1. Alexander Watson Ideas and Identities 15 January 2015
MONARCHIES
Alexander Watson
Ideas and Identities
15 January 2015

2. Monarchy through History
‘The institution of kingship can lay strong claim to having been the most common form of government known, world-wide, to man.’
Historian Francis C. Oakley
Old Testament: Jewish Kings – e.g. David (famous for killing Goliath) and the Egyptian pharaohs)
In Europe, monarchs ruled for millennia, from at least the Roman Caesars (Emperors) onwards
The longevity and adaptability of Kingship is impressive
The Biblical King David
A minature from the tenth century Egbert Psalter

3. What makes a King (or Queen)?
Three very different monarchs: From left to right: Richard I ‘the Lionheart’ of England ( ), the Absolute Monarch and ‘Sun King’ Louis XIV of France ( ) and the present constitutional monarch of England and Scotland, Queen Elizabeth II (1926-)

4. What makes a King (or Queen)?
Henry VIII of England ( ) Famously frustrated at his (or, as he saw it) his wives’ long failure to beget a male heir
Jan III Sobieski of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ( )
Elected according to the Commonwealth’s rules

5. Hard Power
Harlech Castle in Wales. One of King Edward I of England’s most formidable fortifications
A battle helmet found in the ship burial at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. The man buried in the ship may have been the seventh century King of East Anglia Redwald
Friedrich II ‘the Great’ of Prussia
(reigned )
This Prussian King was famed for his military successes

6. Marriage
Ferdinand II of Aragon ( ) and Isabella I of Castile ( ) - one of the medieval ages ‘power couples’. Their marriage union laid the foundation for the modern state of Spain

7. Soft Power A coin stamped in the reign of King Offa of Mercia.
The words read: ‘Offa Rex’ – Latin for ‘King Offa’
The Order of the Garter.
Instituted by Edward III of England in 1348
A good example of royal ceremony, tradition and patronage
Monarchs are lawgivers. The above document is a royal charter granted by Elizabeth II

8. Sacred Kingship Kings and the Christian Church Saintly Monarchs
- Robert II (the Pious) (France)
- Edward the Confessor (England)
The ‘King’s Evil’ – touching to
heal Scrofula in:
- England (c )
- France (c )
A Scrofula sufferer
King Henry IV of France touches people suffering from Scrofula, in order to heal them

9. The Divine Right of Kings
“THE State of MONARCHIE is the supremest thing upon earth: For Kings are not onely GODS Lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon GODS throne, but even by GOD himselfe they are called Gods.”
King James I, speech to parliament, 21 March 1609/10
James I of England (and VI of Scotland)

10. Challenges to Monarchy: The English Civil War
The Execution of King Charles I at Whitehall on 30 January 1649 (artist unknown)

11. Challenges to Monarchy: The French Revolution
The Execution of King Louis XVI in Paris on 21 January 1793 (Georg Heinrich Sieveking, copperplate engraving)

12. Monarchy: the Return…
After England’s Civil War and France’s Revolution, both countries were without a monarch for just 11 years.
King Charles II of England (reign: )
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France (reign: )

13. Europe in 1914
Monarchies are shaded pink Republics are shaded yellow

14. The Monarchical Catastrophe: the First World War
Kaiser Wilhelm II Emperor of Germany Deposed The Hohenzollern dynasty had ruled Brandenburg (the region around Berlin) since 1417
Kaiser Karl Emperor of Austria-Hungary Deposed The Habsburg dynasty had ruled in central Europe since 1273
Tsar Nicholas II
Emperor of Russia
Deposed and Assassinated
The Romanov dynasty had ruled Russia since 1613

15. Europe in 2015
Monarchy
Monarchies are shaded red Republics are shaded blue

16. Conclusion: The Adaptability of Monarchy
The Mutability of Monarchy
What has changed?
… and what remains the same?
The End of Monarchy?
‘Republic’ organisation claims the support of 30,000 members in the UK
24.5 million people watched the Royal Wedding across the United Kingdom in 2011
Hundreds of millions watched it worldwide