Individual and Society: The Royal Family
What was it like to be looked upon as the most noble group of people in a nation as important and vast as England? The most powerful positions of the royal family were the king and queen of course, depending on who had the crown at that time. When one became the king he would inherit all of the riches and powers that come along with being the king. If he were to marry a woman then she would become part of the royal family, but not really be a ruler with the king. If one were not part of the royal family they would never live the glamorous life they lived. The king and queen could show their power through public executions, making new laws, and their ability to do whatever they wanted to. The royal family changed the course of history by bringing about new religions, theories, the English Reformation, the changing of boundaries, taking part in the Enlightenment, and countless other things.
The royal family was brought about in the mid-1000’s when King Edward the Peaceful was crowned at Bath. Many Viking invasions and King Ethelred’s weakness to be a powerful king forced him out of the monarchy, and his son, Canute, took control of the nation. King Canute made England the heart of his Scandinavian Empire and was admired by all he ruled. When Canute died and his stepson, Edward, then took the throne blending many traditions since he was not originally from England. After Edward’s death and Harold of Norway was killed in battle, the first distinctively important king of the royal family took over, William I started the first major family in royalty, the Normans. After the Normans ended there were six more dynasties of families to rule England at one time or another. The next of these was the Angevin Empire which started the time period when the English monarchy "became the first European power to work out a concept of government, the "community of the realm," which significantly broadened participation in government and altered the relationships between king and subject" (Plumb 58). The other five families--the Plantagenets, the House of Lancaster, the House of York, the Tudors, and the Stuarts -- were significant during their time but all occurred before the time period being studied.
The first empire that deals with Western civilization after 1715 is The House of Hanover, which starts in 1714 with King George I.
A1. England was run by a Parliament and per history had very limited involvement of the monarchy or direct rule by the king. As well as the colonial legislatures; members were elected by property-holding men and governors were given authority to make decisions on behalf of the king. This system our leadership and how it controls its people the reason many
Westminster Abbey, an architectural accomplishment from the thirteenth century on, gives an illustrative display of British history. While daily worship still exists, it isn’t a cathedral or a parish church (Internet Westminster). The elaborate Lady Chapel, the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, as well as tombs and memorials for kings, queens, the famous and great, allow the Abbey to be considered a “Royal Peculiar”, which means that it falls under direct control of the British monarch (Internet Westminster). While every king or queen is significant, a small number have made an impact on the Abbey. Nobility of which include St. Edward the Confessor William the Conqueror Henry III, Richard II, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I, George VI and Elizabeth II.
...tect his right to the throne. Ultimately, he stabilized the nation by settling the civil wars, the Wars of Roses, by marrying the apposing York family, to unite the two feuding families, the Yorks and the Lancasters. All together, King Henry VII is a new monarch for displaying all of the required traits.
...wed that the death of the Queen would have triggered all these tragedies. As a result of all these points the hierarchy definitely had a strong influence on peoples lives back then.
"History of the Monarchy." Kings and Queens of England. 21 Mar. 2002. Online. Available. <http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page10.asp.26> Mar. 2002
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world filled with fancy dresses, play, kings, and queens? Or better yet, what would it be like to be the queen of this world? Queen Elizabeth found out what it was like in the 1500’s. Queen Elizabeth was a powerful and well-loved queen.
King Henry VIII had huge political, military, and religious impacts on history and on England. Henry VIII’s reign was indeed, greatly important because of all the changes that he influenced on England mainly. This proficient king also produced three children who all became queens or a king. Henry VIII had such a huge impact on England, not just during the fifteenth century, but hundreds of years after his death.
Monarchies have shifted to less political importance over the years in favor to parliament and a democratically elected prime minister. The film The Queen is a great example of the limited power of Queen Elizabeth II in present-day and shows the ceremonial purposes of her role. The main reasons that this role shift has happened is because monarchs abused their unlimited power repeatedly. Oliver Cromwell was one man who did not like the way his King, Charles I, was controlling the country and decided to do something about it. What some find startling is that Charles I reign ended by being sentenced to death, and by being beheaded under the weight of an axe.
In this paragraph King George's family and childhood will be explained. He was the oldest out of 12 siblings. Since he was the oldest he became king at age 11. The king was shy, lazy ,and blushed easily. His father died when he was 11 and his mom died 2 days after he was born so when he was 12 he lived with his grandma. King George the 3rd was the first one to be born in England and speak English. Once after being yelled at by one of
King Henry VIII is one of the most famous kings in British history. Henry was a man of great power and used his efficacy to influence England and enhance it’s potential as a country. King Henry’s rule was turbulent and effective. His rule focused on proficiency which allowed England to transform into the country that it is today. To help achieve this, King Henry adopted the idea of vigorous decision making. King Henry’s advanced accomplishments with the Church and England made him notorious in history as a turmultuous and celebrated leader.
Generally, the English people had a great celebration when Charles II returned to the throne in May of 1660.1 Many believed that restoring the monarchy was the only way to secure constitutional rights. In fact, there was an expectation that bringing back the king would return life to the way it was before 1642 and the rule of Cromwell. Charles II was responsible for improving the government for the people. However, despite some achievements, the king was not very successful in creating a stronger and more effective monarchy. He was dependent on his advisors and other parts of the government from the very beginning of his reign. There were constant conflicts between the king and Parliament over religious issues. When Charles II finally did gain some independence, he still did not accomplish much to improve the monarchy. Overall, the government was very inconsistent during the 1660s and 1670s, and the people became disillusioned with the monarchy. The king did not hold all of the responsibility for what happened to the government, though. The people should have taken charge and worked for a change in the system. The rule of Charles II helped show the English citizens that they could not rely on the government so much, but they needed to take more of the power into their own hands and become more autonomous.
The Royal Household. "The Tudors." Www.royal.gov.uk. National Archives of The United Kingdom, 2008/9. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
In the Elizabethan and Jacobean period the Royal Court was the centre and the stronghold of culture and power. These two concepts of authority were entwined in one another and oftentimes they were difficult to separate. Many poets and writers were courtiers and people wanted to be in position close to the centre of the court where power was consolidated. .More power lead to more patronage and more patronage led to greater recognition and fortune.
Both of the families can trace their ancestry to Edward III of the House of Plantagenet. In the House of York all of the females descended from Edward III. In the House of Lancaster they were descended from John of Gaunt, Edward III’s son. The Lancasters had control of the throne since 1399 (Andrews). On May 22, 1455 the First Battle at St. Albans was fought, and this marked the beginning of the Wars of the Roses (Kling).
The Elizabethan age was a very important time in the history of England. The time period is named after the queen who ruled England during this time, Queen Elizabeth I (Haigh). This time was a great time for the advancement of England, as they were ushered out of the Middle Ages, and into this new era. While there were many hardships, and plague was a common occurrence, the people lived a much more comfortable life than they ever had before (Jonson). Many great accomplishments were also achieved, including Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation around the world, which was only the second time it had ever been done, and the victory of the British navy over the Spanish Armada (Haigh). Another one of the things that affected the Elizabethan age so greatly was the theater.