not adopted.
How did the term Britannic Majesty originate?
It came out of the Jacobite Court of the exiled King James II at St. Germaine-en-Laye. Accustomed to hearing their host, King Louis XIV, referred to as “His Most Christian Majesty,” the Jacobites took to calling their master “His Britannic Majesty.” When it became known, the term was borrowed by the Hanoverian kings of the British Empire and became official.
What is a pretender?
The term pretender is incorrectly used to describe a former monarch or descendant of a dethroned house who seeks to be restored to the Crown. The proper term for such a person, however, is claimant, not pretender. The individual is asserting old rights, not making a pretense of something to which he is not entitled. Pretender is rightly applied to people such as Perkin Warbeck or the False Dimitry who were imposters. Misuse of the word pretender comes from its application to the exiled Stuart claimants, James III, Charles III, and Henry IX. The ambiguity attached to it led John Byrom to write his doggerel:
God bless the King! — I mean the Faith’s Defender,
God bless (no harm in blessing) the Pretender!
But who Pretender is, or who is King,
God bless us all! — that’s quite another thing.
Who is the King or Queen of England?
Nobody! Though beloved of the media, the title has not existed since 1707. Queen Anne (1701–1714) was the last Queen of England. With the union of England and Scotland, the titles King of England and King of Scotland disappeared. From then on the monarch was King or Queen of Great Britain. Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Queen of Canada, Queen of Jamaica, etc., but not Queen of England. England, of course, is part of her realm of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Some monarchs have been called “the Great.” What are some sobriquets that have been given to others?
Many rulers have been given names denoting their physical characteristics, character traits (good and bad), and record as rulers. Here are some examples:
• William “the Conqueror” (England)
• Baldwin IV “the Leper” (Jerusalem)
• Charles II “the Merry Monarch” (Britain/Commonwealth)
• Iorweth “Flat-Nosed” (Wales)
• William “the Silent” (Netherlands)
• Robert “the Devil” (Normandy)
• Leo VI “the Philosopher” (Byzantium)
• Eochaid “the Venomous” (Scotland)
• Aedh “the Lazy-Arsed Youth” (Ireland)
• Maximilian I “the last of the Knights” (Holy Roman Empire)
• Juana “the Mad” (Spain)
• Abdul “the Damned” (Ottoman Empire)
• Ivan “the Dread” (Russia)
• Albert II “the Degenerate” (Germany)
• Magnus VI “Law Mender” (Denmark)
• Frederick “the Winter King” (Bohemia)
• Mircea III “the Shepherd” (Valachia)
• Alfonso XI “the Avenger” (Castile and Leon)
• Carlos II “the Bewitched” (Spain)
• Edward I “the English Justinian” (England).
What near idolatrous terms were applied to Elizabeth I?
Among them were the Sun Queen, Second Maid, Second Sun, Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Belphoebe, Sweet Cynthia, Deborah, Beauteous Queen of Second Troy, Monarch Maiden Queen, and Astraea.
How many titles did the emperor Charles V possess?
The emperor had some 75 titles. Some of them were: Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, King of Castile and Leon, King of Aragon and Sicily, King of Naples, King of the Romans, Duke of Burgundy, Duke of Brabant, Duke of Limburg, Duke of Lothier, Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Guelders, Margrave of Namur, Count Palatine of Burgundy, Count of Artois, Count of Charolais, Count of Flanders, Count of Hainault, Count of Holland, Count of Zeeland, and Count of Zutphen.
Quickies
Did you know …
• that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes its name from the ruling royal family, the House of Saud?
Why did Maximilian I style himself Emperor Electus?
On election, Holy Roman Emperors were termed Romanorum rex — “King of the Romans.” Only when crowned by the pope did they become Romanorum imperator — “Emperor of the Romans.” Maximilian I was unable to get to Rome to be crowned so he obtained from the pope the style Imperator electus — “Emperor Elect.” It was continued by his successors down to the dissolution of the empire in 1806.
What is the name of the royal family of Thailand?
The Chakri dynasty is the name of the royal family. The present monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej Rama IX, is the ninth sovereign of the dynasty.
Pre-British emperors of India were known as Moghul emperors. What does Moghul mean?
It is a form of the word Mongol. The Indian imperial Timurid dynasty was founded by Tamerlane, who conquered northern India with a Muslim Mongol and Turkish force. One of the army’s minor princes, Babur, seized Delhi and created the Moghul Empire in 1526.
How will reigning descendants of Elizabeth II be numbered?
Up till now they have taken the numbering of English sovereigns or used English and Scottish numbers together, i.e. James II and VII. In the future, if there are monarchs with both English and Scottish predecessors of the same name, the higher number of one of the old kingdoms will be used alone. The next King James for example will be James VIII, not III, III and VIII, nor XI (total number of Jameses).
Quickies
Did you know …
• that the Royal House of Windsor took its name from Windsor Castle in 1917, when it was changed during the First World War from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, due to anti-German sentiment?
How do the Japanese
