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Finally done - the last monarch Mon 19 Sep 2022 12:36:52 PM CDT : 1663609012 Looks like they're finally burying that queen about now. At least I believe they are - she expired last week, eleven days ago. So I guess that's finally it. My entire adult life I have marveled at the obsession some people have for the British royal family. Other than the title there is certainly nothing royal about them. Certainly the current generation. Living in England for a number of years, some time back, I can attest that the Brits take the idea very seriously, despite the monarch having no actual power. Time was there were actual kings. In England and other places. But you got to be king by killing off the competition, literally, and anyone who objected. Despite the decline in the king's power from John I onward kings still wielded considerable power, through the Plantagenets and their successors. But Henry VIII was about the last to do pretty much as he pleased. The ceremonial duties such as calling Parliament into session or the theoretical veto power are irrelevant. Interestingly, the last monarch to have real power was Elizabeth I, but she rarely if ever took any action sufficiently controversial as to be challenged by Parliament. Succeeding monarchs had even less power. As for the latter Elizabeth, I know nothing of her personality and quite frankly couldn't care less. She appears to, having inherited the position, have carried out the duties of a figurehead and did nothing controversial. Presumably her service during WWII was sincerely motivated (being supported in such grand style, she certainly should have) and she had the best interests of the UK at heart, for that that's worth. On one or two occasions when she could have influenced events in a significant way, she did not. In the cases of both Rhodesia and South Africa, she had an opportunity to influence government's actions in the separation. Had she offered prudent council it almost certainly would have been heeded, and she did not. Hence the disaster of both countries. On the matter if Northern Ireland as well, there was an opportunity to perhaps mitigate the damage being done by the virulent hate of the establishment. But in the end, she mostly was fodder for the tabloid press. And now she is gone, the last. The idiot who becomes king prefers to pursue the globohomo agenda, for all the good that will do. As for remainder of the family, outside of their celebrity among that small of the population that pays attention to such things, they might as well not exist. And as future generations of England will be increasingly less English due to the third world migration. The first Elizabeth (not the one that just died) was the daughter of Henry VIII. Probably the last king that pretty much did what he wanted, or at least got it done. Sure killed off a lot of people, including Elizabeth's mother Anne Boleyn. 'cause he wanted a son and looked like she wasn't going to deliver, uh, anyway. She got her head lopped off (literally 'lopped' rather than chopped, as ole Henry must've had a soft spot for her even as he was doin' away with her - he had a French executioner brought in, used a sword. Over just like that. Pretty much everyone else (and there was plenty) got the axe. Sometimes it took more than a chop. Or two. Or... you get the idea. If you wanna research, this is a pretty good place. In any case, the first Elizabeth finally got to be queen, but not right away. First was little brother Edward, I believe he was Edward VI. He the boy Henry wanted so bad, and wife #2 didn't manage it. She did produce a girl, named Elizabeth. Edward didn't last long, didn't live long after ascending the throne. About five, six years. Died at 15 or so, may have had some help. Dunno. Brief interruption, while some shenanigans by some folks didn't want Mary (Henry's first child by first wife, still with me?) being the new monarch. With good reason. But the attempt failed, and the young lady (Jane Grey) they had tried to place on the throne, did I guess, for nine days, before Mary with the army behind her ended that. And Jane (about 16 or 17 or so) and her equally youthful husband. They got the axe, and Bloody Mary became queen, for about five or six years. Killed Protestants (tryin' to make England Catholic again) but succumbed to something maybe like cancer, who knows, in 16th century? Anyway, Elizabeth queen now. First one, so Elizabeth I. Dunno they waited until there was another Elizabeth afore they appended the number, or what. Anyway, she was fairly calm prepared to the ole man. Still plenty of executions, but I guess not the kind that went on before. She did do away with her cousin, Mary, (but selected Mary's son James to succeed her (she didn't ever marry and have children) and a few others. But not the craziness that went on before. So that was the first Elizabeth. OK, the most recent one bein' gone, the king now is Charles. Charles III. Yep, there was two before, back in the day. Charles I, he was the son of the James that Elizabeth chose as her successor. James was James VI of Scotland, but James I when he took over in England. Got that? Okey-dokey. He had a few kids, four or five maybe, but it was the one named Charles that was king after him. Not for long. Well, twenty-something years. Not bad for the day. But he found out the hard way the days of kings bein' kings was over. Civil war, Parliament vs King. He lost. His head. They was wantin' to just be over with kings, probably the reason for the permanent disposal. But something 'bout Brits. Made a deal with Charlie's son (in exile in France, or the Netherlands maybe by then, I forget) to have him come back and be king, him promisin' not to kill off very many of the ones that killed his father, and now you got Charles II. But that was it for kings really bein' serious kings I reckon. So when the second Elizabeth expired her son Charles became Charles III. He's seventy-something. No matter, won't be much of any of what goin' on in the world these days gonna continue on its merry way. Big changes comin. Dunno what they are, but from the looks of it it's bound to be interesting. |
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