Now You Know Royalty. Doug Lennox
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 name the reigns of their monarchs?
Following the death of an emperor, a special name is given to the reign, reflecting the ethos of the time. Emperor Hirohito’s reign is known as Showa, meaning “Enlightened Peace,” to reflect the emperor’s opposition to his government’s policies that brought Japan into the Second World War and his efforts to rebuild a peaceful Japan after its defeat.
English/British/Commonwealth Dynastic Names (since 1066)
| Norman | 1066-1154 |
| Plantagenet | 1154-1399 |
| Lancaster | 1399-1461 |
| York | 1461-1485 |
| Tudor | 1485-1603 |
| Stuart and Orange | 1603-1714 |
| Brunswick or Hanover | 1714-1901 |
| Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | 1901-1917 |
| Windsor | 1917-present |
Why has the name of the royal family changed from time to time?
The name of the British/Commonwealth royal family has changed when the dynasty changed. The change has occurred for one of three reasons: the reigning branch of the royal family had no direct legitimate successors so a cousin from another branch of the family which had its own name took the throne (e.g. the change from Tudor to Stuart); the reigning branch was overthrown or defeated in war (e.g. York to Tudor, Bourbon to Brunswick in Canada), or a queen regnant married and her son assumed his father’s name (e.g. Brunswick to Saxe-Coburg-Gotha). Queen Elizabeth II has decreed her desire that her successors retain the name Windsor. If this is followed then the pattern of changing dynasties would come to an end and all future monarchs would belong to the House of Windsor.
What did the two great British queens, Victoria and Boadicea, have in common?
Boadicea in the ancient British language means the same as “Victoria.” She led the Britons in rebellion against their Roman occupiers and is remembered in history as a great patriotic warrior queen.
One of the earliest known legal codes bears a king’s name. Who was he?
Hammurabi, King of Babylon, who died in 1750 B.C. The code was carved upon a black stone monument, eight feet high, and was intended to be read by all. The monument is currently on display at the Louvre museum in Paris.
Canadian Provinces Named After Royalty
• Alberta (Princess Louise Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria)
• New Brunswick (Royal House of Brunswick)
• Prince Edward Island (Prince
• Edward, Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria)
Australian States Named After Royalty
• Queensland (Queen Victoria)
• Victoria (Queen Victoria)
Why are British kings and queens called “Defender of the Faith”?
During the Middle Ages, the king of France became known by the special designation of “His Most Christian Majesty.” All the other kings were envious of this and wished special titles for themselves. The king of Portugal became “His Most Faithful Majesty,” the king of Hungary “His Apostolic Majesty,” and the king of Spain “His Most Catholic Majesty.” King Henry VIII was no exception. In 1521, he wrote a book called Defence of the Seven Sacraments, which attacked the views of Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer. The king sent the book to the pope, Leo X, who was so pleased with it that he gave the king the title “Defender of the Faith,” or in Latin, Fidei Defensor, to be borne by Henry and his successors. Although King Henry VIII shortly afterwards broke with the pope, he and the sovereigns after him kept the title. Consequently, Mary I and James II, who were Roman Catholics; Charles I, who was a passionate Anglican; George I, who had been a Lutheran before becoming king; and Queen Victoria, who, although an Anglican, was really more sympathetic to Presbyterianism, were all known as “Defender of the Faith.” In 1953, separate styles and titles were adopted by the queen for each of her independent realms on the advice of their respective parliaments. For Canada, the queen retained Defender of the Faith but it was redefined again. The prime minister, Louis St. Laurent, explained in the House of Commons that for Canada, which has no state church, but people “who have faith in the direction of human affairs by an all-wise Providence,” the title would henceforth mean “a believer in and a defender of the faith in a supreme ruler.”
American States Named After Royalty
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