Showing posts with label monarchy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monarchy. Show all posts

September 1 – He Might Have Been King - But Turned Down The Job...Because of a Flag?

Posted on September 1, 2019

Should a nation have a king and/or queen, who makes and enforces laws? (This is a monarchy.)

Or should it be ruled by representatives who are elected by the people? (This is a republic.)

Or should it be ruled by elected officials but still have a king and/or queen as a figurehead? (This is a constitutional monarchy.)

Most European governments throughout the Middle Ages were monarchies (nations ruled by kings/queens), but currently republics are much more common. Still, there are 12 monarchies in Europe, including small principalities - most of them constitutional monarchies in which the royals have no say in political matters.

This diagram contrasts monarchies and republics in 1913 (left) and
2013 (right). The red/maroon represents monarchies, and the blue
represents republics. Note that most modern monarchies are
representative democracies with the addition of royal figureheads.


Citizens rebelled against Louis XVI, who was THIS  ^fella's great-great-grandson!

French citizens rebelled against their monarchs way back in 1792 and formed one of the first republics in Europe. Actually, that republic is called France's "First Republic" - so you can probably guess that the nation's governance zigged and zagged a bit. 

To oversimplify:

Napoleon on his
Imperial Throne! Wow!
France's First Republic was dissolved when Napoleon I declared France an Empire - and of course himself the Emperor - in 1804. Napoleon swiftly took over many European lands, plus Egypt, but Russia's winter and several nations' combined forces defeated him in 1814. Napoleon I was exiled, and France's monarchy was re-established. 

Soon (in February of 1815) Napoleon escaped exile and grabbed control of France again. He had to be defeated again - which happened in June of 1815; then he had to be exiled again. 

This time Napoleon stayed exiled and out of power for good.

Royalists once again installed a king to rule France. This period of monarchy lasted a bit longer, until 1830, when the July Revolution established France as a constitutional monarchy - with yet another king. 

Aaaannnd that government, too, was overthrown. This occurred in 1848, and the Second Republic was formed.

Unfortunately, the president chosen by democratic election was Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, the nephew of Napoleon I. And this Napoleon also grabbed all the power and, in 1851, declared himself to be Napoleon III, Emperor of the Second Empire!

When Napoleon III was defeated in a war, on this date in 1870, there was a tussle within the French people. Quite a few people were still royalists, convinced that France was better off with some sort of king (even a figurehead king), but many were republicans who saw no need for any kind of monarch. 

The royalists had more power in 1870, so Parliament offered the throne to a rather old, childless man who had a legit claim to be king. Henri, Comte de Chambord, was the grandson of France's King Charles X had been intended by Charles X to become the new king - but that was way back in 1830. 

But Henri had not been declared king back then. For forty years he had lived in his chateau, not being the king; I can't help wondering if he resented this. As I read about Henri, I assumed that, in 1870, when he finally was offered the throne, he'd jumped at the chance.

But I was wrong!

Henri agreed to be the king on the condition that the red-white-and-blue tricolor French flag be abandoned and the old royal flag - white with gold-colored fleur de lis - be adopted. 



That was a big nope for the people of France, including the nation's Parliament. Henri was offered a compromise - he could have the white-and-gold flag as his personal standard, but the nation would keep the tricolor.

Henri wouldn't accept the compromise, and so once again he didn't become the king. By the time all of those shenanigans played out, republicans were more popular. And so, in 1870, France's Third Republic formed. Since that time, France has never had a king or queen. (The nation is now functioning as the Fifth Republic, but the tale of the Third through Fifth Republics will have to wait for another day!)





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May 14 - Four-year-old Becomes King!

Posted on May 14, 2017

Today's historical anniversary was fairly common, back in the day: a young child becoming the "ruler" of a nation or kingdom. 

 It was fairly common because kings and emperors commonly transferred power only when they died, and transferred it to their oldest offspring or, even more commonly, to their oldest MALE offspring.

 And sometimes that oldest male offspring wasn't very old at all!

 In this case, Louis XIV became King of France when he was just four years old, on this date in 1643. Of course, that didn't mean that he actually started ruling then. Four year olds then weren't so very different from four year olds now! As in other times and places when a child becomes the head of state, a regent did the actual decision making and ruling.

 Louis XIII - Louis XIV's father - had established a regency council headed by Louis XIV's mother, Queen Anne. But when the old king died, Queen Anne quickly moved to annul his will and dissolve the council. In so doing, she became the sole regent.

 Louis XIV took over the rule of France in his early twenties. He had been taught by his mother that he was appointed to rule his country by God. This concept is called "the divine right of kings." He was so convinced of his God-given right to rule every aspect of his peoples' lives, he became an absolute ruler. 


Louis XIV also moved to make France a nation of more centralized rule. He took an old hunting lodge of his father's and made it into an incredible, lavish palace - the famous Palace of Versailles. And he got a lot of the nobles to come live in that posh place, making them feel more positive about supporting their king. In this way, Louis XIV became one of the most powerful French monarchs ever...and he ruled the longest of any European monarch in recorded history!

 Louis XIV ruled for 72 years and 110 days, until his death just short of his 77th birthday.

 Today we still marvel at the lavish palace that he built:















  

Also on this date:

Mother's Day in the U.S.

 (Second Sunday in May)







Flag Day






Plan ahead:

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February 21 – Happy Birthday, King Harald V

Posted on February 21, 2017


You probably know that many nations in the world have a king or queen or other monarch. Some of these modern-day monarchs are more for show, for tradition, for official ceremonial purposes, although some are actual rulers with power in governmental affairs. 

 Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a law-making parliament and a prime minister. The constitution actually gives the king some pretty important powers, but tradition and actual practice, for more than a century now, result in the elected government exercising those powers in the name of the king. The king doesn't actually play any direct role in the workings of the government.

Today is the birthday of Norway's current king, King Harald V. 

 Harald and his family went into exile when Germany occupied Norway during World War II; Harald grew up partly in Sweden and in the U.S. because of this. Later, he attended college in the U.K. as well as in Norway.

 Harald was such a good sailor, he represented Norway in sailing in three different Olympic Games (stretching over 12 years!).
Harald was the flag bearer for the Norwegian
Olympics Team in 1964. 

 Of course, Norway is even better known for winter sports and even hosted the Winter Olympics twice -- in the capital of Oslo, in 1952, and in Lillehammer, in 1994.

Here are some photos of Norway in the winter:










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