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Queen

Definition: Queen

Queen

Noun

1. The only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs.

2. A female sovereign ruler.

3. The wife or widow of a king.

4. Offensive terms for an openly homosexual man.

5. One of four face cards in a deck bearing a picture of a queen.

6. The most powerful chess piece.

7. Especially large and only member of a colony of naked mole rats to bear offspring sired by only a few males.

8. Female cat.

Verb

1. Promote to a queen, as of a pawn in chess.

2. Become a queen, of a chess pawn.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

"Queen" is a name that signifies or is derived from: "a woman", "a wife".

Date "queen" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

 

Specialty Definition: Queen

DomainDefinition

Satire

QUEEN, n. A woman by whom the realm is ruled when there is a king, and through whom it is ruled when there is not. Source: Devil's Dictionary.

19th Century Satire

One entitled to rule a nation, make up a deck, or beat a knave. Source: Foolish Dictionary, 1904.

Bible

Queen No explicit mention of queens is made till we read of the "queen of Sheba." The wives of the kings of Israel are not so designated. In Ps. 45:9, the Hebrew for "queen" is not _malkah_, one actually ruling like the Queen of Sheba, but _shegal_, which simply means the king's wife. In 1 Kings 11:19, Pharaoh's wife is called "the queen," but the Hebrew word so rendered (g'birah) is simply a title of honour, denoting a royal lady, used sometimes for "queen-mother" (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chron. 15:16). In Cant. 6:8, 9, the king's wives are styled "queens" (Heb. melakhoth). In the New Testament we read of the "queen of the south", i.e., Southern Arabia, Sheba (Matt. 12:42; Luke 11:31) and the "queen of the Ethiopians" (Acts 8:27), Candace. Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.

Dream Interpretation

To dream of a queen, foretells succesful{sic} ventures. If she looks old or haggard, there will be disappointments connected with your pleasures. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted ....

Literature

Queen Greek, gyne (a woman); Sanskrit, goni; Swedish, qvenna; Gothic, queins; Anglo-Saxon, cwen. (See Sir .)
Queen, "woman," is equivalent to "mother." In the translation of the Bible by Ulfilas (fourth century), we meet with gens and gino ("wife" and "woman"); and in the Scandinavian languages karl and kone still mean "man" and "wife." (See King.)
"He [Jesus] saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son."- St. John xix. 26.
Queen (The White). Mary Queen of Scots; so called because she dressed in white mourning for her French husband. Source: Brewer's Dictionary.

Mining

Slate measuring 36 in by 24 in (91.44 cm by 60.96 cm). (references)

Multilingual Slang

French (folle, tante), Italian (checca, regina). (references)

Slang

Noun. Source: The connotation of the word "queen" in Standard English implies a person that is not only regal and often puts on airs, but also one that is somewhat almighty. In Standard English it refers to a woman and not a man. . Definition: A reference to a man that is feminine. Context: This is used in casual conversation as a descriptive term for a man that has feminine mannerisms. Social Source: LGBTA. Source: Compiled by The University of Oregon. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: Beatrix of the Netherlands

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of Orange-Nassau (born January 31, 1938) is the Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne in 1980. Beatrix is the daughter of Queen Juliana and her husband, Bernhard von Lippe-Biesterfeld. When Beatrix was a young girl, the Dutch royal family fled the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II, moving to Great Britain in May 1940 and then to Ottawa, Canada. They returned home in 1945.


Queen Beatrix

In Canada, Princess Beatrix had attended nursery and primary school. On her return to the Netherlands, she continued her primary education at The Workshop (De Werkplaats), Kees Boeke's progressive school in Bilthoven. In April 1950, Princess Beatrix entered the Incrementum, part of Baarns Lyceum, where she passed her school-leaving examinations in arts subjects and classics in 1956.

On January 31, 1956, Princess Beatrix celebrated her 18th birthday. From that date, under the Constitution of the Netherlands, she was entitled to assume the royal prerogative. At that time, her mother installed her in the Council of State.

Beatrix began her university studies the same year, at Leiden University. In her first years at university, she attended lectures in sociology, jurisprudence, economics, parliamentary history and constitutional law. In the course of her studies she also attended lectures on the cultures of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international affairs, international law, history and European law.

While at university, the Princess visited various European and international organisations in Geneva, Strasbourg, Paris, and Brussels. She was also an active member of the Leiden Women Students' Association. In the summer of 1959, she passed her preliminary examination in law, and she obtained her law degree in July 1961.

On March 10, 1966, she married the diplomat Claus von Amsberg. Initially, there was quite some opposition to the marriage. With fresh memories of the Second World War, a part of the Dutch people didn't appreciate a German prince. As time went on, however Claus became one of the most popular members of the Dutch monarchy and his 2002 death was widely mourned.

On April 30, 1980, Beatrix became Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands when her mother abdicated. She exercises her function with more formality than Queen Juliana. She has a lot of supporters because of her professionalism, but during the 1990s criticism increased.

She has been a long-time member of the Club of Rome.

Beatrix has three sons:

On October 6, 2002, her husband Prince Claus died after a long illness.

Preceded by:
Juliana
List of Kings and Queens of the Netherlands Heir apparent:
Prince Willem-Alexander

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Beatrix of the Netherlands."

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British monarchy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The British monarch or sovereign is the head of state of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and is the source of all executive, judicial and (as the Queen-in-Parliament) legislative power. The monarch is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England as well as Head of the Commonwealth and head of state of 15 other Commonwealth Realms. Although the monarch plays an important ceremonial role, in practice the United Kingdom uses the Westminster system of constitutional monarchy, so the power of the monarch in British politics is greatly limited by convention.


Queen Elizabeth II

There are two situations in which the monarch may have political power. By convention, the monarch dissolves parliament and issues a writ for new elections at the request of the Prime Minister, however it is an open question as to whether the monarch must always grant such a dissolution. Another possible situation is if no party gains a majority in Parliament. The monarch would by convention offer the post of Prime Minister to the head of the party most likely to form a government, but it is possible that this may not be the party with the most seats.

The monarch must formally assent to all acts of Parliament before they can become law. Royal assent is given in Norman French by a representative of the monarch. The last time royal assent was withheld was by Queen Anne. Although there is a popular consensus in support of the continuing existence of the monarchy, there is a wide belief that this would rapidly change were the monarch to exercise power in opposition to the democratically elected government.

The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II (since February 6 1952) and the Heir Apparent is Charles, Prince of Wales (son of the Queen, born November 14 1948). Although Charles is the formal heir-apparent, there has been continuing speculation that when the Queen dies or abdicates then the crown will pass not to Charles, but to his eldest son. Advocates for this suggest that Charles is unsuitable as a monarch because of his divorce from Diana, Princess of Wales. There is also a large Royal Family made up of the Queen's other children and cousins.

The present monarch's style is Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

Succession to the British throne is restricted to Protestant descendants of Sophia, Electress of Hanover, with male heirs having precedence over females, and those who have married a Roman Catholic excluded, though there have been moves to amend these restrictions in recent years.

Labour minister Lord Williams of Mostyn said in 1998 that the government would like to change the law to give equal precedence regardless of sex. However, the government also believes that such a change would take up a lot of parliamentary time, and would require the approval of the other countries of which the British monarch is head of state. Despite public calls for change by two female cabinet ministers, Patricia Hewitt and Tessa Jowell, no moves have yet been taken.

The Guardian newspaper has campaigned in recent years for an abolition of the restriction on non-Protestants from succeeding to the throne. It argues that the restriction may be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, which is now part of British law. A "ten minute rule" bill to overturn this restriction was introduced in the British House of Commons by Labour MP Kevin McNamara in 2001, and won a symbolic victory when forced to a vote, but did not become law.

Upon the death of a Monarch, an Accession Council meets at St James's Palace. Attending are the members of the House of Lords, Privy Counsellors, the Lord Mayor of London, Aldermen of the City of London, and High Commissioners of Commonwealth countries. The Council makes a proclamation declaring the death of the previous monarch and names the individual who is to succeed to the Crown. The proclamation is then read aloud at various places in London, Edinburgh, Windsor, and York.

See also

External links

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Canadian monarchy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)


Portraits of the Queen can be found in most Canadian government buildings

Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its reigning monarch and head of state.

In Canada, Her Majesty's official title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. Such capacity is Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. In common practice Queen Elizabeth II is referred to simply as "The Queen" or "The Queen of Canada" when in Canada.

Constitutional monarchy in Canada

The most notable features of the Canadian constitutional monarchy are:

History

Canada has been independent of the United Kingdom since a combination of the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927 (which replaced the concept of a singular crown throughout the British Empire with multiple crowns with each dominion as a separate kingdom, all worn by the common shared monarch) and the Statute of Westminster 1931, which granted the dominions of the Commonwealth independence from the British parliament and equality with the United Kingdom. Canada's constitution was repatriated under Prime Minister Trudeau in 1982, becoming a Canadian law rather than an act of the British parliament which required amendment in both jurisdictions. See Canada Act 1982.


The Throne of Canada
Throne Chairs for The Queen of Canada, and the Duke of Edinburgh and the Governor General, in the Canadian Senate, Ottawa. (The front chair is used by the Speaker of the Senate)

However the repatriation of the constitution did not have any impact on the position of Queen Elizabeth as Queen of Canada, though the rules of succession are still laid down in British, not Canadian law.

Occasionally, the Queen's authority is appealed to by Canada's partisan political leaders.

In 1992, Brian Mulroney, then Prime Minister of Canada, appealed to the Queen (through the Governor-General) to temporarily add eight seats to the Senate (a right reserved for the queen). Senators are appointed until the age of 75 in Canada, and it is generally believed that Mulroney made this move in order to secure passage of the controversial Goods and Services Tax, which faced widespread opposition in Canada, and would not have passed there without the votes of the newly appointed Senators.

This was an occasion on which the Queen played a significant role in Canadian government, though as the monarch's advisors made clear, the monarch felt bound to do as advised by Her Prime Minister, who was answerable to cabinet, parliament and the Canadian electorate for whatever advice he gave. They argued that to in effect overrule prime ministerial advice would have involved the Queen directly in controversy; by automatically accepting advice she placed the responsibility on the person giving the advice.

Debate

Throughout Canada's history there has rarely been much discussion or debate on the continued existence of the "Canadian monarchy." Historically, the monarchy has often been touted by Canadians as one of the key differences between the United States and Canada.

In recent years however, some Canadians, such as Deputy Prime Minister John Manley have advocated the abolishment of the Canadian monarchy, and the establishment of a republic with head of state as a fully Canadian (and possibly democratically-elected) office. In contrast to Australian republicanism, there is not much public interest in turning Canada into a republic.

Arguments against the monarchy claim that its abolition would be a blow for democracy and remove an unnecessary expense for the Canadian taxpayer. Many Canadian republicans also say it would remove Canada's last political connection to her colonial past, and thus improve her image as a sovereign nation.

On the other hand, some of the monarchy's defenders have argued that having a Canadian monarchy, with a Queen of Canada and a governor-general, allows Canada to highlight its difference from the United States, whereas a republican president might be seen just another president on the American continent where the most prominent president is the President of the United States.

It is also noted that whereas Canada currently has a female head of state and female governor-general, no woman has ever been president or vice-president in the United States. They also argue that a republican head of state would cost more, not less, than the current monarchy, with additional costs involving in updating the governor-general's residences to full head of state presidential palace level, the costs of state visit, political advisors, increased ceremonial functions, etc, functions that in many cases do not exist for a governor-general, given that they are not a full head of state, but which would be required for a Canadian president. There is also, in large part because of previous long disputes over constitutional issues and reforms, a reluctance to enter into the extensive constitutional renegotiation that would be required to establish a new political system in Canada. At any rate, at this time this issue is not at all high on peoples' minds. A recent poll suggested that only 5% of Canadians are aware that Canada's Queen and Head of State is Elizabeth II. Most Canadians incorrectly regard the Prime Minister as the nation's Head of State.

The Canadian monarchy has a powerful special interest group, known as the Monarchist League of Canada. The republican movement has a smaller, recently-formed group, known as Citizens for a Canadian Republic.

See also

External Links

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Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (May 19, 1744 - November 17, 1818) was the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.

She was born Sophia Charlotte, at Mirow in her father's duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Germany. Having been selected as the bride of the young king George (who had already flirted with several young women considered unsuitable by his mother, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, and by his political advisors), she arrived in Britain in 1761 and the couple were married at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, London, on September 8 of that year.

Despite not having been his first choice, and having been treated with a general lack of sympathy by his mother, Charlotte's relationship with her husband soon blossomed, and he is not known ever to have been unfaithful to her. In the course of their marriage, they had sixteen children, most of whom survived into adulthood. Charlotte was supportive to her husband as he descended into mental illness, but pre-deceased him, dying at Kew Palace, their family home in Surrey. She was buried at Windsor.

The cities of Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and Charlotte, North Carolina were named for her.

According to information published on www.pbs.org, the official website of the Public Broadcasting System, Queen Charlotte was part black, six times a descendant of Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a black, Moorish, or mixed-race member of the Portuguese royal family who lived in the 15th century. Citing research conducted by Charlotte biographer Olwen Hedley as well as the history department of Canada's McGill University, black-diaspora historian Mario de Valdes y Cocom writes on the PBS website that Queen Charlotte's personal physician, Christian Friedrich, Baron von Stockmar, described his patient as having "true mulatto features" ("ein wahres Mulattengesicht").

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz."

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Commonwealth Realm

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

A Commonwealth realm is any one of the 16 sovereign states that recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their Queen and head of state. In each state she acts as the monarch of that state regardless of her other roles. For example, in Canada she is known as "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada" or simply, the Queen of Canada.

Upon the advice of the nations' prime ministers, the Queen appoints a governor-general to represent her as the de facto Head of State during her absence. The governor-general in turn exercises the powers of a constitutional monarch with a few symbolic, figurehead duties.

Fifteen of the nations are all former British colonies that became independent countries either after the ratification of the Statute of Westminster in 1931, the collapse of the Federation of the West Indies in 1961, or at later dates, the latest being Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1983. Papua New Guinea was administered by Australia as an international trusteeship before independence in 1975. For historical information see also Dominion.

Countries currently Commonwealth Realms

The Commonwealth Realms are a part of, but should be distinguished from, the Commonwealth of Nations which is an organization of mostly former British colonies, the majority of whom do not recognize The Queen as head of state.

Commonwealth Realms are:

Flags of The Queen in Commonwealth Realms

In her capacity as Queen of different Commonwealth Realms, Her Majesty does not use the British Royal Standard, but instead uses either her flag for that realm, or her personal flag as Head of the Commonwealth, which is also used when visiting Commonwealth countries where she is not recognised as Head of State.


Queen of Malta's Flag 1967
The Queen has flags for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica and Barbados. Each is a banner of the country's coat of arms, with the royal cypher in the centre, with the letter 'E' for 'Elizabeth'. The Queen formerly had flags for Sierra Leone, Malta, and Trinidad and Tobago, but when these countries became republics, they became obsolete.

Flags of Governors-General


Governor-General of Malta's
Flag 1964-1974
Similarly, the Governor-General has his or her own flag featuring the Royal Lion and Crown (The Saint Edward's Crown), with the name of the country written in capitals on a scroll underneath. The Governor-General of Canada has a distinctive design, which features the Royal Lion with the Saint Edward's Crown, bearing a maple leaf.

Countries formerly Commonwealth Realms

Following their independence from Britain, most Commonwealth countries retained The Queen as head of state, but eventually changed the title of the monarch to the Sovereign of their own respective nations. (i.e. The Queen of Australia, The Queen of Canada etc...) In each realm the monarch is represented by a Governor-General, a Governor or a Lieutenant Governor.

With time, some Commonwealth Realms moved to become republics, passing constitutional amendments removing the monarch as their head of state, and replacing the Governor-General with an elected or appointed president. They remained within the Commonwealth, following the precedent set by India in 1950, recognising the British monarch as 'Head of the Commonwealth', but not as head of state. Previously, republican status was incompatible with Commonwealth membership, prompting Ireland to withdraw from the association on becoming a republic in 1949.

In some former Commonwealth realms, including Malta, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mauritius, the office of President was a ceremonial post, but other countries, such as Ghana, Malawi and Gambia, the President was an executive post, held by the last Prime Minister.

However, in Fiji, the change to a republic in 1987 came as a result of a military coup, rather than out of any republican sentiment, as Fiji's indigenous chiefs had voluntarily ceded their country to the Crown. Even when Fiji was not a member of the Commonwealth, symbols of the monarchy remained, including the Queen's portrait on banknotes and coins, and, unlike in the United Kingdom, the Queen's Official Birthday is a public holiday. When Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth, the issue of reinstating the Queen was raised, but not pursued, although the country's Council of Chiefs reaffirmed that the Queen was still the country's 'paramount chief'.

1. Presidency is ceremonial post.
2. Presidency is executive post.
3. Presidency originally ceremonial, now executive.
4. Presidency replaced office of Governor-General, but Republic not declared until 1949.

Republicanism in The Realms

In recent years, there has been some debate within the remaining Commonwealth realms about the continuing status of their monarchy. While some view the Queen's role as Head of State with either strong enthusiasm or passive indifference, others view her as an obstacle to true ' symbolic independence' from the United Kingdom. Those advocating change have pointed out that the majority of Commonwealth countries have long since become republics, and that were their countries to do the same, they too would accept the Queen as 'Head of the Commonwealth'.

Supporters of the monarchy argue that a republican head of state would cost more, not less, than the current monarchy. They point to the presidencies of the United States and France which cost more to maintain than their monarchies. They cite the additional costs involving in updating the governor-general's residences to full head of state presidential palace level, the costs of state visit, political advisors, increased ceremonial functions, etc, functions that in many cases do not exist for a governor-general, given that they are not a full head of state, but which would be required for a president. There is also, in large part because of previous long disputes over constitutional issues and reforms (especially in Canada and to some extent after the republican debate in Australia), a reluctance to enter into the extensive constitutional renegotiation that would be required to establish a new political system.

While The Queen's powers in Commonwealth realms are limited to appointing the Governor-General (and even this is done on the advice of the prime minister), her name and image play a prominent role in political institutions and symbols. For example, the Queen's image usually appears on coins and banknotes, and an oath of allegiance to her is usually required from politicians, judges, and new citizens. While some view a nation's political history and traditions to be part of their national identity, others view these traditions as anachronisms.

In Australia, Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating made clear his intention to make the country a republic by 2001. Following the holding of a Constitutional Convention in 1998, a referendum was held in 1999 on replacing the Queen as head of state with a President indirectly elected by Parliament. This was rejected because of divisions over how the future President should be elected, with some advocating direct election.

In neighbouring New Zealand, Prime Minister Helen Clark and her predecessor James Bolger, have also voiced their support for republicanism, but this does not yet have popular support, although a republican movement has been established. There have also been doubts expressed about the future role of the monarchy in Canada, but there has been little sign of change in the immediate future.

In the Caribbean, P.J Patterson, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, and Owen Arthur, the Prime Minister of Barbados also plan to make their countries republics, replacing the Queen with a ceremonial president.

Related pages

External Links

[in alphabetical order]

Australia

Canada

New Zealand

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Dutch monarchy

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since.

History

The first king of the Netherlands, from 1806 until 1810, was French. Napoleon set up his brother Louis Napoleon as king over what was then called the Kingdom of Holland, but this was virtually a puppet state.

The present monarchy was established in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna as part of the re-arrangement of Europe after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. The house of Orange-Nassau were given the modern-day Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to rule, to become known as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Previous to the Napoleonic wars, the Netherlands had stadtholders from the same family, although the state was formally a republic.

The first king of the constitutional monarchy of the Netherlands, Willem I, was a descendant of Willem the Old and his son William of Orange, also known as William the Silent, who from 1568 on had led the Dutch in their eighty-year struggle for independence from Spain. His family had a considerable influence on Dutch politics. They came from Dillenburg, Germany, home of the Nassau family. Willem's title 'Prince of Orange' was acquired through his possession of the county of 'Orange', located south of Valence in France.

Abdication of the throne has occurred several times. Queen Wilhelmina and Queen Juliana both abdicated in favor of their daughters and William I abdicated in favor of his son.

Monarchs

William I1815-1840Belgium seceded during his reign
William II1840-1849
William III1849-1890
(Emma)1890-1898 Regent for her daughter Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina1890-1948
Juliana1948-1980
Beatrix1980-

William I (1815-1840)

William II (1840-1849)

William III (1849-1890)

Wilhelmina (1890-1948)

When Wilhelmina came to the throne in 1890 at age 10 (her mother, Queen Emma, second wife of the then deceased William III, acted as regent until Wilhelmina reached the age of 18) -- Luxembourg, also a former member of the erstwhile German Confederation, seceded almost immediately. One of the reasons was that at the time they were not willing to accept a queen under Salic law. Instead a family member, Adolf, former Duke of Nassau, became the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

The 50(58)-year reign of Queen Wilhelmina was dominated by the two World Wars. She married a German prince, Hendrik von Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who unfortunately was not happy with his unrewarding role of husband-to-the-queen. Wilhelmina's strong personality and unrelenting passion to fulfill her inherited task overpowered many men in position of authority, including ministers, prime-ministers and her own husband. She is mostly remembered for her role during World War II. Initial disappointment of many Dutch people because of her quick withdrawal to London faded when she proved to be of great mental support to the people and the resistance in her occupied country. Hendrik and Wilhelmina had one daughter, Juliana, who came to the throne in 1948. They lived in The Hague and in Palace 't Loo (Paleis 't Loo) in Apeldoorn.

Juliana (1948-1980)

Juliana reigned from 1948 until 1980, and whereas Wilhelmina reigned like a general, Juliana expressed a more motherly character. One of her first official acts was to sign the treaty of independence of the Dutch colony Indonesia. She became involved in two major crises: the Greet Hofmans affair and the Lockheed scandal, both of which directly threatened the credibility of the throne. She married a German of noble descent, Prince Bernard von Lippe-Biesterfeld. Together they had four daughters, Beatrix, Irene, Margriet and Christina. After their return from Ottawa, Canada in 1945 (where Margriet was born), they lived in the Soestdijk Palace (Paleis Soestdijk) in Soestdijk, about 20 km. north-east of Utrecht.

Beatrix (1980-present)

The Dutch royal family today is much larger than it has ever been. Queen Beatrix and her husband, Prince Claus, have three sons, Willem-Alexander, Johan Friso and Constantijn (married to princess Laurentien). Her sister Margriet and her spouse Pieter van Vollenhoven have four sons: Maurits, Bernhard, Pieter-Christiaan and Floris. These seven princes as well as Margriet, are all (potentially) legal heirs to the throne, although the first right goes to the Crown Prince, and after him to his brothers. The two other sisters of Beatrix, Irene and Christina, have renounced their rights to the throne due to marriages which were not officially approved by the Dutch parliament. They both married Roman-Catholics and Irene herself converted to Roman-Catholicism, which at that time (the 1960s) was still politically problematic for an heir to the throne. Traditionally, Dutch monarchs have always been members of the Dutch Reformed church although this was never constitutionally required. This tradition is embedded in the history of the Netherlands. An additional complication which the government wanted to avoid, was that Irene's husband, Carlos de Bourbon Parma, (whom she later divorced) was a Spanish member of a noble family that claimed their alleged rights to the Spanish throne.

The crown prince is Willem-Alexander (born 1967), prince of Oranje-Nassau. He studied history at the University of Leiden and became actively involved in watermanagement. His wife is princess Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, an economy major, whose father was a minister of agriculture in the dictatorial regime under general Vidéla in Argentina. Because of that, their relationship was accompanied by fierce public debate, and only officially sanctified after quiet diplomacy, resulting in Máxima's father agreeing not to be present on their wedding day (February 2, 2002). Former minister Max van der Stoel and prime-minister Wim Kok seem to have played a crucial role in this process.

External links

Official Royal Website: lots of information about the monarchy and Royal Family, and virtual palace tours (all texts in Dutch and English).

Res Publica : The Netherlands (an international anti-monarchy Web directory)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Dutch monarchy."

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Elizabeth I of England

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533 - March 24, 1603) was Queen of England (reigned November 17, 1558 - March 24, 1603) and the last Tudor ruler. Elizabeth, sometimes called "The Virgin Queen", ruled a religiously divided England at the end of the 16th century. She is often considered one of the greatest British monarchs as she presided over an immense flourishing of culture and economics, and has been voted the "greatest Briton" of all time. The period of her reign is now known as the Elizabethan era of British history.


Queen Elizabeth I
Queen of England, Ireland and France

Childhood

Born in the royal Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London, Elizabeth was the daughter and only surviving child of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Because of the circumstances of her parents' marriage, Elizabeth was considered by Roman Catholics to be illegitimate. At the time of her birth, she was recognised as the heir to the throne, in preference to her older half-sister, Mary Tudor, who was made to serve in Elizabeth's household. However, fortunes quickly changed. When Elizabeth was less than three years old, her mother was executed for treason. Just over a year later, a male heir, Edward, was born to Henry VIII, and Elizabeth found herself in much the same position as Mary.

King Henry's later wives all showed kindness to the two princesses. Following Henry's death in 1547, Elizabeth was cared for by Henry's last queen, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour (brother of Jane Seymour and uncle to the new king, Edward VI of England). It is believed that Seymour lusted after the youthful Elizabeth, and planned to marry her after Catherine's untimely death. However, the Seymour brothers fell out of royal favour and were both executed.

As long as her brother lived, Elizabeth's position was secure. However, on his death in 1553, her sister Mary came to the throne as Mary I. Mary, a staunch Catholic, was keen to convert Elizabeth, who for her part was willing to go along with the outward appearance of Catholic worship, though she remained a Protestant at heart. Mary was not deceived, and Elizabeth was briefly confined to the Tower of London. It was here that she probably first encountered the love of her life, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Elizabeth's life was spared, but Mary's marriage to Philip II of Spain made it seem possible that an heir would be born and that England would return to the Catholic faith. When Mary died childless in 1558, however, Elizabeth was the natural successor.

Coronation

Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England on January 15, 1559 in Westminster Abbey. Her tenure was insecure right from the beginning. The coronation, the date of which was chosen by John Dee as a particularly auspicious one in preventing future misfortune, had to be performed by the Bishop of Carlisle, who was the most senior prelate willing to recognise her as the legitimate heir. The same year she was one of the parties to the Peace of Cateau Cambrésis that ended the Italian Wars.

Politics

Elizabeth's forty-five-year reign would be marked by religious tension. Although the queen herself attempted to steer a middle way between extremist beliefs, she was herself unquestionably Protestant, and the persecution of Catholics and others regarded as heretics continued. For much of her reign, she relied on the counsel of the experienced courtier, William Cecil, whom she created Lord Burghley. On his death, his son, Robert Cecil, became her leading advisor. Another man who played a major role in the success of her administration was Sir Francis Walsingham, who ran a network of intelligence officers throughout Europe, ensuring that no move against the queen went undetected. It was Walsingham's agents who discovered the Babington plot.

Succession

One of the major criticisms of Elizabeth was her failure to provide for the succession. It was taken for granted that she would marry and attempt to produce an heir, and there were many contenders for her hand, including her sister's former husband, Philip of Spain, as well as her favourite, Leicester, who was popularly believed to be her lover. Elizabeth wisely avoided both extremes, and, after a few years, as her hold on the throne was strengthened, it began to seem less likely that she would ever marry or have children.

She explained her failure to marry herself, in response to those who asked, by pointing out the position in which she had been placed during the reign of her elder sister. Besides being a target for Mary's jealousy, she had also been made use of, by rebels such as Thomas Wyatt. She therefore believed that the naming of a successor would weaken her rule and offer an incentive to those who wished her dead. Furthermore, she would not have been able to do so without consulting Parliament.

There were several possible successors, and Elizabeth did not particularly care for any of them. Her cousin, Mary I of Scotland, was a Catholic, but remained the most likely candidate to succeed her until, and even for a while after, Mary was forced to flee her own kingdom of Scotland. When Mary was driven out of Scotland, she was received by Elizabeth but was kept a prisoner at Fotheringhay. Mary's son, James, was a child and would have to prove himself before he could even be considered. The alternatives looked no better. Lady Catherine Grey, younger sister of Lady Jane Grey, displeased the queen by marrying against her wishes, and the youngest sister, Mary Grey, was a hunchbacked dwarf. While Elizabeth believed she might be able to influence Mary Stuart into changing her faith and marrying someone suitable, she held out the prospect of the succession to her, and continued to prevaricate on the matter while Mary was a prisoner in England.

It still looked possible that Elizabeth would marry and have children. Forced to abandon Dudley, she toyed with the idea of a French husband, one of the several royal princes available. The first one proposed, the Duc d'Anjou, a younger brother of King Charles IX of France, was twenty years younger than Elizabeth. When this idea was rejected, it was suggested that she should marry an even younger brother, the Duc d'Alençon. She was still considering it seriously when the young prince died suddenly. This marked the end of marriage negotiations.

When, in 1568, Lady Catherine Grey died, there was no other obvious successor of English birth, and Elizabeth was once again forced to consider Mary Stuart. Mary, too, had turned down Dudley as a potential husband before marrying Lord Darnley, but by now Mary had a son who was being brought up as a Protestant. In 1570, Elizabeth was persuaded by the French to help put Mary back on the Scottish throne. She set impossible pre-conditions, one being to bring Prince James to be brought up in England. Nevertheless, Cecil continued negotiations with Mary on the Queen's behalf. It was the Scots who stood in the way of a settlement.

End of religious toleration

At this stage, the new pope, Pius V intervened and excommunicated Elizabeth on February 25, 1570, something his predecessor had been reluctant to do. This made it impossible for Elizabeth to continue her policy of religious toleration. Nevertheless, the discovery of the Ridolfi Plot came as a great shock to her.

After twenty years of confinement, Mary Stuart allowed herself to become implicated in yet another plot by Catholic sympathisers, led by Sir Antony Babington to rescue her and place her on the throne in Elizabeth's place. This was a good excuse for Elizabeth to remove her from the equation, and she was executed in 1587.

War with Spain

Elizabeth had provided troops and money to assist the French Protestant Henri of Navarre to capture the throne of France. She had also sent troops to support the United Provinces in the Eighty Year's War. Mary's execution was the needed excuse for Philip II of Spain to make a determined invasion attempt. Thanks to Elizabeth's naval leaders, notably Sir Francis Drake, the Spanish Armada of 1588 was decisively defeated and scattered.

In the last few years of her reign, Elizabeth's favourite was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, who happened to be Leicester's stepson. Elizabeth forgave him a succession of misdemeanours, but his attempt at armed rebellion in 1601 gave her no alternative but to have him executed for treason.

Death

Elizabeth never married and her death ended the Tudor dynasty. In later years, when pressed to decide on the succession, she showed an inclination towards her nephew, ironically the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, whom she had executed; but she never officially named him. Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603, at Richmond Palace in Surrey and is buried at Westminster Abbey. She was succeeded by James I of England, who was already James VI of Scotland. Yet within 50 years of her death, England was to endure the English Civil War and become a republic.

English culture

The Elizabethan era was an important one for the development of English culture. Literature, particularly poetry and drama, enjoyed a golden age; and exploration of other continents, including the Americas, began in earnest. Indeed, the queen herself became noted as a poet and classical translator, personally writing the first English translation of Horace's Art of Poetry. Several of Elizabeth's speeches from throughout her reign, as well as her 1548 translation of Marguerite d'Angouleme's A Godly Meditation of the Christian Soul, are available from the Women Writers Project. (See also the Speech to the Troops at Tilbury.)

Popularity

Elizabeth is included in the top 10 of the 100 Greatest Britons poll sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. She has often been portrayed in drama and fiction. In 1971, Glenda Jackson portrayed her in the BBC's blockbuster serial, Elizabeth R, and in the film Mary, Queen of Scots. 1998 saw portrayals of the young queen by Cate Blanchett in the movie Elizabeth, and of the aging monarch by Dame Judi Dench in the movie Shakespeare in Love. The second series of historical fiction comedy Blackadder features a surreal version of her played by Miranda Richardson. Gay pioneer Quentin Crisp played the queen in the film "Orlando". Benjamin Britten portrayed her relationship with Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex in the opera Gloriana, written for the coronation of Elizabeth II.

Preceded by:
Mary I		 List of British monarchs Succeeded by:
James I

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Elizabeth I of England."

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Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)


Golden Jubilee photograph of Queen Elizabeth II
[wearing her Canadian orders]

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor) (born April 21, 1926) is the Queen regnant and head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and 15 other Commonwealth Realms, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. She has reigned since February 6, 1952. Her coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.

Titles

In the United Kingdom, Her Majesty's official title is, in English, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith and in Latin, Elizabeth II, Dei Gratia Britanniarum Regnorumque Suorum Ceterorum Regina, Consortionis Populorum Princeps, Fidei Defensor.

In Canada, Her Majesty's official title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

In Australia, Her Majesty's official title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.

Likewise, her other titles in other commonwealth realms make some references to "...and Her other Realms and Territories" as a symbol of unity. Some Commonwealth realms omit "By the Grace of God" from her title. In common practice Queen Elizabeth II is referred to simply as "The Queen". She is the first Queen Regnant in Scotland to bear this name but bears the numeral II thoughout her realms.

Her previous titles were:

Family

Born in London, England, by Caesarean section she is the elder daughter of King George VI (then Duke of York) and his Queen consort, Elizabeth, her younger sister being the late Princess Margaret.

Her first public engagement was in 1942 when she inspected the Grenadier Guards on her 16th birthday.

During World War Two Elizabeth convinced her father that she should be allowed to contribute directly to the war effort. She joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (the ATS) where she was known as No 230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. She was trained as a driver. This training was the first time she had been taught with other students. It is said that she greatly enjoyed this and that this experience lead her to send her own children to school rather than have them educated at home.

She married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on 20 November 1947 (Prince Phillip had renounced his claim to the Greek throne and was simply referred to as Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten, RN prior to being created Duke of Edinburgh the night before the marriage). They have four children (see below). Though the Royal House is named Windsor, it was decreed that the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip should have the personal surname Mountbatten-Windsor. (The personal surname change came via an Order-in-Council in 1960. Source: Buckingham Palace.)

Elizabeth succeeded to the throne following the death of her father in 1952. Her coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.

Despite a succession of controversies about the rest of the royal family, particularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s (including wide reportage of Prince Philip's propensity for verbal gaffes, and the marital difficulties of her children), Queen Elizabeth remains a remarkably uncontroversial and widely respected figure. She has managed to reflect the expectations of the British public for the role near-perfectly, with one notable exception when she and the other royals were perceived to be unmoved by the public outpouring of grief following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales on August 31, 1997.


Coronation portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

Personality and Image

She is both a public figure, and, by all accounts, an exceedingly private person. She has never given press interviews, and her views on political issues are largely unknown except for those few heads of government who have private conversations with her. She reportedly has few close friends, instead preferring the company of horses and corgis, areas in which she, like many of the other royals, is regarded as an expert. She is also regarded as a excellent mimic, whose impressions of people are regarded as first rate. One British impressionist once said if the British monarchy was abolished, he would hire her for his show the next day, so good are her impressions.

Her former prime ministers speak highly of her. Since becoming queen, she spends an average of three hours every day 'doing the boxes', i.e. reading state papers sent to her from her various departments, embassies, etc. Having done so since 1952, she has probably seen as much of world affairs in that period as anyone, and is thus able to offer observations to Tony Blair based on things said to her by Harold Wilson, Harold Macmillan, Ted Heath, Winston Churchill and many other senior leaders she had spoken to. She takes her responsibilities in this regard seriously, once mentioning an "interesting telegram" from the Foreign Office to then Prime Minister Winston Churchill, only to find that her prime minister had not bothered to read it when it came in his box.

Political Role

Prime Ministers take their weekly meetings with her very seriously. One said it he took it more seriously than Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, because she would be better briefed and more constructive than anything he would face at the dispatch box. She also has regular meetings with her individual ministers. Even ministers known to have republican views speak highly of her and value those meetings. She receives daily reports also on what is on in Parliament, as well as frequent meetings with the Scottish First Minister, whom she (nominally) appoints. (The royal palace in Edinburgh, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, once home to Scottish kings and queens like Mary, Queen of Scots, is now regularly used again, with at least one member of the Royal Family, often the Prince of Wales or Princess Royal frequently in residence). She also receives reports on the Welsh Assembly.

Though bound by convention not to intervene directly in politics, her length of service, the fact that she has been a confidante of every prime minister since Sir Winston Churchill, and her knowledge of world leaders, means that when she does express an opinion, however cautiously, her words are taken seriously. In her memoirs, Margaret Thatcher offers this description of her weekly meetings with the Queen:

"Anyone who imagines that they are a mere formality or confined to social niceties is quite wrong; they are quietly businesslike and Her Majesty brings to bear a formidable grasp of current issues and breadth of experience."

The Rhodesia controversy of the late 1970's is a prominent example of the Queen subtly influencing policy. In 1973, a report by Lord Grenville on his visit to Rhodesia initially depressed the then Labour government, as it reported only slight movement from the Ian Smith regime. However, after a conversation with James Callaghan at a state dinner in Buckingham Palace, the Queen through her Private Secretary noted that though the scale of the movement was slight, any movement was a change from what had happened before, and might indicate the beginning of change. Her observation, based on many years reading Foreign Office reports (including years when those Labour ministers were not in office), was influential in convincing the Labour government not to abandon contact with Smith's Rhodesia. That contact was the genesis of what ultimately became the Lancaster House Agreement that produced Zimbabwe. When Margaret Thatcher, who was known to hold pro-Ian Smith views, became prime minister, it was feared that those contacts might be scaled back, but according to one Thatcher cabinet minister, an "intoxicating mix" of the Queen and Thatcher's Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington kept her attached to the process developed by the previous Labour government.

Though her political views are never expressed publicly, she is believed to hold centre, even slightly left of centre views. She was seen as closer to Harold Wilson than Edward Heath and certainly closer to Tony Blair than Margaret Thatcher. During Thatcher's period in government, an unnamed source in Buckingham Palace reported that the Queen was worried that the right wing policies of the Thatcher government were dividing Britain and hurting the Commonwealth. Her statement of praise for the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement raised some complaints in Northern Ireland among some unionists in the Democratic Unionist Party who opposed the Agreement, including the role given to the Irish government, the downgrading of British symbols in the North and the presence of Sinn Féin in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Foreign relations

Her personal friendship with leaders like Nelson Mandela, Mary Robinson, Bill Clinton and others have made her exceptionally well informed on world affairs. On occasion such contacts have proved highly beneficial for Britain. John Major as prime minister once had difficulty at a Commonwealth Conference working with a particular Commonwealth leader. The Queen, knowing that leader, guessed that there might be problems and informed her British Prime Minister that he and the leader shared a mutual interest in sport. Major used that information to establish a personal relationship between both men, which ultimately benefited both countries. Similarly she took the initiative when Irish President Mary Robinson began visiting Britain, by suggesting to Her Government that she invite her Irish counterpart to pay courtesy call on her in the Palace. The Irish Government enthusiastically supported the idea. The result was a groundbreaking first ever visit by an Irish president to meet the British monarch.

In its aftermath, Mary Robinson was invited to pay an official visit to Britain. Since then, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Edinburgh have all visited Ireland, many travelling to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet the Irish President. Successive Irish presidents and taoisigh (prime ministers) have also visited Buckingham Palace, while President McAleese, in a break with precedent, attended a major royal event, the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (co-incidentially the last Queen of Ireland [1936-1949]) in 2002. Expectations are high that the Queen will pay a state visit to Ireland as the guest of the Irish President in the near future. (Mary McAleese once paid a public compliment to the Queen, whom she had known before she became president, calling her a 'dote' (a term of affection meaning a lovely person) in an Irish newspaper interview.)

On January 2 2003 the Queen, following advice from her Government in the United Kingdom, rejected a claim from Jamaican Rastafarians for compensation for slavery following representations made by Rastafarians to the Queen on a visit to Jamaica in 2002. In a letter addressed to the Rastafarian brethren and widely reported in the Jamaican media (see for instance this report in the Jamaica Gleaner), she wrote "Under the statute of the International Criminal Court, acts of enslavement committed today... do constitute a crime against humanity. But the historic slave trade was not a crime against humanity or contrary to international law at the time when the UK Government condoned it... It is a fundamental principle of international law that events have to be judged against the law as it stood at the time when they occurred. We regret and condemn the inequities of the slave trade, but these shameful activities belong to the past. Governments today cannot accept responsibility for what happened over 150 years ago.... [My Government] is looking at ways to commemorate all victims of the slave trade. The aim is to express the profound regret we feel about slavery while looking positively to the future."

Republicanism

The Queen's reign has probably seen more calls for the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic than any since the English Civil War. Most nobtably, Labour M.P. Tony Benn has several times proposed the Commonwealth of Britain Bill to turn the United Kingdom into a republic. Several notable publications, including The Guardian, The Economist, and numerous tabloids, also profess republicanism. Nevertheless, despite frequent claims in the tabloids of "the monarchy in crisis" in response to the various personal scandals within the royal family, the monarchy seems to be well-ensconced for the time being.

Golden Jubilee

In 2002 the Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee, marking the 50th year of her accession to the throne.

Other titles

Besides being Queen of the United Kingdom, at her accession she was also Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa (to 1961), Pakistan (to 1956), and Sri Lanka (to 1972). In the course of her reign, she has also been:

From 1965 to 1970 she was also proclaimed Queen of Rhodesia by the White minority government there, although she never accepted this office.

Coat of Arms

The Queen bears quarterly, I and IV England, II Scotland, III Northern Ireland, which serves as the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. This shield has been unchanged since Queen Victoria.

Children of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip

External link

Preceded by:
George VI 		List of British monarchs Heir apparent:
Charles, Prince of Wales

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom."

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Henrietta Maria

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)


Henrietta Maria

Henrietta Maria (November 25, 1609 - September 10, 1669) was Queen Consort of England, Scotland and Ireland (June 13, 1625 - January 30, 1649) through her marriage to Charles I.

Henriette-Marie de Bourbon was the youngest daughter of Henry IV of France and Maria de Medici and the sister of the future Louis XIII of France. Her father was killed before she was one; her mother was banished in 1617.

She was born at the Louvre Palace and brought up as a Roman Catholic. This made her an unpopular choice of wife for the English king, whom she married by proxy in May, 1625, shortly after his accession to the throne. They were married in person at St Augustine's Church, Canterbury, England, on June 13 of that year. However, her religion made it impossible for her to be crowned with her husband in an Anglican service. Initially their relationship was cold. Charles had intended to marry a daughter of Philip III of Spain, but a mission to Spain in 1623 had failed.

She was not close to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, the king's favourite. Following the murder of Buckingham in August, 1628, her relationship with the king improved and they finally found deep bonds of love and affection. Her refusal to give up her Catholic faith alienated her from the people and certain powerful courtiers such as William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford. Charles, on the other hand, had definite leanings towards Catholicism, and, once he had reached maturity, did not share his father's sexual ambivalence. Henrietta Maria gave birth to ten children, six of whom survived into adulthood, and also had several miscarriages. Their surviving children were Charles (b. 1630), Mary, princess of Orange (b. 1631), James (b. 1633), Elizabeth (b. 1636), Henry, duke of Gloucester (b. 1640), and Henrietta Anne duchess of Or!eans (b. 1644).

Henrietta Maria increasingly took part in national affairs as the country moved towards open conflict through the 1630s. She allied with Puritan courtiers to deflect a diplomatic approach to Spain and sought a coup to pre-empt the Parliamentarians. As war approached she was active in seeking funds and support for her husband, but her concentration on Catholic sources like the Pope and the French angered many in England and hindered Charles' efforts.

In August 1642, when the conflict began, she was in Europe. She did not return to England until early 1643. She landed in Yorkshire and tried to rally support for the Royalists in northern England. The collapse of the king's position and his refusal to negotiate led her to flee to France with her sons in July 1644. Charles was executed in 1649, leaving her almost destitute.

She settled in Paris, appointing as her chancellor the eccentric Sir Kenelm Digby. She angered both Royalists in exile and her eldest son by attempting to convert her youngest son, Henry, to Catholicism . She returned to England following the Restoration in October 1660 and remained mostly in England until 1665 when she returned permanently to France. Her financial problems were resolved by a generous pension. She founded a covent at Chaillot, where she settled.

Henrietta Maria died at Château de Colombes, and was buried in the Royal tombs at Saint Denis Basilica near Paris.

Links:

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List of British monarchs

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of the various kingdoms that have existed on, or incorporated, the island of Great Britain, namely:

Complications over Title and Style

Royal titles are also complicated because in some cases, names of kingdoms are used that did not officially come into existence until later, or came into existence earlier without immediate adoption of the royal title.

The list of monarchs below cannot be exhaustive. For succession to the many thrones often did not pass smoothly from parent to child; lack of heirs, civil wars, murders and invasions affected the inheritance in ways that a simple list does not show. The relationships that formed the basis for claims to throne are noted where we know them, and the dates of reign indicated.

Scottish monarchs

Prior to the formation of Scotland, Dalriada, Strathclyde, Bernicia and the seven kingdoms of the Picts occupied the northern third of Britain.

The kingdom of Scotland is taken to have begun when Kenneth mac Alpin became king of the Picts and the Dalriadan Scots. However the kingdoms of Strathclyde and Bernicia were still independent of it. Strathclyde became part of Scotland in the reign of Duncan I.

The House of Alpin

The House of Dunkeld

The Wars of Scottish Independence

When Margaret died, there was no clear heir, and King Edward I of England took over, installing a puppet.

John Balliol rebelled, and Scotland was plunged into war. In the end, independence was secured under a new dynasty.

The House of Bruce

The House of Balliol

The House of Stewart (Stuart)

In 1707, with the Act of Union, the thrones of England and Scotland were formally united as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, keeping the numbering system of England. See GB and UK monarchs below.

Rulers of Wales

Prior to 1282, Wales was independent of England, consisting of a number of separate principalities. See List of rulers of Wales for full details.

English monarchs

After the departure of the Romans and prior to the formation of England, various British, Viking and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms existed in the southern two-thirds of Britain. Between 400 and 1000 the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms gradually conquered the others, amalgamating to form England.

The Bretwalda

The Bretwalda were chosen from among the rulers of the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. There was not always a Bretwalda.

The Saxon kings

By this time, the kings of Wessex had become established as kings of England.

The Danelaw

For a period of time, both Danish and Saxon kings claimed the throne of England.

The Saxon restoration

The Norman kings

After the Norman Conquest in 1066, numbering of kings begins anew, although this affects only the Edwards. (This is because the numbering of monarchs was originally a French tradition, brought to England by the Normans. The numbers given to pre-conquest kings were added by later historians.)

The Angevins or Plantagenets

The House of Lancaster

The Houses of Lancaster and York fought the Wars of the Roses over the English crown.

The House of York

The House of Tudor

The House of Stuart

The Commonwealth and Protectorate

There was no king between Charles I's execution in 1649 and the restoration in 1660, but there were two Lords Protector during the Protectorate.

The Stuart restoration

Monarchs of Great Britain

In 1707, with the Act of Union, the thrones of England and Scotland were formally united as the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain.

The House of Stuart

The House of Hanover

Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland

In 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (George III's reigns spanned both the separate kingdoms and their merged entity. For clarity and ease of use, Wikipedia has placed George III as 'George III of the United Kingdom')

In 1877, Victoria became also Empress of India

The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

The House of Windsor

The name of the Royal house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was changed to Windsor in 1917 due to anti-German feelings aroused by World War I.

Monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The Irish Free State left the United Kingdom in 1922. The name of the UK was changed to reflect that change, becoming the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' in 1927. Note also: from 1927, each dominion in the Commonwealth became a separate kingdom, with George V as native king in each. Hence, in 1927, he became 'King of Ireland', 'King of Australia,' 'King of Canada', 'King of New Zealand', and 'King of South Africa'

In 1947, India and Pakistan were granted independence, and George VI ceased to Emperor of India, but became King of India and King of Pakistan. (and, in 1948, King of Sri Lanka, also granted independence.) In 1949, Ireland became a Republic, and George ceased to be King of Ireland. India did the same in 1950

Mnemonics

A useful rhyme for memorising the names of the English and UK monarchs since the Norman Conquest in chronological order:

Willy Willy Harry Steve,
Henry Dick John Henry three;
Then three Edwards Richard two,
Henry Four, Five Six then who?
Edward four five, Dick the bad,
Two more Henries, Ned the lad;
Bloody Mary she came next,
Then we have our Good Queen Bess.
From Scotland we got James the Vain;
Charlie one, two, James again.
William and Mary, Anna Gloria,
Four Georges, William, and Victoria.
Edward, George, the same again,
Now Elizabeth - and the end.

(Compare with Chinese history mnemonics.)

See also

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Margrethe II of Denmark

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Margrethe II of Denmark (Margrethe Alexandrine Thorhildur Ingrid) born April 16, 1940, 6 days after the German occupation of Denmark, is the current Queen Regnant of Denmark.

On June 10, 1967 she married a French diplomat, Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat, who was created Prince Henrik of Denmark. Two children were born of this union, Frederik André Henrik Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark, on May 26, 1968, and Joachim Holger Valdemar Christian, on June 7, 1969.

She ascended the throne on January 14, 1972, on the death of her father, Frederick IX (Frederik IX).

Preceded by:
Frederick IX 		List of Danish monarchs (currently regnant)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Margrethe II of Denmark."

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Mary I of England

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Queen Mary I of England (February 18, 1516- November 17, 1558 - reigned July 19, 1553 - November 17, 1558) was born in the royal Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London, the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, the only one from that union to survive infancy. She is commonly known as Bloody Mary. She was alienated from her father, however, during his divorce (it was not a divorce in the modern sense, but an annulment) from her mother. As her parents' marriage was deemed null and void, Mary was then deemed illegitimate and thus deprived for a time of her status as an heir to the throne. By the time of Henry's death, however, she had been restored as second in line to the throne, after her half-brother Edward, who was physically weak.


Queen Mary I
Queen of England, Ireland and France

It was not until 1553 that Edward died, however, by which time Protestantism had gained such ground that a rival claimant to the throne was put forward, Mary's cousin Lady Jane Grey. Public sympathy remained with Mary, and she soon overcame resistance to her accession. By July 19 Jane Grey had been deposed and Mary was the undisputed Queen. Her official coronation came on November 30, 1553 .It is generally believed that Mary would have spared Jane's life if it had not been for the intervention of the Spanish diplomats who conditioned Mary's marriage to their king on her executing Jane.

Mary had always rejected the break with Rome that her father had instituted and the establishment of the Anglican Church that had flowed from her half-brother's protestantism, and now she tried to turn England back to Roman Catholicism. This effort was carried out by force, and a number of Protestant leaders were executed. The first was John Rogers, followed notably by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. This earned the queen the title of Bloody Mary. Modern scholars have pointed out that fewer Protestants died under Mary than Catholics under Mary's half-sister and successor Elizabeth but admit that, averaged over the lengths of their reigns, the Marian death toll was indeed higher. Her restoration of Catholicism was remarkably successful in some ways: Where only one bishop -- John Fisher of Rochester -- had resisted Henry's changes to the point that Henry had him executed, most of Mary's bishops refused to conform to the restored Protestantism under Elizabeth I and died under house arrest.

Mary also set in motion currency reform to counteract the dramatic devaluation of the currency that characterized the last few years of Henry VIII's reign and the reign of Edward VI. Mary's deep religious convictions also inspired her to institute social reforms, although these were largely unsuccessful. Her marriage to Philip II of Spain, in 1554, was unpopular even with her Catholic subjects; Philip spent little time with her once it became apparent she was beyond the possibility of conceiving a child. She was succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I, who quickly undid many of Mary's changes. She died at 42 of uterine or ovarian cancer.

Mary I of England is sometimes confused with her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived at the same time.

Many scholars trace the nursery rhyme "Mary, Mary, quite contrary" to her unpopular attempts to bring Roman Catholicism back to England, identfying the "cockle shells", for example, with the symbol of pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in Spain and the "pretty maids all in a row" with nuns.

See also

Preceded by:
(Jane)		 List of British monarchs Succeeded by:
Elizabeth I

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Mary I of England."

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Monarch

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

A monarch is a hereditary ruler, figure-head or head of state, except in certain states like the former Kingdom of Poland, the various Irish kingdoms before english rule, and current-day Malaysia which feature or featured elected monarchs. A nation or state that is ruled by a monarch is called a kingdom. A system of governance involving a monarch is known as a monarchy.

Kings and Queens

"King" designates a male monarch (when he does not use another title such as emperor or tsar). A female monarch is called queen, or in full "reigning queen" or "queen regnant", to distinguish from "queen consort," the wife of a king. In some countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and the Pacific, a "King" is the hereditary head of a nation-state, except when a queen or other head of state fills the role.

In China, "king" is the usual translation for the term wang, which designated the sovereign before the Qin dynasty and during the Ten Kingdoms period. During the early Han dynasty, China had a number of small kingdoms, each about the size of a county and subordinate to the Emperor of China.

Other Monarch Titles

Where there is a difference, male titles are left of the slash and female titles are to the right.

By Region

General monarch titles

Monarchs Today

Few monarchs today exercise absolute authority. Although there are a number of hereditary monarchies still existing in the world, many countries with hereditary royalty are de facto ruled by a democratically elected leader such as a prime minister, while the monarchy continues to hold a symbolic or ceremonial position (eg. United Kingdom; see also constitutional monarchy).

In a few cases a monarch is associated with a particular group (or nation) within a state, such as Te Arikuini Te Atairangikaahu of the Maori (the Maori Queen) and Osei Tutu II of the Ashanti. Malaysia provides an example of a monarch-rich state.

The system for succession to the throne varies from monarchy to monarchy. Traditionally, succession to the eldest son of the monarch has been most common; if the monarch had no sons, the throne would pass either to the eldest daughter, or to the nearest male relative, depending on whether the monarchy accepted female rulers and/or descent in the female line. Some monarchies have abolished this preference for males, and the eldest child of the monarch ascends to the throne, be that child male or female, e.g. some European monarchies such as Sweden. There are also elected monarchs of elected monarchies, and dictators who proclaim themselves rulers of a self-proclaimed monarchy.

In some monarchies, e.g. Saudi Arabia, succession to the throne has passed to the monarch's next eldest brother, and only to the monarch's children after that. In some other monarchies, the monarch chooses who will be his successor, who need not necessarily be his eldest son, e.g. Jordan.

See also: dauphin, regent, queen consort

Reigning Monarchs

There are thirty reigning sovereign monarchs in the world:

Some countries have reigning monarchs who are not head of state, for example the individual emirs of the United Arab Emirates and the kings of the Wallis and Futuna islands.

A monarch is also a type of butterfly.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Monarch."

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Queen

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Political

Other This is a disambiguation page; that is, one that just points to other pages that might otherwise have the same name. If you followed a link here, you might want to go back and fix that link to point to the appropriate specific page.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Queen."

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Queen (band)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Queen was a British rock band of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Their biggest hit was Bohemian Rhapsody, first released in 1975, and promoted by one of the earliest successful music videos.

The beginnings of Queen can be traced to 1968, when Brian May and Roger Taylor formed Smile, a psychedelic trio, at Imperial College, London, where they were both students. After their bassist lead singer's departure in spring 1970, they formed a new band—Queen—with Freddie Mercury as lead vocalist,in April 1970 and, in 1971 John Deacon as bassist joined. Queen never actually disbanded, although their last album (not including compilations) was released in 1995, four years after Freddie Mercury's death. The band is still active from time to time, making 'Queen+' projects with various singers.

Members

Though Freddie Mercury's personality always dominated in the press, actually all four members of the group wrote huge hits: In the 1970s Queen enforced a strict no-synthesizer policy, as evidenced by the famous "No Synthesizers were used on this Album" sleevenote included on their early LPs. The first album to feature a synthesizer was The Game, although the change in policy came about during the earlier recording of the music for the movie Flash Gordon which was released as an album after The Game.

They lost many fans with the Hot Space album, which used Funk and Dance music rather than the Glam or Hard Rock of earlier albums. Despite this, the song Under Pressure, co-written with David Bowie was an enormous world-wide hit.

They also embarked upon many successful tours, and were one of the first bands to play in stadiums, with memorable shows held at Wembley Stadium in England, and Maracanã, for the Rock N' Rio festival, in Brazil.

The Wembley concert, part of a UK tour in 1986, attracted 150,000 people over two nights. A memorable and prophetic moment occurred when Freddie Mercury told the audience: "There's been a lot of rumors lately about a certain band called Queen... the rumors are that we're gonna split up. What do you think?" Audience: "No!". Freddie: "Forget those rumors, we're gonna stay together till we fucking well die, I'm sure!".

Musical progression

Queen's musical style changed every few years, sometimes rather drastically. They started off with what may be called Medieval Metal moving in the direction of Glam Rock.

The A Night at the Opera an A Day at the Races<