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Alternate successions of the English crown
The often arbitrary nature of the succession of royalty, to say nothing of the paucity of its ignoring of the effect of both genetics and environment on behaviour, both belie the sanctity with which its ultimate configuration is treated. Inbreeding on the one hand and genetic variation on the other conspire to make a mockery of lineage. The alternative then is to choose a worthy candidate based on merit, but then go straight back to lineage again. Here are some of the 'lost' lineages that, by one of succession's rules but not the others, make claim to the Crown of the United Kingdom.
The succession to the Crown of the United Kingdom is currently determined by the Act of Settlement 1701, which enacted that, should William III and Anne both die without issue (as, in the event, they did), the crown would be settled on Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs. The Crown has passed according to this law ever since, save an amendment passed in 1936 that any descendants of Edward VIII would have no claim whatsoever to the Crown. History has rendered this amendment moot, as the abdicated King Edward VIII died without issue in 1972; if he had not abdicated and the amendment had not been passed, at that point his niece would have succeeded as Elizabeth II.
Concomitantly, British history provides several opportunities for alternative claimants to the Crown to arise, and historical scholars have on occasion traced to present times the heirs of those alternative claims (although such historical speculation necessarily assumes that all parties involved would still have married the same people and had the same children).
Throughout this article, the names of the historical monarchs appear in bold and the names of "would-have-been" monarchs are in italics.
Contents
Descendants of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence[edit]
- See also: Britain's Real Monarch
This line’s claim to the Crown is based upon the argument that Edward IV was not sired by Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and thus had no legitimate claim to the Crown.[1] Therefore, when Richard was killed at the Battle of Wakefield, his claim passed to his eldest legitimate son, Edmund, Earl of Rutland. Unfortunately, Edmund was captured at the same battle and executed either the same or next day. Edmund’s claim then passed to his eldest "legitimate" brother and heir presumptive, George, Duke of Clarence. Supporters of the Clarence claim also draw on the debated validity of Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, which allows them to argue that, even if Edward was legitimate, his children were not. Another point is that Henry VI passed a law in 1470, that should both he and his son Edward of Westminster die without further legitimate issue, the crown was to pass to Clarence, as Henry had placed an attainder upon Edward IV. When Henry was killed in 1471 (Prince Edward having died in battle shortly before), Clarence (who could claim descent from John of Gaunt, as could his wife Isabella Neville) became the legal heir to Henry VI and the House of Lancaster.[2]
| Alternative Succession of Royal Houses Descendants of George, Duke of Clarence[1] Map of Succession |
|---|
| House of Plantagenet |
| Edward III • Richard II |
| House of Mortimer |
| Edmund I |
| House of Plantagenet (Yorkist Reunion) |
| Richard III • Edmund II • George I • Edward IV |
| House of Pole |
| Henry IV • Henry V |
| House of Hastings |
| Henry VI • George II • Henry VII • Ferdinando • Theophilus I • George III • Theophilus II • Francis I |
| House of Rawdon |
| Francis II • George IV • Paulyn • Henry VIII |
| House of Clifton |
| Charles |
| House of Huddleston |
| Ian |
| House of Lord |
| Michael |
The current descendant of this line is Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun. His royal lineage is as follows:
- Edward III of England
- Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, third son (second son to survive infancy) of Edward III
- Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster, only child of Lionel
- Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, first son of Philippa
- Anne de Mortimer, first daughter, third line of Roger
- Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, only son of Anne
- George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, third son (second "legitimate" son) of Richard
- Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, second daughter, fourth line of George
- Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu, first son of Margaret
- Catherine Hastings, first daughter, second line of Henry
- George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon, second son of Catherine
- Francis Hastings, first son of George
- Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon, only son of Francis
- Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon, oldest son of Henry
- Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon, only son of Ferdinando
- Theophilus Hastings, 9th Earl of Huntingdon, second son of Theophilus
- Elizabeth Rawdon, 16th Baroness Botreaux, only daughter, second line of Theophilus, 9th Earl
- Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, first son of Elizabeth
- George Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Marquess of Hastings, eldest legitimate son of Francis
- Edith Rawdon-Hastings, 10th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter, third line of George
- Paulyn Francis Cuthbert Rawdon-Hastings, second son of Edith
- Edith Maud Abney-Hastings, 12th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter, third line of Paulyn
- Barbara Abney-Hastings, 13th Countess of Loudoun, first daughter, second line of Edith
- Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun, eldest son of Barbara
Note: The list of succession (right) excludes females from the crown. The precedent for female inheritance of the Crown would not have been set had George, Duke of Clarence inherited the crown. The principle that a woman could reign was only laid down by Henry VIII when he named Mary I as heir to the throne in 1525, and approved by Parliament by the First Succession Act which appointed Elizabeth I as heir.Template:Citation needed This line does, however, maintain the precedent of the right of a male to inherit via female line set by the succession of Henry IITemplate:Syn after he reclaimed the usurped crown from his cousin Stephen.[3]Template:verify credibility
Descendants of Mary Tudor, Queen of France[edit]
Henry VIII’s Third Succession Act granted Henry the right to bequeath the Crown in his Will. His Will specified that, in default of heirs to his children, the throne was to pass to the heirs of his younger sister Mary Tudor, Queen of France, bypassing the line of his elder sister Margaret Tudor. Edward VI confirmed this by letters patent. The legitimate and legal heir of Elizabeth I was therefore Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven (the marriage of Lady Catherine Grey having been annulled, and her children declared illegitimate, by Elizabeth I).[4]
| Alternative Succession of Royal Houses Descendants of Mary Tudor Map of Succession |
|---|
| House of Tudor |
| Henry VII • Henry VIII • Edward VI • Mary • Elizabeth I |
| House of Stanley |
| Anne |
| House of Brydges |
| George I • Margaret |
| House of Skipwith |
| George II |
| House of Doughty |
| Henry IX • Henry X • Elizabeth II |
| House of Villiers |
| George III • George IV • Victor • George V • George VI • Caroline |
Her succession, under this theory, follows:
- Henry VII of England
- Mary Tudor, Queen of France, third daughter, sixth line of Henry
- Lady Eleanor Brandon, second daughter, third line of Mary
- Lady Margaret Clifford, only daughter, third line of Eleanor
- Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby, first son of Margaret
- Anne Stanley, Countess of Castlehaven, first daughter, first line of Ferdinando
- George Brydges, 6th Baron Chandos, first son of Anne
- Margaret Brydges, first daughter, first line of George
- George Brydges Skipwith, first son of Margaret
- Elizabeth Brownlow, first daughter, second line of Margaret
- George Brownlow Doughty, first son of Elizabeth
- Henry Doughty, only child of George
- Henry Doughty, only son of Henry
- Elizabeth Doughty, only daughter of Henry Snr
Since Lady Anne Stanley’s line is thought to have become extinct with the death of Elizabeth Doughty, the line then passes to the descendants of Lady Anne's sister, Lady Frances Stanley:
- Lady Frances Stanley, second daughter, second line of Ferdinando
- John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, first son of Frances
- John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater, first son of John
- Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater, third son of John, 3rd Earl
- Lady Anne Egerton, first daughter, fifth line of Scroop
- George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, only child of Anne
- George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey, first son of George, 4th Earl
- George Child Villiers, 6th Earl of Jersey, first son of George, 5th Earl
- Victor Child Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, only son of George, 6th Earl
- George Child Villiers, 8th Earl of Jersey, first son of Victor
- George Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey, first son of George
- Lady Caroline Child Villiers, only child of George's first marriage
Although the 9th Earl of Jersey had sons from a third marriage, he had been divorced from his first wife, who was still alive when he married his third. Under a strict adherence to the succession laws and customs as the existed in 1603, it is argued that no laws passed by Parliament since 1603 are legitimate, as the heirs did not summon those Parliaments, nor did those laws receive the royal assent to become law. As such, the 9th Earl of Jersey’s divorce was not valid, and therefore both his remarriage during his ex-wife's lifetime was null and void, and the children of his third marriage illegitimate. Consequently, the current holder of the Stanley claim to the throne of England is the only child of the 9th Earl’s first marriage, Lady Caroline Ogilvy (née Child Villiers).[5]
Continuation of the House of Stuart[edit]
The current line, passed over by the Act of Settlement 1701, inherited their claim to the Crowns of England and Scotland from the deposed James II of England via his youngest sister Henrietta Anne Stuart.[6]Template:verify credibilityTemplate:failed verification
- Charles I of England
- James II of England, third son of Charles I
- James Francis Edward Stuart, only son of James II
- Charles Edward Stuart, eldest son of James Francis. He had no legitimate issue by his wife. He had an illegitimate daughter who has descendants, but they have no succession rights.
- Henry Benedict Stuart, second son of James Francis. He was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and had no children.
At Henry's death the claim passed to his second cousin twice removed, Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, and then to his brother Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia. Charles Emmanuel and Victor Emmanuel were great-great-great-grandsons of King Charles I.[7]
| Alternative Succession of Royal Houses Descendants of Henrietta Anne Stuart Jacobite Succession |
|---|
| House of Stuart |
| James I • Charles I • Charles II • James II • James III • Charles III • Henry IX |
| House of Savoy |
| Charles IV • Victor • Mary III[8] |
| House of Habsburg |
| Francis I • Mary IV |
| House of Wittelsbach |
| Robert • Albert • Francis II |
- Charles I of England
- Henrietta Anne Stuart, youngest daughter, final line of Charles
- Anne Marie d'Orléans, second daughter, third line of Henrietta Anne
- Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, second son of Anne Marie
- Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, second son of Charles Emmanuel
- Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia, second son of Victor Amadeus
- Maria Beatrice of Savoy, eldest daughter, second line of Victor Emmanuel
- Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este, second son of Maria Beatrice
- Maria Theresia of Austria-Este, only child of Ferdinand
- Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, eldest son of Maria Theresia
- Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, second son of Rupprecht
- Franz, Duke of Bavaria, elder son of Albrecht
When Franz dies, his claim on the English and Scottish crowns[9] will pass to his younger brother Max.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Channel 4 - History - Britain's Real Monarch
- ↑ Professor A.L. Rowse Bosworth Field and the Wars of the Roses (Macmillan: 1966) 166
- ↑ http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=stephen
- ↑ Descendants of Anne, Countess of Castlehaven
- ↑ The Henrician succession to the Throne of England
- ↑ Noel S. McFerran, The Jacobite Heritage.
- ↑ Theo Aronson, Kings Over the Water (London: Cassell, 1979), 229.
- ↑ By legitimist reckoning, Henry VIII's second marriage was illegal, so after the death of Mary I of England her throne ought to have passed not to Elizabeth but to their cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, who is styled as Mary II of England and I of Scotland — hence Maria Beatrice of Savoy being counted as Mary III of England. Cf. The Legitimist Kalendar for the Year of Our Lord 1895 (London: Henry, 1895), 22-23.
- ↑ The Jacobite claim is to the thrones held and claimed by James II and VII; as king of England, Scotland, France (claimed by English monarchs since the Hundred Years' War), and Ireland. The Acts of Union that created Great Britain and the United Kingdom are considered invalid by those who believe that the monarchs who gave the Acts the Royal Assent were not the legitimate occupants of the throne. Cf. The Legitimist Kalendar for the Year of Our Lord 1895 (London: Henry, 1895), 22.
