Questions tagged [monarchy]
A form of government where sovereignty is contained in a single individual.
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When was the last time that a personal union of thrones led to an effective integration of the nations?
In UK history, the union of the crowns in 1603 eventually led to the union of the nations in 1707.
Similarly, the union of the crowns of Aragon and Castile eventually led to the creation of the ...
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Are there any examples of two medieval kingdoms trying to unify but eventually failing to do so?
Recently, I started to read about history as a hobby like I used to when I was a kid. I realized that reading about "generic history" does not do it for me anymore. Instead I have some ...
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What were the last decisions that an English or a British monarch made that were forced on Parliament?
For example, when was the last time an English monarch made a decision to start a war? Or spend money without being limited by the constitution? Or expel rivals? Or raised the taxes?
Based on the ...
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What is the royal cypher printed on the UK budget box?
The dispatch box used by the Chancellor of the Exchequer bears a royal cypher for Elizabeth II on it:
This differs from the usual cypher used in that the numerals " II " appear below the ...
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What's the reason behind the 17th century tradition of British monarchs being depicted on coins facing in the opposite direction to their predecessor?
I have just been informed that on Britain's new currency King Charles III will be depicted facing the opposite direction from Queen Elizabeth II. There are plenty of articles on google claiming to ...
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Are state funerals always held on a Monday?
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest on Monday. I'm interested to know if state funerals are specifically held on a Monday, or this one just happens to be.
Searching around, I can find ...
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When were the most reigning monarchs related to each other?
My brother mentioned a photo he saw of the monarchs from various countries in Europe, where the resemblance was readily apparent between them.
This got him to wondering and hence me to asking: When ...
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What role did Elizabeth II play in actions of the British Empire during her reign? [closed]
Much of the critical commentary on Elizabeth II's legacy following her death has concerned actions of the British state in its colonies during her reign. An historically significant number of these ...
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At the time of her death, were there any surviving witnesses to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II?
Title says it all.
My guess is that some of the page boys maybe? or perhaps some members of the choir? Even someone in their early teens at the time would have had to make it through to their mid-...
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What are these objects around François Ravaillac's portrait?
What are the objects around the portrait of François Ravaillac, the assassin of king Henry IV of France?
Especially the top corners, and the strange animal in the middle.
Why would these be put around ...
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Have democratic nations with their own constitutional monarchies become republics, and in what form?
The platinum jubilee of Elizabeth II has naturally revived debate over whether the UK should abolish its monarchy. I see three options:
Add an elected President for a semi-presidential or similar ...
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Why was the king of Judah referred to as "the king of the House-of-David"?
In the famous Tel Dan Stele it says, likely in the name of Hazael, king of Aram:
"… קתלת.אית.יהו[רם].בר [אחאב.]מלך.ישראל.וקתל[ת.אית.אחז]יהו.בר[.יהורם.מל]ך.ביתדוד …"
"… killed Jeho[ram]...
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Why is Lady Jane Grey called Lady instead of Queen?
Lady Jane Grey claimed the English throne 19 July 1553, nine days later she was replaced by Queen Mary. To history she is always called Lady instead of Queen. I just wonder why?
Its true she had no ...
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How to understand the gift of tithes to a priory in 1166 [closed]
I am trying to piece together the early history of Eversholt Church in Bedfordshire, UK. The earliest record found so far is in The Cartulary of Newnham Priory from 1166. Simon [II] de Beauchamp, who ...
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What made Seleucid monarchy so unstable?
I would not claim that the Seleucid monarchy was more unstable than other Hellenistic monarchies (though contemporary Antigonid Macedonia appears to be more politically robust) but throughout the 3rd ...
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Would a Roman emperor during Pax Romana be recognised by Roman Britons as a king of Roman Britain?
Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus
Take for example the Roman emperor during Pax Romana "Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus".
Changes of name, Wikipedia
His original name was Lucius Aelius ...
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Were Ferdinand and Isabella the most important royal couple?
Ferdinand and Isabella ruled Aragon and Castile jointly from 1474 to 1504, a thirty-year period during which the modern country of Spain was born, ships they commissioned discovered and explored the ...
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Can anyone help me identify this Coat of Arms?
Can anyone help me identify this coat of arms?
As far as I can identify, there are 2 Lion Rampant regardant.
A Pelican in her nest, a crown, a shield with stars.
It is on a small galleried tray that I ...
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Who is the youngest monarch to have issue?
I came across a 14-year-old duke having a child in the 15th century with his wife, (formerly) Queen Isabella. The duke would end up with a son who became Louis XII, but that is just the back-story to ...
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Have any kings ever been serving admirals?
As the title says, has any person who has held or has gone on to hold the title of King (or some other similar monarchical title) ever been a serving admiral, who has exercised actual command of a ...
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What is the main difference between an Emperor, a King, a Char, a Sultan, a Dictator, a Dynast and a Tyrant? [closed]
They all look the same to me. Monarchies with a different name according to time and place.
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Did James I link the divine right of kings to apostolic succession in his writings? If so, where?
According to a Wikipedia article, King James VI of Scotland (later King James I of England) justified the theory of the divine right of kings in his famous essay The True Law of Free Monarchies by ...
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Is there any example of a monarch being presumed dead but returning after the heir ascended to the throne?
Has there ever been a monarch is incorrectly believed to be dead—perhaps disappeared for many months, incorrectly thought to have fallen in battle, etc—and after some waiting the heir ascends to the ...
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Was the title "Prince of Wales" originally claimed for the English crown prince via a trick?
As the son of a proud Welsh woman, as a child I was told the origin story of the title "Prince of Wales" was that after Edward I beat Llywelyn ap Gruffudd at the Battle of Orewin Bridge, as ...
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Which head of state had the most gaps in their rule?
Inspired by this question, which head of state in history has had the largest number of non-consecutive periods of rule? One answer on that question has given Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd as an ...
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Which monarch had the longest break in their reign?
During periods of political instability it is not rare for monarchs to be deposed, new monarchs declared, and the original monarch to reclaim their throne a few months later. During this time the ...
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What criteria are used to determine the popularity of Medieval European rulers?
It is relatively common to see certain monarchs described as "popular" while others are "unpopular". It confounds me as to what specific evidence has been used to determine this, ...
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Why didn't Sir John Kerr just call an election? [closed]
During the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975, the Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the sitting Prime Minister and appointed the Leader of the Opposition as PM in order to trigger an ...
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Has a democracy ever transitioned (or reverted back) to a monarchy? [closed]
In the 20th century, many monarchies were either abolished or made "strictly ornamental" and their countries were democratized.
Has there ever been a case of the public opting to re-instate ...
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Did the later Byzantine Emperors use regnal numbers?
Regnal numbers are an essentially medieval European invention, and although we today might talk about Ramesses II and Khosrow II, this is not how those rulers referred to themselves.
For most of its ...
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Is George Louis known to have considered the assumption of a different regnal name in Great Britain?
At the time of George Louis' ascension to the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain, neither England, Scotland, nor Great Britain had ever had a king called "George". There were earlier George's in ...
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Why wasn't England/Britain officially an empire (as a form of monarchy)?
An overwhelming article does not answer my question: Why perhaps since Elizabeth I was England not officially an empire and its head of state an emperor/empress?
I mean, it is said that the British ...
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Are there 15th or 16th century English sources that exemplify Empress Matilda as an impediment to having a Queen Regnant?
I'm reading Alison Weir's 'Elizabeth of York', and she makes claims as to why Elizabeth of York couldn't succeed to the throne after Richard III which are not supported by evidence. Legally, there ...
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Why did Frederick VI claim the Haraldskær Woman was a Norwegian queen?
Frederick VI was the last king of Denmark-Norway. During his reign a woman’s well preserved body was discovered in a peat bog, and Frederick claimed it was that of Queen Gunnhild. Frederick’s ...
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Was Kamehameha I unique in elevating so many foreigners?
In the early 1800s, King Kamehameha I of Hawai'i made liberal use of foreigners as advisors and counselors. His favorites included John Young, an English boatswain, Francisco Paula de Marin, a Spanish ...
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What will be the regnal number of the next Queen Mary in the UK?
The crown of the UK is a union of the crowns of England and Scotland. (And maybe Ireland too but that's not relevant to this question.)
This means that the current Queen is "Queen Elizabeth II" for ...
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How was St Edwards Crown fixed after Blood flattened it?
In 1671 Thomas Blood tried to steal the crown jewels. To do this he flattened the crown with a mallet. There are many sources that said he did flatten it but I cannot find anything about the aftermath....
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Did Henrietta Maria leave any writings in which she described her thoughts with respect to Charles I's afterlife?
Henrietta Maria, Charles I's queen consort, was a famously strident Roman Catholic. She outraged her husband's subjects by praying publicly under the gallows at Tyburn, where many Roman Catholics had ...
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Who was the last European king to actively engage in combat?
Specifically, I would like to know who the most recent European monarch (or monarchs, if they lived roughly at the same time) is that actively engaged in combat whilst reigning: that is, used a sword, ...
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How much power and influence could a child monarch have?
As I understand, if a monarch died before his heir reached adulthood, the heir would still become a king or queen regardless of age, but the country would be temporarily governed by a regent. I want ...
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Would an illegitimate child of a monarch have been recognized at the Russian court?
For purposes of a novel I am writing I would like to know if an illegitimate son or daughter of a 19th century Russian tsar would have been recognized by the court. Would it matter if the birth was ...
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Were there any monarchs of England or the United Kingdom who were not technically first in the line of succession? [closed]
Pretty self-explanatory. Who (if anyone) became an English/UK monarch without being the actual heir to the previous monarch (due to wars, coups, etc.)? Bonus points for circumstances.
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What is the meaning of the hand gesture performed by King James II in the portrait by Peter Lely?
This portrait by Peter Lely is one of the most well-known images of James II of England (aka James VII of Scotland). It is used to illustrate his Wikipedia article.
Is there some meaning behind the ...
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Where was Haile Selassie's palace in the Ogaden Desert?
According to Kapuściński's informant W.A.-N., in the former's book about Haile Selassie, The Emperor:
It is true that some excesses were committed. For instance, a great Palace was constructed in ...
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Could George I (of Great Britain) speak English?
Web based sources differ wildly in stating how well King George I could speak English. Brittanica says:
Since he could not speak English, he communicated with his ministers in French.
Wikipedia, ...
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Was Queen Elizabeth II ever the head of state of Namibia?
Let's set the scene, WW1 is over and part of the negotiations, and the only thing we're really focusing on here, is that Deutsch-Südwestafrika becomes administered by the Union of South Africa, the ...
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Was Richard I's imprisonment by Leopold of Austria justified?
I read in Wikipedia and Britannica about Richard I of England regarding his imprisonment and I was perplexed by the fact that a sovereign monarch, and a crusader at that, could be imprisoned by a ...
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Who is Swedens rightful king considering the coup d'etat of 1809 deposed the then rightful king?
Considering that Gustav IV Adolf was forced to resign and driven to exile during a coup d'etat in 1809 and that the later Bernadotte family got into power after the death of Charles XIII, the brother ...
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Have there been instances of a monarchy being reintroduced after being abolished? [closed]
This question is partly inspired by this question.
Abolishing monarchies is traditionally done via a revolution (I'm not aware of any instances of the converse). If the revolutions turn out violent, ...
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When did Tsar Nicholas II become Tsar of Russia?
I'm having trouble understanding the technicalities of throne inheritance in the Tsardom.
Did Nicholas II become Tsar after his fathers' death on the 1st of November 1894, or did he become Tsar after ...
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