 1788, and was promoted to rear-admiral in command of HMS Valiant the following year. William sought to be made a duke like his brothers, and to receive a similar parliamentary grant. To put pressure on him, William threatened to stand for the House of Commons for the constituency of Totnes in Devon, Williams political record was inconsistent and, like many politicians of the time, cannot be certainly ascribed to a single party. William ceased his active service in the Royal Navy in 1790, the following year he spoke in favour of the war, expecting a command after his change of heart, none came
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
Portrait by Sir
Martin Archer Shee, 1833
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
William aged thirteen (left) and his younger brother
Edward, painted by
Benjamin West, 1778
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
William in dress uniform painted by Sir Martin Archer Shee, c.1800
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
Mrs. Jordan in the Character of Hypolita,
mezzotint by John Jones of London, 1791, after a painting by
John Hoppner
40.
Victoria, Princess Royal
–
Victoria, Princess Royal was German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III. She was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland and Prince Albert and she was the mother of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. Criticised for this attitude and her English origins, Victoria suffered the ostracism of the Hohenzollerns and this isolation increased after the arrival of Otto von Bismarck to power in 1862. Victoria was Empress and Queen of Prussia for only a few months, Frederick III died in 1888 – just 99 days after his accession – from laryngeal cancer and was succeeded by their son William II, who had much more conservative views than his parents. After her husbands death, she became known as Empress Frederick. The Empress Dowager then settled in Kronberg im Taunus, where she built a castle, Friedrichshof, increasingly isolated after the weddings of her younger daughters, Victoria died of breast cancer a few months after her mother in 1901. These give an insight into the life of the Prussian court during 1858-1900. Princess Victoria was born on 21 November 1840 at Buckingham Palace and she was named after her mother, Queen Victoria, the only child of George IIIs fourth eldest son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Her father was Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the second and younger son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as a daughter of the sovereign, Victoria was automatically a British princess with the title Her Royal Highness, styled HRH The Princess Victoria. On 19 January 1841, the Queen created Victoria Princess Royal, Victoria was then styled HRH The Princess Royal. In addition, she was heiress presumptive to the throne of the United Kingdom, to her family, she was known simply as Vicky or Pussy. She was baptised in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace on 10 February 1841 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lily font was commissioned especially for the occasion of her christening. Her godparents were Queen Adelaide, King Leopold I of Belgium, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, The Duke of Sussex, The Duchess of Gloucester, the royal couple decided to give their children as complete an education as possible. In fact, Queen Victoria, who succeeded her uncle, King William IV, at the age of 18, believed that she herself had not been sufficiently prepared for the government affairs. For his part, Prince Albert, born in the small Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, had received a careful education, thanks to his uncle, Leopold I. Therefore, shortly after the birth of Victoria, Prince Albert wrote a memoir detailing the tasks and duties of all those involved with the royal children. Another 48-page document, written a year and a half later by the Baron Stockmar, intimate of the royal couple, unfortunately, the royal couple had only a very vague idea of the proper educational development of a child. Queen Victoria, for example, believed that the fact that her baby sucked bracelets was a sign of deficient education, according to Hannah Pakula, biographer of the future German Empress, the first two governesses of the princess were therefore particularly well chosen
Victoria, Princess Royal
–
Victoria
Victoria, Princess Royal
–
Victoria with her father, Albert
Victoria, Princess Royal
–
Victoria in 1867, portrait by
Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Victoria, Princess Royal
–
Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia
41.
Baroness Lehzen
–
Johanna Clara Louise Lehzen, better known as Baroness Louise Lehzen, was the governess, and later adviser and companion, to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Born to a Lutheran pastor in Hanover, in 1819 Lehzen entered the household of the Duchess of Kent and her husband Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, five years later, Lehzen became governess to their only child, Princess Victoria. Lehzen became strongly protective of the princess, who resided in a household dominated by the controlling Kensington System, implemented by the Duchess, dear, good Lehzen soon came to supersede all others in Victorias eyes, including her own mother. Victoria became second-in-line to the British throne in 1827, to prevent Victoria from being surrounded by commoners, Lehzen encouraged the princess to become strong, informed, and independent from the Duchess and Conroys influence, causing friction between the two and Lehzen. Attempts to remove the governess, who had the support of George IV, his brother William IV, when Victoria became queen in 1837, Lehzen served as a sort of unofficial private secretary, enjoying apartments adjacent to Victorias. The queens marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 led to significant changes in the royal household, Albert and Lehzen detested each other, and after an illness of the Princess Royal in 1841, Lehzen was quietly dismissed. Her close relationship to the queen came to an end, although the two continued to write letters to each other, Lehzen spent her last years in Hanover on a generous pension, dying in 1870. Historian K. D. Reynolds writes that Lehzen was an influence on Victorias character, in particular giving her the strength of will to survive her troubled childhood. Johanna Clara Louise Lehzen was born in Hanover on 3 October 1784, forced by circumstances to work for her living since she was young, Lehzen was employed by the von Marenholtzs, an aristocratic German family, where she earned glowing references. Princess Victoria was married to the Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, Lehzen and the entire household were moved to England in 1817 so that the new Duchess of Kents child might be born there, strengthening the childs claim to the throne. The baby was a girl, christened Alexandrina Victoria after her mother and her godfather, Alexander I of Russia, the Duke of Kent died quite suddenly in 1820, followed quickly by his father, King George III. Victorias uncle, the Prince Regent, ascended the throne as George IV. Victoria was now third in line for the crown, after her uncles the Duke of York, as the likely eventual heiress, Victoria had to be educated accordingly. Feodora was now 14, and no longer required the services of a governess, after the dismissal of nursemaid Mrs. Brock, Lehzen – as she was always known in the household – took over five-year-old Victorias care in 1824. The Duchess and her comptroller, John Conroy made the appointment not only because Lehzen was German, twentieth century historian Christopher Hibbert describes Lehzen as a handsome woman, despite her pointed nose and chin, clever, emotional, humourless. Though she at first feared Lehzens stern manner, dear, good Lehzen soon came to occupy a place in Victorias heart that all others, including her own mother. Lehzen encouraged the princess to distrust her mother and her mothers friends, the governess was uninterested in money and lacked ambition for herself, instead choosing to devote her time and energy to the princess. Victoria took to calling Lehzen Mother and dearest Daisy in private, writing Lehzen was the most affectionate, devoted, attached, in 1827, the Duke of York died, making the Duke of Clarence heir presumptive, and Victoria second-in-line to the throne
Baroness Lehzen
–
Painted by Carl Friedrich Koepke for Queen Victoria, c. 1842
Baroness Lehzen
–
Princess Victoria with her spaniel Dash in a painting by
George Hayter, 1833
Baroness Lehzen
–
Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert led to disagreements and Lehzen's eventual dismissal.
42.
Albert, Prince Consort
–
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the husband of Queen Victoria. He was born in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld to a family connected to many of Europes ruling monarchs, at the age of 20, he married his first cousin, Queen Victoria, they had nine children. He was heavily involved with the organisation of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Queen came to depend more and more on his support and guidance. Albert died at the young age of 42, plunging the Queen into deep mourning for the rest of her life. Upon Queen Victorias death in 1901, their eldest son succeeded as Edward VII, Albert was born at Schloss Rosenau, near Coburg, Germany, the second son of Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and his first wife, Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Alberts future wife, Victoria, was earlier in the same year with the assistance of the same midwife. Albert was baptised into the Lutheran Evangelical Church on 19 September 1819 in the Marble Hall at Schloss Rosenau with water taken from the local river, in 1825, Alberts great-uncle, Frederick IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, died. His death led to a realignment of Saxon duchies the following year and Alberts father became the first reigning duke of Saxe-Coburg, Albert and his elder brother, Ernest, spent their youth in a close companionship marred by their parents turbulent marriage and eventual separation and divorce. After their mother was exiled from court in 1824, she married her lover, Alexander von Hanstein, Count of Polzig and she presumably never saw her children again, and died of cancer at the age of 30 in 1831. The brothers were educated privately at home by Christoph Florschütz and later studied in Brussels, like many other German princes, Albert attended the University of Bonn, where he studied law, political economics, philosophy and the history of art. He played music and excelled at sport, especially fencing and riding and his tutors at Bonn included the philosopher Fichte and the poet Schlegel. By 1836, the idea of marriage between Albert and his cousin, Victoria, had arisen in the mind of their ambitious uncle Leopold, at this time, Victoria was the heiress presumptive to the British throne. Her father, Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, the son of King George III, had died when she was a baby. Her mother the Duchess of Kent, was the sister of both Alberts father—the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha—and King Leopold. Leopold arranged for his sister, Victorias mother, to invite the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, William IV, however, disapproved of any match with the Coburgs, and instead favoured the suit of Prince Alexander, second son of the Prince of Orange. Victoria was well aware of the matrimonial plans and critically appraised a parade of eligible princes. Alexander, on the hand, she described as very plain. Victoria wrote to her uncle Leopold to thank him for the prospect of great happiness you have contributed to give me and he possesses every quality that could be desired to render me perfectly happy
Albert, Prince Consort
–
Portrait by
Winterhalter, 1859
Albert, Prince Consort
–
Albert (left) with his elder brother
Ernest and mother
Louise, shortly before her exile from court
Albert, Prince Consort
–
Portrait by
John Partridge, 1840
Albert, Prince Consort
–
Bookplate showing the
coat of arms of Albert, Prince Consort
43.
Legitimacy of Queen Victoria
–
The parentage of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom has been the subject of speculation. Princess Charlotte of Wales was the daughter and heir of the Prince Regent. Her death in childbirth in 1817 set off a race between the Prince Regents brothers, the seven surviving sons of King George III, to see who could father a legitimate heir, some of the brothers had been previously involved in scandals. Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, the second in line to the throne, was separated from his wife. The sixth son, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, had contracted two marriages in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the fifth son, Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, was already married. The Duke of Clarence married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, though he had been able to father ten illegitimate children with an earlier mistress, none of his children by his wife survived childhood. The second daughter, Elizabeth, lived the longest, being born on 10 December 1820, the next son to produce an heir was the Duke of Cambridge, whose son George was born on 26 March 1819. He would be displaced two months later by the birth of a daughter to the Duke of Kent and his wife and their first and only child was called Princess Alexandrina Victoria but was known to her family as Drina. She was born on 24 May 1819, just three days before the son of the Duke of Cumberland, also called George, both George III and the Duke of Kent died in January 1820. The Prince Regent became George IV and Drina was third in line to the throne after her uncles and she would ultimately take the throne as Queen Victoria in 1837. Rumours about Victorias parentage centred on a controversial Irish soldier and adventurer called John Conroy who was her mothers private secretary, the Duchess of Kent was the same age as Conroy, whereas she was nineteen years younger than her husband, the court gossiped openly about their relationship. After the Dukes death Conroy assumed a role towards Victoria that she bitterly resented. This caused a permanent rift between Victoria and her mother, as well as between the Duchess and her brother-in-law, William IV. Conroy expected that when Victoria became queen he would be made her private secretary, the belief that the Duchess and Conroy were lovers was widespread. When asked by Charles Greville whether he believed they were lovers, the Duke later recounted a story that when Victoria was young she had caught Conroy and the Duchess engaged in what were diplomatically called some familiarities. Wellington reported that she told Baroness Louise Lehzen, who told her close ally, Madame de Späth, according to Wellington, the Duchess of Kent was furious and promptly dismissed de Späth. Victoria, when queen, appears to have disputed the story, a. N. Wilson suggested that Victorias father could not have been the Duke of Kent for two reasons, The sudden appearance of hæmophilia in the descendants of Victoria. The illness did not exist in the family before
Legitimacy of Queen Victoria
–
Queen Victoria
Legitimacy of Queen Victoria
–
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales.
Legitimacy of Queen Victoria
–
Sir John Conroy in an 1837 painting by
Henry William Pickersgill
44.
X-linked
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Sex linkage is the phenotypic expression of an allele related to the allosome of the individual. In mammals, the female is homogametic, with two X chromosomes, while the male is the sex, with one X and one Y chromosome. Genes on the X or Y chromosome are called sex-linked, in ZW sex-determination system used by birds the opposite is true, the male is the homogametic sex, and the female is heterogametic. X-linked recessive traits are expressed in all heterogametics, but are expressed in those homogametics that are homozygous for the recessive allele. In contrast, a female must inherit two mutant alleles, a frequent event since the mutant allele is rare in the population. The incidence of recessive X-linked phenotypes in females is the square of that in males, if 1 in 20 males in a human population are red-green color blind, then 1 in 400 females in the population are expected to be color-blind *. X-linked traits are inherited from carrier mothers or from an affected father. Each son born to a mother has a 50% probability of inheriting the X-chromosome carrying the mutant allele. There are a few Y-linked traits, these are inherited from father, in classical genetics, a reciprocal cross is performed to test if a trait is sex-linked. Each child of a mother affected with an X-linked dominant trait has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation, all males possessing an X-linked recessive mutation will be affected, since males have only a single X-chromosome and therefore have only one copy of X-linked genes. All offspring of a female have a 25% chance of inheriting the mutation if the father does not carry the recessive allele. All female children of a father will be carriers, as daughters possess their fathers X-chromosome. If the mother is not a carrier, no children of an affected father will be affected. Fur color in domestic cats, the gene that causes orange pigment is on the X chromosome, thus a Calico or tortoiseshell cat, the first sex-linked gene ever discovered was the lacticolor X-linked recessive gene in the moth Abraxas grossulariata by Leonard Doncaster. It is important to distinguish between sex-linked characters, which are controlled by genes on sex chromosomes, and two other categories, sex-influenced or sex-conditioned traits are phenotypes affected by whether they appear in a male or female body. Even in a dominant or recessive female the condition may not be expressed fully. These are characters only expressed in one sex and they may be caused by genes on either autosomal or sex chromosomes. Examples, female sterility in Drosophila, and many characters in insects
X-linked
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Experimental cross performed by
Thomas Hunt Morgan, illustrating the X-linked inheritance of white eyed
mutation in
fruit flies.
45.
House of Hanover
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Upon Victorias death, the British throne passed to her eldest son Edward VII, a member of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha through his father. The House of Hanover was formally named the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Hanover line, the senior branch became extinct in 1884, and the House of Hanover is now the only surviving branch of the House of Welf, which is the senior branch of the House of Este. The current head of the House of Hanover is Ernst August, George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, is considered the first member of the House of Hanover. When the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg was divided in 1635, George inherited the Principality of Calenberg and his son, Christian Louis inherited the Principality of Lüneburg from Georges brother. Calenberg and Lüneburg were then shared between Georges sons until united in 1705 under his grandson, also called George, who subsequently became George I of Great Britain, all held the title Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. George died in 1641 and was succeeded by, Christian Louis, 1st son of Duke George, Prince of Calenberg and he relinquished Calenburg when he became Prince of Lüneburg. George William, 2nd son of Duke George, Prince of Calenberg and he relinquished Calenburg when he became Prince of Lüneburg on the death of his brother, Christian Louis. John Frederick, 3rd son of Duke George, Prince of Calenberg, Ernest Augustus, 4th son of Duke George, Prince of Calenberg. He became Prince of Calenberg on the death of his brother John Frederick and he was elevated to prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire in 1692. Ernest Augustuss wife, Sophia of the Palatinate, was declared heiress of the throne of England by the Act of Settlement of 1701, Sophia was at that time the senior eligible Protestant descendant of James I of England. George Louis, son of Duke Ernest Augustus and Sophia, became Elector and Prince of Calenberg in 1698 and he inherited his mothers claim to the throne of Great Britain when she died in 1714. George Louis became the first British monarch of the House of Hanover as George I in 1714, George I, George II, and George III also served as electors and dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, informally, Electors of Hanover. From 1814, when Hanover became a kingdom, the British monarch was also King of Hanover, in 1837, however, the personal union of the thrones of the United Kingdom and Hanover ended. After the death of William IV in 1837, the kings of Hanover continued the dynasty. The 1866 rift between the House of Hanover and the House of Hohenzollern was settled only by the 1913 marriage of Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia to Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick. At the end of the Thirty Years War, the Peace of Westphalia awarded the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück alternately to a Catholic bishop, since the treaty gave cadets priority over heirs and reigning princes, Osnabrück became a form of appanage of the House of Hanover. In 1884, the branch of the House of Welf became extinct. By a law of 1879, the Duchy of Brunswick established a council of regency to take over at the Dukes death
House of Hanover
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George I (1714–1727)
House of Hanover
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House of Hanover
House of Hanover
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George III (1760–1820)
House of Hanover
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George IV (1820–1830)
46.
Prince William of Gloucester
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Prince William of Gloucester was a grandson of King George V of the United Kingdom and cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. A Cambridge graduate, he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, serving in Lagos and Tokyo, at this time, he was diagnosed with porphyria, probably hereditary, but died at 30 in an air crash, while piloting his plane in a competition. Prince William was born at Hadley Common, Hertfordshire and his father was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third eldest son of King George V and Queen Mary. His mother was Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch. He was baptised in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on 22 February 1942 by Cosmo Gordon Lang and his godparents were, King George VI, Queen Mary, Princess Helena Victoria, the Lady Margaret Hawkins, Major the Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott, and the Viscount Gort. Because of the war, newspapers did not identify the location of the christening. In 1947, Prince William was a boy for his cousin The Princess Elizabeth at her wedding to Philip. The other page boy was Prince Michael of Kent, in 1953, he attended the coronation of Elizabeth II. Prince William spent his childhood at Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire and later in Australia. He received his education at Wellesley House School, a school at Broadstairs in Kent. After leaving Eton in 1960, he went up to Magdalene College, Cambridge, to history, graduating with a BA degree in 1963. After Cambridge, he spent a year at Stanford University, studying political science, American history. After returning to Britain, he took a position with Lazards, Prince William was the second member of the British Royal Family to work in the civil service or the diplomatic service. He joined the Commonwealth Office in 1965 and was posted to Lagos as the secretary at the British High Commission. In 1968, he transferred to Tokyo to accept the post of secretary in the British Embassy. In 1970, the health of his father, the Duke of Gloucester, was beginning to fail, Prince William resigned from the diplomatic service and returned to Britain. For the next two years, he managed Barnwell Manor and began to carry out duties as a member of the royal family. Prince William served on occasions as Counsellor of State in the absence of his cousin
Prince William of Gloucester
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Prince William in 1962
47.
Windsor Castle
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Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is notable for its association with the English and later British royal family. The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror, since the time of Henry I, it has been used by the reigning monarch and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. Inside the castle walls is the 15th-century St Georges Chapel, considered by the historian John Martin Robinson to be one of the achievements of English Perpendicular Gothic design. Gradually replaced with stone fortifications, the castle withstood a siege during the First Barons War at the start of the 13th century. Edwards core design lasted through the Tudor period, during which Henry VIII and Elizabeth I made increasing use of the castle as a royal court and centre for diplomatic entertainment. Windsor Castle survived the period of the English Civil War, when it was used as a military headquarters for Parliamentary forces. At the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II rebuilt much of Windsor Castle with the help of the architect Hugh May, Queen Victoria made a few minor changes to the castle, which became the centre for royal entertainment for much of her reign. Windsor Castle was used as a refuge for the family during the Luftwaffe bombing campaigns of the Second World War. It is a popular tourist attraction, a venue for hosting state visits, today, more than 500 people live and work in Windsor Castle, making it the largest inhabited castle in the world. Windsor Castle occupies 13 acres, and combines the features of a fortification, a palace, the present-day castle was created during a sequence of phased building projects, culminating in the reconstruction work after a fire in 1992. It is in essence a Georgian and Victorian design based on a medieval structure, since the 14th century, architecture at the castle has attempted to produce a contemporary reinterpretation of older fashions and traditions, repeatedly imitating outmoded or even antiquated styles. Although there has some criticism, the castles architecture and history lends it a place amongst the greatest European palaces. At the heart of Windsor Castle is the Middle Ward, a formed around the motte or artificial hill in the centre of the ward. The motte is 50 feet high and is made from chalk originally excavated from the surrounding ditch, the Round Tower is in reality far from cylindrical, due to the shape and structure of the motte beneath it. The western entrance to the Middle Ward is now open, the eastern exit from the ward is guarded by the Norman Gatehouse. Wyatville redesigned the exterior of the gatehouse, and the interior was later converted in the 19th century for residential use. The Upper Ward of Windsor Castle comprises a number of major buildings enclosed by the bailey wall
Windsor Castle
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Windsor Castle, viewed from the Long Walk
Windsor Castle
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The South Wing of the Upper Ward; the Official Entrance to the State Apartments is on the left
Windsor Castle
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The State Apartments in the Upper Ward; (l to r) Queen's Audience and Presence Chambers, the Official Entrance, St George's Hall; the Guest's Entrance
Windsor Castle
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The Crimson Drawing Room in 2007 following the
1992 fire and subsequent remodelling
48.
Windsor Great Park
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Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of 2020 hectares, including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle. Historically the park covered an area many times the known as Windsor Forest. The park is managed and funded by the Crown Estate, most parts of the park are open to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk, although there is a charge to enter Savill Garden. The park is Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks, the Great Park is a gently undulating area of varied landscape. It has sweeping deer lawns, small woods, coverts and areas covered by huge solitary ancient oak trees, there is a small river in the north of the park called the Battle Bourne running to the Thames near Datchet. The River Bourne runs through a number of ponds to the south, chief amongst these are Great Meadow Pond and Obelisk Pond, near the great lake of Virginia Water. The most prominent hill is Snow Hill and the avenue of trees known as the Long Walk runs between here and Windsor Castle, the main Sheet Street Road into Windsor runs through the north-east of the park. On the western side of the park is The Village, built in the 1930s to house Royal estate workers, other buildings include the Royal Lodge, Cumberland Lodge, the Cranbourne Tower and Norfolk Farm. The park lies mostly within the parish of Old Windsor, though the eastern regions are in the Borough of Runnymede and there are small areas in the parishes of Winkfield. Areas associated with or attached to the Great Park, but not officially within its borders include the Home Park, Mote Park, Flemish Farm, Cranbourne Chase, Forest Lodge, the modern enclosed Deer Park is at the northern end of the Great Park. It is home to a herd of semi-wild deer, reflecting the original medieval purpose of the park. The Long Walk runs south from Windsor Castle to the 1829 Copper Horse statue of King George III atop Snow Hill where there are views of the castle. It is 2.65 miles from George IV Gateway at Windsor Castle to The Copper Horse, other equestrian statues in the park include one of the Prince Consort, to the west of the polo grounds, and one of Queen Elizabeth II near the Village. The Royal Lodge was built in the centre of the park as the Deputy Rangers house and it was made in to a retreat for the Prince Regent from 1812, but was largely pulled down after his death. The remains were renovated, in the 1930s, as a home for the Duke and Duchess of York before their accession as George VI and it is now the official residence of the Prince Andrew, Duke of York and not accessible by the public. The Royal Chapel of All Saints was built after the chapels of the Royal, the chapel was built in 1825 by Jeffry Wyattville and regularly used by George IV during the refurbishment of Windsor Castle. It was later remodelled in the Gothic Revival style by Samuel Sanders Teulon, Queen Victoria often attended the chapel as did the Duke and Duchess of York before their accession as George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Windsor Great Park
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Deer crossing the Long Walk to Windsor Castle
Windsor Great Park
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One of many ancient oak trees
Windsor Great Park
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George III depicted as Roman Emperor in the bronze statue in Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park
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The Valley Gardens overlooking Virginia Water Lake
49.
Associated Television
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This service started on Saturday,24 September 1955 and was extended until Sunday,28 July 1968. ATV was also awarded the franchise to provide the weekdays Independent Television service for the Midlands region and this service started on Friday,17 February 1956 and was extended until Monday,29 July 1968. Both companies had applied for a contract to one of the new ITV stations. By the time of the merger ABDC were well advanced with their plans whilst ITPC planned to operate as an independent producer selling their shows to the new network contractors. When financial problems hit ABDC, the Independent Television Authority, the body of ITV, invited Grade. This provided the required and put Littler and Grade in control of the new company. After ABC had been operating for three weeks the name was changed to Associated TeleVision Ltd, the logo, designed for ABC and tweaked for ATV, was a shadowed eye inspired by the CBS logo and reputedly designed by Lew Grade on a transatlantic flight back from the US. The logo is one of the most recognisable in broadcasting, ABC began broadcasting in its own right on Saturday 24 September 1955, after jointly presenting the networks opening night on Thursday 22 September. The name ATV was first seen in London on Saturday 8 October 1955, the company won two contracts, the weekend contract for London and the Monday–Friday contract for the Midlands. The latter service opened on 17 February 1956, with ABC providing the weekend programmes, the company ran into financial difficulty due to the staggering losses of the first two years of ITV and start-up costs. The London weekday contractor Associated-Rediffusion shouldered some of ATVs losses and further funding was achieved by selling shares to the Daily Mirror newspaper. The company structure was changed several times until 1966, when ATV and this marked the point where Lew Grade advanced from being the greatest influence over the company to taking control. ATVs main impact was in variety and light entertainment, at this point the company was renamed ATV Network Limited. During the 1970s, ATV received much criticism over its lack of programming, particularly for the east of its region. ATV Midlands Limited, a company created by ACC solely for the franchise process. ATV ceased broadcasting at 12. 34am on Friday 1 January 1982, the final closedown was marked by a brief tribute to ATV from original announcer Shaw Taylor before duty announcer Mike Prince signed off with the playing of the National Anthem. The newly reformed company, Central Independent Television plc, began broadcasting with a promo at 9. 25am that morning. Central inherited the studios at ATV Centre, Birmingham and ATV Elstree along with land that ATV Midlands had purchased for their new Nottingham studio centre
Associated Television
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Associated Television
