Lines of Succession: Heraldry of Royal Families of Europe [Rev. and updated ed.] 9780760732878, 0760732876

This is a revised and updated edition of the book that was first published to great acclaim in 1981. It presents, for th

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Lines of Succession: Heraldry of Royal Families of Europe [Rev. and updated ed.]
 9780760732878, 0760732876

Table of contents :
Introduction to heraldry --
England : medieval --
Great Britain --
Scotland --
Denmark --
Norway --
Sweden --
Netherlands and Luxemburg --
Belgium --
Spain: medieval --
Spain : Hapsburg and Bourbon --
Monaco --
Dynastic relations --
France : medieval --
France : modern --
Napoleon --
Austria : Hapsburg --
Austria : modern --
Brandenburg, Prussian and Germany --
Brunswick and Hanover --
Saxony --
Holy Roman empire --
Portugal --
Savoy, Sardinia and Italy --
Russia --
Greece --
Maps : The Carolingian empire at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 --
Hapsburg lands in 1740 --
Unification of Italy --
Growth of Russia in Europe, 1300-1796 and the partitions of Poland, 1772-95.

Citation preview

LINES OF SUCCESSION Heraldry

ef the Royal Families ef Europe

This is a revised and updated edition of the book that was first published to great acclaim in 1981. It presents, for the first time, a comprehensive account of both the heraldic and the genealogical history of European royalty. Starting with the beginning of heraldry in the eleventh century, the two experts who collaborated to make the book present the heraldic shields as well as the genealogy of all the royal families of Europe, past and present. The genealogical tables provide detailed family trees, country by country. The coats-of-arms repre­ senting the various matrimonial alliances show how heraldic devices evolved and developed from simple symbols to complex quarterings. Additional tables highlight the most important historical events involving dynastic succession . The text describes with many pithy asides - the historical background to each royal family tree, and shows how such events are reflected in the make-up of the royal coats-of-arms. The result is a fascinating historical document, as well as an important contribution to the literature of heraldry.

LINES OF SUCCESSION HERALDRY OF THE ROYAL FAMILIES OF EUROPE TABLES BY

V ,

JIRI LOUDA TEXT BY

MICHAEL MACLAGAN

BARNES

&..NOBLE B

O

N E W

O

K

S

Y O R K

To my wife, Jara, for the countless ,silent evenings and weekends during which this book was created

Jiri Louda This edition published by Barnes & Noble, Inc., by arrangement with Time Warner Books (UK) 2002 Barnes & Noble Books Copyright© 2002 Time Warner Books UK Copyright© 1999 Little, Brown and Company Copyright© 1981 Macdonald & Co (Publishers) The moral right of the author has been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. This book is adapted from Lines of Succession, published in 1999 ISBN 0-7607-3287-6 Production by Omnipress, Eastbourne Printed in Singapore Time Warner Books UK Brettenham House, Lancaster Place London WC2E 7EN

The publishers would like to thank the following for providing the illustrations on the pages listed below:

Ampliaciones Reproducciones, Mas, Barcelona 63 (Museo de! Prado, Madrid); BBC Hulton Picture Library, London 79, 108, 128; Biblioteque Nationale, Paris 10; Biblioteque Royale, Albert I, Brussels 179; Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Eerlin 174 (Gemaldegalerie, Dresden); British Library, London 25, 185, 186; Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques, Paris 8; Collection Viollet, Paris 175 (Gernaldegalerie, Dresden); Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Copenhagen 45; Det Nationalhistoriske Museum, Frederiksborg 56; Giraudon, Paris 133 (Musee Conde, Chantilly); Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 142; Mansell Collection 100 (Museo de] Prado), 114 top, 114 bottom, 197, 211; Musee de l'Armee, Paris 135; Ostereichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna 36; Popperfoto, London 32; Reproduced by gracious pennis­ sion of Her Majesty the Queen 51, 168; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 73; Statens Konstmuseer, S-tockholm 207; Svenska Portrattarkivet Nationalmuseum, Stockholm 58

CONTENTS Foreword by Jiri Louda 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Introduction to Heraldry 7 England: Medieval 11 Great Britain 21 Scotland 33 Denmark 40 Norway 52 Sweden 57 Netherlands and Luxemburg 68 Belgium 79 Spain: Medieval 84 Spain: Hapsburg and Bourbon 96 Monaco 105 Dynastic Relations 109 France: Medieval 115 France: Modem 126 Napoleon 134 Austria: Hapsburg 138 Austria: Modem 146

19 Brandenburg, Prussia and Germany 155 20 Brunswick and Hanover 165 21 Saxony 169 22 Holy Roman Empire 176 23 Portugal 181 24 Savoy, Sardinia and Italy 191 25 Russia 199 26 Greece 211 Index 216 MAPS The Carolingian Empire at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 118 Hapsburg Lands in 1740 147 Unification of Italy 198 Growth of Russia in Europe, 1300-1796, and the Partitions of Poland, 1772-95 200

FOREWORD

where the chroniclers were trying to prove that the Kings were descended from the pagan storm-god Woden. It may seem surprising that people in the early days of Christianity were impressed by the doubtful fact that their pious sovereign had for his ultimate ancestor a member of the numerous family of heathen gods, but we should realize that the mind of the common people was still under the spell of heathen legends and customs for centuries after their conversion to Christianity. What is probably less surprising is the fact that sovereigns prided themselves upon the most illus­ trious of their ancestors. It became a fashion to show that everybody whose brow was adorned ( or bur­ dened, whichever you prefer) by a crown descended from a famous, potent and ever victorious monarch such as Charlemagne. One of the Tables in this book shows the descent of all the present European sovereigns from William the Conqueror, who before the conquest of England called himself defiantly 'the Bastard'. Yet exactly the same Table would also show that the crowned heads of Europe descend from a forgotten tanner of Falaise whose daughter had the historical good luck to have been seduced by Robert the Devil, Duke of Normandy. Many a haughty sovereign in past centuries tried hard to forget about his less illustrious ancestors, and yet if even a single one of them, no matter how low his style, had not lived, the haughty sovereign himself would never have been born to sway his mighty scep­ tre. Even, today historians often discuss the Hanoverian heritage, to good or bad effect, in Queen Victoria's blood while no one seems to take into con­ sideration the fact that she was just as much a descen­ dant of the Counts of Erbach, and their moods and spirits, as she was of the rulers of Hanover. Nevertheless, the study of genealogy is inseparable from the study of history. While not denying that

Genealogy is perhaps as old as the history of the human race itself. Ever since the hazy beginnings of organized human society the powerful have kept records of their ancestors. The Bible contains a fine collection of lineal descents of several outstanding personages, even of Jesus Christ himself, and al­ though they are now hardly regarded as indisputable historical evidence, they certainly prove that geneal­ ogy has always stood in the forefront of interest for many people, being for some a time-honoured science and for others an exciting pastime. As soon as heredity in the leadership of human tribes became a more or less established principle, it was obviously of the utmost importance for the aspir­ ing leader to show that he was lineally descended from the for.mer leaders and rulers. It is true that originally many nations adopted their rulers on the basis of an election, but even then it was customary to elect to the supreme post someone who was related, however remotely, to the previous prince. Both Eng­ land in Saxon times and Bohemia under the Pfemys­ lids are excellent examples. To prove this records had to be kept, and often falsified. When primogeniture became an accepted method of succession to the thrones and crowns, it was even more important to maintain records and charts showing all the branches and members of the reigning House, often together with a very intricate relationship to other princely Houses. That such charts and records were often twis­ ted and abused so that they would suit an ambitious pretender was of course the result of his ardent desire or the sycophancy of his servants. These sycophantic record-keepers and chroniclers were often busy tracing the descent of their sovereigns beyond any purely human origin in order to show them not only as rulers 'by the grace of God' but even as actual demi-gods. This can be seen in the old pedigrees of the_ ancient Saxon Kings of Wessex,

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economic, national and other deep reasons were the cause of many an important and basic change in the history of mankind, we must also accept that genealogical background can and must be sought as an explanation of many medieval and even later wars and other events. This has always been an easy excuse and reason for publishing genealogical books and Tables all over the world. The present book ranks itself with a large number of genealogical works and yet it is not simply a repetition of what has already been collected and printed. There are several genealogical books in which fuller dates, and as far as possible all the branches of the European princely Houses, are given. A good example of this is, among others, a German handbook, Prince von Isenburg's Stammtafeln. Such absolutely complete genealogical Tables have, how­ ever, a very serious disadvantage; they are invariably and unavoidably so complicated that they lose much of their instructiveness. Moreover, not everybody wants the Tables encumbered with the names of dozens of children who died in their early infancy, or women who died unmarried without ever achieving anything spectacular, except having been born with a princely coronet. Furthermore, these books usually show all the respective Houses without too clear a stress on their succession in various countries. Yet, apart from deposed dynasties, princely Houses have never lived in a territorial vacuum; they were closely tied to a certain country. I have also tried to distin­ guish whether a death was a natural one or whether the person in question was accidentally killed, mur­ dered, slain in a battle or even executed; there were times in practically all countries when natural death was almost an exception among the princes. Precisely this distinction is often omitted in other genealogical works. On the other hand, there are genealogical Tables and books which are clear enough, but which in their information omit not only many dates and titles but also even names of members of collateral branches in spite of their eventual importance. I have tried to take a middle path. The Tables are arranged according to the individual countries, the existing monarchies taking precedence, and not ac­ cording to dynasties, although they are always clearly marked. Some of the former minor principalities in Germany and elsewhere have not been included: it can hardly be argued that for example, the Princes of Schwarzburg, although no doubt sovereigns, ever played a big role, either militarily or genealogically, in the history of Europe. However, all the former kingdoms of Europe are treated in sufficient detail, while for all German and Italian grand-duchies, and some duchies, at least a general survey is given. For several practical reasons the eleventh century

has been taken as the earliest starting point. When necessary, the text gives an outline of the dynastic development prior to that dateline. The names given in the Tables are necessarily only a selection, but a much wider one than is usually found in historical handbooks. Omitted are those persons who played no important part in the history of Europe (i.e. most of the unmarried women) or persons who died very young without having been regarded as eventual heirs. Sometimes even women whose marriages were of no great importance or who remained without issue had to be excluded for lack of space or for the preservation of clarity. Children of married prin­ cesses are shown only when they played some role in the succession to the throne of the given country. The same ruling has been applied to natural children. The detailed Tables are preceded by Tables which give a general survey of practically all the male mem­ bers of all the reigning Houses in each country, with an indication in which of the following Tables detailed information can be obtained. Lineal descent of the present sovereign or head of the House from the most remote ancestor is shown by a red line. Reigning sovereigns in each country are marked by a small crown next to their name (the actual crown used for this purpose having no other significance). A word ought perhaps to be said about the spelling of names. The practice not only in Britain but in almost every other country is sadly confused. While some of the names are kept in their native form, such as the Carols of Rumania or J uans of Spain, others are 'translated' into English or the author's language. I have never in an English book read about ajohann or Karl in Germany, a Nikolai in Russia or a Geor­ gios or Pavlos in Greece. In order to avoid what I have always felt to be a sort of discrimination, all the names in this book have been anglicized wherever it is possible. A compromise had, however, to be made for some names in some countries when the original name is too familiar to be dismissed - such as the Manuels in Portugal. Apart from the usual type of genealogical Tables two other types are included. In one, a genealogical background is shown for various historical events, such as for the Wars of the Roses, the Union of Kal­ mar, or the Wars of the Spanish Succession. In the other, the descent from eight ancestors, called 'eight quarters' (i.e. three generations back), of some of the more outstanding or interesting princes is traced. This helps to show some of the little-known or even claimed forebears of the person in question. In this the present book resembles other published works. There are, however, two features in which it differs considerably. Most people feel that genealogy and heraldry are two disciplines which arc most closely related. Both the College of Arms in London

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and Senior Fellow of Trinity College in Oxford, both an expert historian and a scholar in heraldry, who agreed to write such a text, has created a history book which makes fascinating reading in itself. I am very much indebted to him for his suggested corrections and amendments to my Tables. Without the close and friendly co-operation which has so happily existed between us I could hardly have hoped to see the book as it now is. My gratitude goes, of course, to several people whose unselfish and untiring help enabled me to as­ semble all the material for such a vast enterprise. Years ago, Charles, Prince of Schwarzenberg, opened the treasures of both his library and know­ ledge to me, and most of the heraldry in these pages can really be traced to his friendly help. Nevertheless, when the actual work started, numerous question marks appeared, and if now few blank spaces remain in the following pages, it is due to the generous advice of the late M. Meurgey de Tupigny, President of the French Heraldic and Sigillographic Society, Mr G. Scheffer, Chamberlain and Herald of Sweden, M. Roger Harmignies, Mr Roger Pye of Oporto, expert in Portuguese heraldry, and many other scholars in different countries. As for the section covering Britain, it is impossible not to mention the inexhaustible patience of the late Mr R.P. Graham-Vivian, MVO, MC, formerly Nor­ roy and Ulster King of Arms, :Mr J.P. Brooke-Little, CVO, the present Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, and the late Mr D. Pottinger, LVO, Islay Herald, who, in spite of their several and burdensome duties, have always found time to search for missing information and showed great interest in the prog­ ress of my work. And last but not least, I am very much indebted to the skill of the publishers who have made it possible for such an extensive work to be produced at all, and I owe a special debt to Mr :Martin Heller for his enthusiastic support throughout. Finally, I should like to say that the study of history leads to the study of genealogy and heraldry and vice versa. When combined, no one of these three is a dull affair. The medieval battlefields of Europe were - in spite of all the savage slaughtering - grand scenes of heraldic display where gaily coloured banners, shields of arms and surcoats worn over the armour proudly announced their owners' might. No princely marriage would ever have been complete without pompous heraldic pageantry, and when the people laid their princely leaders to their final rest, heraldry again played, and still plays, an important part in the funeral rites. If this book helps to show that history, by means of genealogy and heraldry, can be made an interesting and even thrilling study, I shall be happy that I have not been working in vain.

and the Court of Lord Lyon in Edinburgh issue fine genealogies richly adorned and enlightened by coats­ of-arms. Yet there has been no work to do the same for the whole of Europe, that is for the European reigning Houses. In this book I have considered heraldry to be an indispensable part of the genealog­ ical Tables; the coats-of-arms illustrated here show the changes which went hand-in-hand with the various matrimonial alliances or territorial ac­ quisitions or losses, or rise in rank. Naturally it has not been possible to include the arms of all the persons listed in the Tables but only a relatively narrow selection. Nevertheless, the arms of almost all consorts of sovereigns have been illustrated, the arms of the sovereigns themselves being shown when they changed from ·the previously used form. I must, of course, warn the reader that in central Europe, and even elsewhere, several forms of arms were often in use by more than one person at the same time, in contrast with the one and only legal form used in Britain. In countries where differencing for cadets of the princely Houses is in practice, as wide a selection of the marks of cadency as possible has been made. It is in this sense that the book is a history of the regal heraldry of Europe. The Tables with general surveys show two types of arms. On top, usually the original simple arms of the country or dynasty are reproduced, while below the latest form of the arms of the monarchy, with the proper crown and highest order of chivalry but without the supporters, is displayed. Supporters can, however, be seen in the line drawings at the chapter openings. The larger scale in which the arms accom­ panying the general survey Tables are drawn has enabled me to show the so-called 'greater' arms, with numerous quarterings (such as in Prussia, Naples etc.). Such complicated arms would be almost un­ readable on the small shields in the detailed Tables where a simpler form of arms is usually shown. The other difference from any similar previous publication is the textual part. I have always felt that in spite of the fact that genealogical Tables speak for themselves, there are many facts which cannot find their way into the actual Tables and yet need to be mentioned and explained in one way or another. It c�n h�rdly be expected that by reading a haphazard historical book together with following a genealogical Tab�e one would find all the explanations needed. In no history of Russia, for instance, can you find more than perhaps a mention of some of the several branches of the House of Rurik and their succession. A com?ination of genealogical Tables, illustrated _ with shields of arms and accompanied by a text which describes in words what the Tables leave untold' should fill a wide gap in literature of this sort. Mr Michael-Madagan, CVO, Richmond Herald

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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION TO HERALDRY The practice of heraldry, as we understand it, arose in western Europe in the middle of the twelfth cen­ tury. It comprises the use on a shield of patterns which are definable, recognizable and hereditary. There were probably two principal causes for this development. In the first place, helmets were cover­ ing more and more of the wearer's face making his identification in battle difficult. Secondly, increasing employment of documents called for a visual means of authentication; in an age when literacy was almost confined to the clergy, a seal was more use than a signature. To reproduce on the seal the same pattern as that on the shield was commonplace. Most of our early evidence of heraldry comes r f om seals. Several English heraldic seals survive from around 1140. The arms of Savoy (Table 97) are found in 1143, those of the Count of Provence, which were the same as Aragon (Table 45), in 1150, those of Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony (Table 85), in 1144. Many other early seals must have perished, but these examples demonstrate that heraldry was already an international manifestation. One exciting testimony from France is earlier and not sigillary: the famous enamel preserved at Le Mans appears to show the blazon of Geoffrey Plantagenet (d.1151) (Table 2). It is quite clear that the growth of heraldry answered a general need in the feudal societies of the twelfth century. It is also at least possible that its similarity in different countries was furthered by encounters on the organized crusades or in the Holy Land. Certainly warfare in the heat of Palestine encouraged the wearing of a linen covering or surcoat over the chainmail of the clay; it was an easy and an obvious step to repeat on this the pattern from the shield; and from this is derived the English phrase 'coat-of-arms'. To write thus about the beginnings of heraldry is not to deny that seals with some sort of device

had been in use for centuries and that emblems, often of an animal kind, had been associated with units or peoples - the lion of the tribe of Judah, the eagle of the Roman legion or the crescent of Islam. It is also the case that very soon after heraldry started and it could not be said to be established until numerous families had used a distinctive blazon for several generations - men began to invent coats-of­ arms for people who had lived long before, for biblical characters, for kings and saints like Edward the Confessor (Table 63), or heroes of romance like Arthur, Charlemagne or Godfrey de Bouillon. Certain basic laws were common to all countries. The hues available were divided into two main classes. The 'metals' were gold and silver, often, as in this volume, portrayed by yellow and white; and the 'colours' were reel, blue, black, green and purple, of which the first three were by far the most often used. A third, and scarcer, class were 'furs' of which ermine (Table 64: Brittany) was the commonest. If the background of the shield, called the 'field', was of a metal, then the objects thereon, known as 'charges', must be of one of the colours and vice­ versa. Either colour or metal could be placed on a fur. This rule was not unbreakable: it was deliber­ ately flouted in devising a blazon for the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Table 90 and elsewhere) as a tribute to the sanctity of the city. Other breaches are re­ corded, not least in eastern Europe (Table 103: Narishkin or Razumovski, or 95: Douglas). An early convention allowed a background of mixed colour and metal to count as either (Table 2: Marshall). Not only individuals or families used coats-of-arms; they could be employed by countries, towns, bishoprics and, later on, by merchant companies, religious orders or any corporate body. In England the upper classes spoke Norman­ French at this time, and therefore the blazons were

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today: Moravia - 'Azure , an eagle displayed cheeky argent and gules, beaked, membered and crowned or' , and Bourbon - 'Azure, seme of lys, a bend gules. ' It will be seen that a ' bend' (French ban de) is in fact a straight diagonal stripe ; similarly an up­ right one is a ' pale ' and transverse ones are ' bars ' . In the other realms of western Europe, in Germany, France, Spain or Italy, the descriptions of heraldry are nearer to normal speech . In many cases it is not known how a particular family acquired or chose its coat-of-arms; often it must have been a whim or accident. A certain nun1ber of basic geometric patterns clearly reflect strips of wood or leather affixed to the shield to strengthen it. Many others represent a play upon words. Easy examples are the blazons of Bowes­ Lyon (Table 9) or of Castile and Leon (Table 4 7) . Yet others may indicate regional or feudal fashions; there is a strong concentration of coats-of-arms with lions on barr y fields or barry lions in the old province of Lotharingia (Li1nburg, Luxembourg, Hesse and so on) ; th e ' tressure ' with its fleurs-de-lys is commoner in Scotland than elsewhere (Table 1 3) . In the animal world the eagle and the lion were regarded as the kings of birds and beasts, and were accordingly popular. The eagle grew in esteem as it became to be associated with empire, but was also used by quite humble families. From the start, the lion was portrayed in two basic postures: he was ' rampant' as he rose on one foot to strike, he was ' p assant' when he ran across the shield from left to right, most often in a group of three (Table 1 : England, Table 1 5 : Denmark) . In the Middle Ages the upright beast was simply called a lion ; when he ran , he was a ' leopard ' . It must be e1nphasized that, in describing the right and the left of a shield, one speaks as though wearing it, not from the viewpoint of the beholder. An early variant form was the lion with two tails (Table 2: Mon tfort) .

The 12th-century enamel of Geoffrey of A njou at Le Mans, one of the earliest pieces of heraldic evidence.

DMDING THE SHIELD

? escribed i1� that tongu e. As Engli sh devel oped mto the nat10nal speech in the fourteenth and fif­ teenth centu ries, the language of heraldry remained strongly infected with Fren ch term s and beca me in creasingly esot eric. This tend ency was fost ered by the heralds in the sixte en th and seve n teen th cen­ turies, who were as anxious to have thei r own peculiar par lanc e, not easily com pre hen ded by the laym , an as the doc tor, the lawyer or the parliam e nta ry d1�aftsm an. As far as poss ible , this specializ ed ter­ mrn ology has been eschewed in the pao- whi es ch foll ow; it has the _advan tage of bei ng pre �ise to the _ exp ert . As illu stration s, two blazon foll s ow for shie lds, as they would be des crib ed in Enob·lan d

Early in the story of heraldry, the problems posed by alliances, inheritance and large families began to make themselves felt. One pristine solution was dimidiation , that is to divide two shields vertically and unite half of each , but this could lead to bizarre results. Soon the sin1pler device of ' impalement' was evolved which represented the whole of each coat-of-arms on half a shield; the arms of the husband were normally represented on the right, or ' dexter' side. This was particularly the case in England and France , where bishops also used to ' impale' the arms of their diocese ; but in Germany impalement often indicates the union of two lordships rather than a definite marri'age , and

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bishops more often quarter their own arms with those of their See. In fact, the arrangements for 'marshalling' more than one coat-of-arms are apt to differ from country to country. It was, however, general practice that, when a ruler inherited two territories, as it might be one from his father and another through his mother, he divided his shield into four and placed his paternal blazon in the first and fourth quarters while that of his mother decorated the second and third. The earliest known illustration of this idea occurs in the combined arms of Castile and Leon on Table 4 7. As a family began to build up dynastic power, it probably made many profitable alliances and acqui­ sitions. A shield of four seconds was no longer enough. There is no limit to the number of divisions on a single shield; but in England it is normal to speak of ' quarterly of six', or eight, or sixty-eight, while on the Continent the nature of the divisions is specified. In England, also, representation of an heiress ( that is, a woman without brothers) is common; in Scotland, and abroad, small attention was paid to her arms, unless she also brought land. In Germany, in particular, the extensive quartered coats tend to indicate a great aggregation of lord­ ships (Table 84) with the actual family arms on a small shield in the middle, ' an escutcheon in pre­ tence ' , or ' over all ' . On the Continent, also, the terms ' sixteen quarterings' , or ' thirty-two quarter­ ings ' , had a specialized meaning. They did not signify that an individual represented that number of families or had acquired that number of fiefs, but that all his ancestors (male and female) for five or six generations backwards were of noble birth. Sets of eight shields, showing great-grandparents, are frequent in these Tables. The stern laws govern­ ing dynastic marriages in Germany and Austria (Chapter 22) made such a boast much more common than in England, where society was relatively fluid. Naturally enough some form of con trol over th e usages of a blazon became essential. This duty was assigned by a gradual process in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to the heralds, officers whose main functions hitherto had lain in the spheres of diplomacy and the tournament. Thus the g�neral name ' heraldry' was born. One of their main duties was to avoid as far as possible the use by two different families of the same shield. In England a cause celebre in the reign of Richard II concerned the rival claims of Scrape and Grosvenor to 'Azure, a bend or' . Th e fact that th e Bohemian family of Count Thun of Hohenstein bore the same arms was as irrelevan t as much of the other evidence offe red. Rather more surprising is the fact that the i m portan t family of de Ligne in

Hainault and the rulers of Baden both bore ' Or, a bend gules' from the Middle Ages to today without exciting conflict. Different countries found different solutions for the problems of the younger brother and the younger son, one charge, the ' label' ( a narrow hori­ zontal line across the top of the shield with three, four or five pendants dropping from it) , was mostly confined to the shields of minor members of a family. I t is relatively certain that it was originally a cord with tags which could be rernoved when neces­ sary. In England (Table 3) and in Portugal (Table 93) labels beca1ne exceedingly elaborate . But other cad els of great families use d a border ( or ' bordure ' ) and a small bend ( or 'bendlet' ) as a mark of 'difference ' . In France the bendlet was perh aps more popular than in England. Bastardy was sometimes signified by a bend from left to right, though this could be an innocent charge as in the Folkunga anus (Table 27) . The French for a 'bend sinister' was une barre) which probably in­ spired the popular British myth of th e ' bar sinister' , to mean illegitimacy.

ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCES The heraldic connoisseur can often guess at the nationality of an unknown coat-of-anns, but n1ay find his opinion no easier to explain than the dif­ ference between Claret and Burgundy. To indicate some possible characteristics is not to ignore the n1any common features in all realms or the inci­ dence of migrants and ' rogues ' in any grouping. It is not easy to distinguish between the heraldry of France and England, which stemmed from a common root. French blazon did not pass through so marked a phase of complexity as did English in the sixteenth century, and never, perhaps, indulged in so lavish a display of quarterings. On the other hand the heraldry of the Bourbons was abruptly cut off by the Revolution, to be replaced by the orderly but artificial Napoleonic system (Chapter 1 6) . Scotland boasts, it may be clai med, the most logical and systematic control of anns of any country and is still, heraldically, discrete from England. Great use is made of the bordure as a difference , often with many charges on it. In the Iberian pen insula the shield itself is al­ most always drawn in a rather square shape . Hence it comes that a pattern of six charges will be arranged in three pairs (Table 92: Castro) and not in ranks of 3, 2 and ] as is more usual. Considerable use is made of elaborate bordures (Table 47: Molina, Table 52: Moscoso) and also of letters (Table 95: M endoc;:a) . The combination of two shields in one by a diagon al cross, or ' saltire ' ,

[9]

(Tabl e 46: Sicily, U rge l) is usually Spanish. An inte re sting Hispanic charg e is the cauldron (Tabl e 48 or 96: Guzman) which appears i n many nobl e blazons. In the first instanc e , this was a mark of nobility denoting the ability to feed a conti ngent. Th e animals which app e ar from the pot ar e today usually blazoned as serp e nts, but m ay have � e �u n life as th e more palatabl e e e l. Anoth e r m ost d1stmc­ tive Spanish charg e (Tabl e 48) is th e b e nding issuing from two lions' mouths. . Th e e arly h e raldry of G e rmany shows a c e rtain pre dil e ction for bold geom e tric patterns (Tabl e 80: Hoh e nzoll e rn) . Th e popularity of the eagl e led to th e deve lopm e nt of th e 'beari ng' , or devic e , cal l e d a kleestengel ( cl over-stalk) , on its breast, which cou ld itse lf have an addition m ad e to i t; it was in origin probably only an artistic d e finition of th e bre ast­ bon e of the eagle. A feature of Teutonic h e raldry is th e display of a large number of quarte rings representing th e fi e fs h e ld by th e family; normally th ey we re those which gave th e right to one vote in th e Di e t of the Empire. On a smaller shield in th e ce ntre would be place d th e arms of the family itse lf ( often the sam e as its old est or original e state ) though there are e xc e p­ tions. Among the quarte rings is some times found one of plain red ( ' gul e s' ) ; this is the ' Blut-Fahn e ' or ' Regali e n' quartering (Tabl e 87: Saxony) and was thought to indicate th e ownership of royal pre rog­ ative s, personally bestowed by the e mperor. I t is a common artistic practic e in Te utonic lands wh e r e th ere are lions disposed on both sid e s of th e shi e ld to mak e those on the ' de xte r' or right, face inwards. This would not be don e in France or Britain. Italy was so fragmen te d that it is difficul t to write cohesively of h e r herald ry. In Naples , Spanis h influ e nce not surpris ingly made itself felt. Th e tr e e is perha ps more freque nt than els e where ; anoth er highly typical charge is th e mou n t, oft e n tripl e , at th e bas e of the shield , a fe ature which also occu rs in the arms of Hungary 'mod ern ' . I talian fami lies often adde d a ' chi e f ( th e top slice of th e shi e ld) of th e Emp ire or Anjo u to disp lay Gue lph or Ghib e l­ line symp athie s . In Pola nd a num ber of orio-inal b and unu sual charges app e ar, whic h have som etim es be en de rive d from Scan dinavian run es: cros s e s and arrows spri ng from hor s e sho e s or from ge om e trica l sha p e s (Tabl e 1 00: Kr asif1 ski ) . Rus sian heraldr y was �1ot a � atural_ �rowth, and shows sign s of labo ure d mve nt10 n : m1h ta1 y e mb l e ms abo und , as migh t b e � exp ect: d m an anstocracy wh ich was orig ina lly o n e of ser vic e (Table 1 03: Ap rax in or Raz um ovsk i ) . Th e e mp has is-thro ugh o u t the s e Tab les is on th e

The King of A rms for Britta ny i n an ermine tabard (the blazon of h is duke) jJresnz ts a roll of arms to the Duke of Bourbon sitting on a man tle of h£s own a nns. MS of c. 1 460-5. shi e ld, for th e shield with i ts blazon is th e c e n tral feature of h e raldry. Non e th e l e ss from the e arliest days knights also us e d, e sp e cially i n tournaments, a ' cr e st ' , a singl e obj e ct bound to th e ir hehn e ts wi th a wreath of twisted silk. As the pageantry of her­ aldry deve lop e d, diffe ring coro n e ts and h e lm e ts were introduc e d for the varying degrees of rank, and ' su pport e rs' to uphold th e shi e l d becam e com­ m o n . Below th e shield m ight app e ar a 1no tto or cri de guerre. Th e whole ass e 1nbly of h eraldic prid e is known as an ' achi e v e m e n t ' and for r e ign i n g House s i s oft e n backe d by a 1nangle o r pavi lion . Illustrations of such achi e ve ments appear at th e h e ad of many of the chapt e rs which follow. The ' boast of h e raldry' was indeed part of the ' pomp of power' , but it is also a vivid and illuminating short­ hand to dyn astic history.

[ lOJ

Chapter 2

ENGLAND: MEDIEVAL Resistance to these invad ers was led by Alfred, King of W essex - roughly the area sou th of the Thames - in fierce fighting at the end of the ninth century. For a h u nd red years his descendants were rulers of Englan d . B u t troubled times came agai n at the beginning of the eleven th cen tury; Danish and West Saxon kings both reigned, and there was no accepted system of succession . The death withou t children of the sain tly but ineffectual Edward the Confessor left the way open for new contenders. At Hastings the Englishman Harold was defeated by the Duke of Normandy. Since then England has been ruled by six families, not one of which could be called English by name. The Normans were succeeded by the Plantagenets who stemmed from Anjou, in cen tral France. At the end of the Wars of the Roses the last Plan tagenet king, Richard I I I , was overthrown by the Welsh­ man, Henry Tudor. His family endu red only for three generations ; and Elizabeth I was followed by her Sco ttish cousin, James I and V I , i n 1 60 3 . Thereafter England and Scotland shared the same ruler. Then, in 1 7 1 4 , George I , Elector of Hanover, arrived from Germany and the next five kings were of Teutonic stock . Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe­ Coburg and Gotha, anothn German royal family; and our present Queen has married the Duke of Edinburgh who in male descent derives from the Danish dynasty (Table 1 09 ) . Thus, the people of England early became used to the idea that the Crown could pass through a woman and that a queen could reign over them, ideas which have never been acceptable to ( for examp le) the French. The early history of Scotland is lost in mists of obscuri ty. The northern part of the cou ntry was in­ habi ted by the Picts, whose origin is still d ebated. Much of the south was peopled by Celts, but to these were added Scand inavian and Anglo-Saxon settlers

'What! will the line stretch out to the crack of doom?' Macbeth IV: I

England and Scotland have known many dynasties of rulers . Table 1 shows i n outline the descent of the present Queen from Duncan, King of Scotland , and William the Conqueror of England , and the union of the two countri es in the person ofJ ames I . The Scot­ tish kings on the left are derived from characters who figu re in Shakespeare's Macbeth; the rulers of E ngland s tem from William, Duke of Normandy, who won the Crown and the cou ntry at the d ecisive Battle of Hast­ ings in 1 066. N ei ther D uncan nor William has left d i rect male d escend an ts b u t their blood has reached Qu een Elizabeth I I through a number of female li nks, li nks which brought o ther families - Stuart, Plan tage net, Tudor and so on - to the thrones of one or both real ms. The his tory of England goes back far beyond the reign of William I . Sou th of Hadrian's Wall, the is­ land h ad formed part of the Roman Empire, and then had been largely overru n by Teutonic i nvaders from northern Germany. These Anglo-Saxon bar­ barians had d riven many of the original C eltic in­ habitants towards the west and had seized control of the flatter, richer lands of south and eas t England , lands which t hroughout our history h ave been a tem p tation to raiders from the Continent. At firs t there were a number of separate Anglo-Saxon ki ng­ doms, b ut from time to time outstanding rulers gained a brief su premacy; of such were E thelbert of Kent, the first Christian ki ng, at the end of the sixth cent u ry, or Offa of Mercia at the end of the eighth. The unity of E ngland was accelerated by the need to resist a fresh series of invasions, by the Vikings who sailed from their Scandinavian homes to plunder, and later to settle, along the coasts of England and Fran ce.

[11]

GREAT B R I TA I N General s u rvey

TA BLE l @ DUNCAN! ! TABLE 12 J 1..-____ J7 @ MALCOLM Ill

@ WILLIAM I

@ DONALD BANE

I

EDWARD W!UIAM

it

I

' HENRY E. of Huntingdon

'

I

WILLIA M

I I DA VID @ WILLIAM @ MALCOLM IV _ ___.j E. of �unlzngdon _

1

@ ALEXANDER If

I

MARGARET m. Eric of Norway

I

@ MARGARET STUART

I

BRUCE

I I II .---------4 1 I

@ JOHN BALLIOL ROBERT BRUCE TABLE 13

I

1

WalterStewart

MARJORIE

� DA VID II w

@ ROBERTII

I

I I

I I

j""

@ JAMES I

ROBERT D. ofAlbany

I

I

II

I

'it> JAMES Ill

I

r

I



JAMES E. of Moray f/545

� I

ROBERT

@ HENRY VI

JOHN E. ofMar

ALEXANDER D. ofAlbany

@ JA ES IV MARGARET \ T

7

T

I

I.________I

HANOVER

Ernest of llanover

T

T

SOPHIA

� --TABLES 1 w cEORGE !

I

I

I

I

FRED. LEWIS Pr. of Wales 1

W GEORGE III

I

I

I

@ JAMES I (VI)

I

I ELIZABETH

I

I

I

I

r

I

I

I

l

I

HENRY D. of Lancaster

I

I

THOMAS EDMUND D. of,York D . of Gl�ucesur

I

...._..._ ___---.I RICHARD

I

I

HUMPHREY E. of Buckingham

E of Cambndge j

I

t

wWILLIA MI Ill =

I

I

__...,

I

I

I,.-...1 -=-..,....,,...,-------..,.,...----, I

I

I

I

r

@ ED WA RD VI

MARY m. William of Orange

WILLIAM HENRY D. of Gloucester ,

I

w

I

@ CHARLES II

EDWARD A UG. D. of York

I

I

I

I

I

RICHA RD !TABLE 11

HENRY JOHN E. of Lancaster

JOHN

I

I

@ ELIZABETH I

D UKES OF BUCCLEUCH, CLEVELAND, ext. 1774 GRAFTON NORTHl'MBERLAND ext. 1716 St. ALBANS WILLIAM A UC. RICHMOND .________..J D. of Gloucester

I

1'

t------,-------,

JOHN THOMAS ED WARD E. ofS erset D. of Exeur D. of York im:

q;, JA MES II (Vil)

I

I @ I MARYi! @ ANNE

I

I JAMES Pr. of Wales I

WILLIAM CHARLES D. of Gloucesltr EDWARD

I

HENRY FRED. D. of Cumberland

I FREDERICK @ WILLIA M!V EDWARD ERNESTA UG. A UGUSTUS A DOLPHUS D. o/ York WILLIAM D. o/Kmt K o/ Hanover D. o/Sussex D. o/ Cambridge D. o/ Gloucester I l.,_ E. OF MUNSTER __._ I � ,-w VICTOR!A _____..., 1 I CHARLOTTE m. Albert ofSaxe-Coburg . KINGS OF HANOVER . GEORGE _ TABLE9 D. of C bndge SAXE-COBURG r i II I l ALFRED @ EDWARD VII ARTHUR LEOPOL D Firzc EOR GEs (ext. 1933) D. of Ed:nburgh D. of Connaugh t D. of Albany WINDSOR I ALFRED -.,.,., ALBERT @ GEORGE v Her. Pr. a/SaxeARTHUR DUKES OFSAXE-COBURG D. of Clar,nce Cobg. & Gotha I I I� @ EDWARD VIII 'it> GEORGE VI HENRY GEORGE A LASTAIR D. of Gloucester .. D. of Kmt _J D. of Connaugh t @ Phzl,p II I D. of Edinburgh ELIZA BETH II MARGARET WILLI AM RICHARD EDWA RD MICHAEL T D. of Gloucester D. ofKmt j I I � CHARLES ANNE .JXD REl1 ' EDWA RD A LEXA I..---------, NDER Pr. of Wales D. of York FREDERICK GEORGE NICHOLAS WILLIA .II HE.\'RY

@ GEORGE IV

l

THOMAS E. of lancasur

I

JOHN D. of Lancaster

@ HENRY VIII

@ CHARLES !

ERNESTA UG. D. of York

@ GEORGE II

I

@ MA R Y i

@ MARY m. Hmry L. Darnley Frederick of Palatinate

I

TABLE 7

@ JAMES V

JAMES E. of Moray murd. 1570

I

I

JOHN JOHN EDMUND HUMPHREY HENRY THOMAS RICHARD of Bedford D. of Gloucester E. of Somerset D. pf Somerset D. of Somerset D of Clarmu D. of York r i MARGARET EDMUND EDMUND @ ED WA RD IV EDMUND GEORGE @ RICHARD Iii T E. 0/ Rzchmond I_ HENRY ,._ E. ofRutland D. of Clarmce ___ TUDOR EDWARD ELIZABETH ED WARD V RICHA RD ED WARD @ HENRY Vll D. of York E. of Warwick Pr. of Wales =r _

EDWARD Pr. of Wales

I

I

I

WILLIAM C. of Poitou

I

I

I EDMUND E· 0.t 1 Kmt

I

LIONEL D. of Clarmu

@ HENRY JV

@ RICHARD II

MA TILDA m. Geoffrey Plantagmet

EDMUND E. of Lancaster HENRY EDMUND

ED MUND

I

ED WARD Pr. of. Wales

@ HENRY V- Catherine - Owm Tudor TABLE 5 1

JA MES

'it> JAMES II WALTER ALEXANDER .., L _ / 4 ! � E T.' AB --,-------, ---_ __

JOHN E. of Cornwall

I

WALTER E. ofAthol/

MURDOCH I

E. 0/ Norfolk

----,

I -,-----r�--.., l ,

@ ROBERT Ill

I

I THOMAS

@ ED WARD Ill

W HENRY I

GEOFFREY @ JOHN HENRY @ RICHA RD I D. of B;'ttany Rex filius ,-�\ I ---RICHARD @ HENRY Ill ARTHUR E. 0ir Comma// I

TABLE 3 @ ED WARD I

@ ED WARD II THOMAS ALEXANDER NIGEL

@ ROBERT J

EDWARD

I

@ STEPHEN

I

....., 1!----ISABEL

f

I

A DELA m. S:ephm of Blois

IPLANTA GENETI .____=.a-"='""" @ HENRY II GEOFFREY C. of Anjou I

MARGARET m. Alan of Ga//oway m. Rohr Brua , DEVORGU!LA ROBERT BRUCE m. John alliol

@ ALEXANDER Ill

@ WILLIAM II

ROBERT D. of Normandy

@ DUNCAN II @ EDGAR @ALEXANDER I @ DA VID I

TABLE2

?

JA .\IES D. of Berwick Xl73-I HENRY

1

from the east and Irish from the west. It is one of the ironies of history that the very name 'Scot' is derived from a tribe originally settled in what today would be called Ulster. At the head of Table r are the two shields of arms associated with Scotland and England; their story will be discussed in more detail later. They were not united until r 60 3 , and even then were linked with the arms of France for another 2 0 0 years. It was also in r 603 that the harp, which symbolizes Ireland, was introduced into the royal arms, though the Kings of England had been Lords of Ireland since the twelfth century. Wales, which was conquered by Edward I of England, has never figured in the royal shield, though it appears in that of the Prince of Wales ( Table g) . At the bottom of Table r are the arms of Queen Elizabeth II > encircled by the riband of the Garter, as they have been borne by every monarch since 1 83 7. They are the arms of the country over which she reigns, rather than those of the Queen herself, and are flown wherever the Queen is in residence in England. In Scotland they appear in a different form; the upright lion of Scotland figures twice, in the first and fourth quarters, and the three running lions of England only feature once, in the second quarter. THE NORMAN INVASION In 1 066 Duke William of Normandy conquered Eng­ land. He claimed to be the heir to his cousin, Edward the Confessor, and regarded Harold as an usurper. In consequence there were two facets to his reign. He preserved much of what was best in former English government, including for example the shire system. But there was an almost complete change-over in the ownership of estates; the land-hungry followers of Duke William replaced the Anglo-Saxon or Danish proprietors. Two new features were at once apparent up and down the countryside, the mounted Norman knight and the Norman castle on its artificial hillock. Who were these Normans? Their ducal family and most of their aristocracy were descended from Danes who settled near the mouth of the Seine under their leader Rollo in 9 1 1 . It is probable that the stalwart resistance of Alfred deflected many Viking invaders from England to the less defended shores of France . I n any case a substantial bod y of 'Northmen' soon gave their name to the district of Normandy, and rapidly acq uired a polish of French chivalry and lan­ guage. William I made a stern and powerful kiug. He loved hunting and cleared part of Hampshire to make the New Forest. Rebellion in the north was savagely repressed, and the countryside devastated. Towards the end of his reign he carried out an ex­ haustive survey of his kingdom, village by village and

county by county. The result, the Domesday Book, is an authoritative record which has no parallel to this day. When he died, he bequeathed Normandy to his firstborn, Robert, and England to his second son, William Rufus, so-called from his red face . As has been seen in Chapter I, heraldry was un­ known at this time. The shield shown for William I ( Table 2) was not actually used by him in his lifetime; that displayed for his wife, Matilda of Flanders, was associated later with her kinsfolk. No coat-of-arms is known for Henry I. That shown for his son-in-law Geoffrey Plantagenet, is based on the beautiful enamel at Le Mans. Part of the shield is here hidden from the viewer, and it is uncertain whether the num­ ber of lions was intended to be six or seven; it is sug­ gestive that one of Henry II's illegitimate children used six similar lions. Henry I, a vigorous and able monarch, succeeded in winning both England and Normandy to his rule. He did not, however, succeed in persuading his sub­ jects to accept his daughter as his heiress after his only legitimate son had been drowned. Matilda was haughty and her second husband, Geoffrey of Anjou, was not popular. On the death of Henry I, the barons of England chose Stephen as their king in preference to Matilda; but much of Stephen's reign was con­ sumed in civil warfare between them. Matilda was at one point proclaimed queen, but she was never crowned; eventually it was agreed that her son should succeed at the death of Stephen. It is from this junc­ ture that the Crown of England begins to pass by hereditary descent. Henry II, son of Matilda and acknowledged heir of Stephen, had a long and splendid reign. In Eng­ land he was keenly interested in justice; and his legal reforms effectively established a common law throughout the length and breadth of the land, with judges going on circuit as they do today. But he governed a much wider area than England. He naturally inherited Anjou; he had won back Nor­ mandy before he came to England ; he became the Lord of Ireland; in addition he made a splendid match by marrying the heiress of the Duke of Aquitaine. With her extensive lands in his control, his realm had its northern frontier on the Tweed and the southern at the Pyrenees; but for all his territory in France - Normandy, Anjou and Aquitaine - he was a subject of the French king and not an independent ruler. This position led to many complications and caused the fortunes of England to be closely entang­ led with those of France for 400 years. It is during the reign of Richard I, a romantic figure but a feckless and absentee king, that the well­ known arms of England appear. Richard 's first seal only shows part of the king's shield on which is a single upright ( 'rampant') lion; the whole shield may

[ 1 3]

grandsons, and thus Isabel cou l d be regarded as his heiress (Tab le 6 2) . As he r son, Edward III p roceeded to cl aim the throne of F rance itself; this was a more thorough and d rastic step than any attempt to regain the l ost provinces of his ancesto rs. In 1 340 he sym­ bolized this cl aim by uniting the arms of France with those of Engl and. As a comp l iment to France, he pl aced the gol d l ilies in a b l ue fiel d in the first (and fourth) quarters of his new shiel d and the l eopards of Engl and in the second and thi rd. F rom this date u ntil 1 80 1 the r u lers of Engl and continued to styl e them­ sel ves Kings of F rance and show the F rench lil ies somewhere on their shie l d.

have exhibited two such l ions. However, on his second g reat seal ( 1 1 98) the whole shiel d is clearl y visible, portraying three running l ions with their heads turned towards the behol de r; this has been the blazon of Engl and from that day to this. At Richard's death his younger brother John seized the throne, though some wou l d have p refe rred their nephew Arthur. John al most ce rtainl y had Arthu r mu rdered. He had considerab le ability but lacked any capacity to make himsel f l iked; towards the end of his reign a group of the nobil ity, exacer­ bated by their sovereign's cap rice and by heavy tax­ ation, compelledJohn to seal Magna Carta, the most famous charter of libe rties in the history of the Eng­ lish peop l e. John's son, Henry III, continued to use the three leopards as his coat-of-arms. His younge r b rother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, was a rich and ambitious man who sought in vain to secu re effective election as Emperor of Germany. He devised his own shiel d (Table 2) of a red l ion rampant within a bl ack borde r dotted with gol d discs (bezants, so call ed from the coinage of Byzantium) . The lion may refer back to the fi rst seal of Richard I; the gol d discs (poix) all ude to his French county of Poitou. As has been suggested, many early shiel ds were l inked with a p l ay upon words of this characte r. Like his fathe r, Henry III failed to keep on good terms with his subjects. The opposition to him, at the end of his very long reign, was led by his brother-in­ l aw, Simon de Montfort. His shie l d shows a l ion with two tails; the popu l arity of the lion as a charge was already leading to ingenious variations. The struggl e was protracted, and towards the end of it ( 1 265) Simon de Montfort caused to be assembled what was perhaps the first Engl ish Parl iament. The reign of Edward I (Table 3) was important for several reasons; he was one of the most robust and forcefu l of Engl ish ru lers. He carried to concl usion the �on9 uest of Wales; and then gave to the Wel sh, as he 1s sa1? to ha:'e p romised, a prince who cou l d speak no English - his mfant son Edward, the fi rst P rince of Wales. He attempted, but in vain, to conquer Scot­ l and - He waged l ong wars against the King of F rance, _ see� mg to recover the fu ll inhe ritance of Henry I I, of ':h1chjohn a�d Henry III had lost considerabl e por­ tions. The Kmg and his advisers carried through a great vol ume of legisl ation, an achievement which c? upled with his arduous campaigning, has caused ? 1m t? b : called the English Justinian. Of more l ast­ m � sigm �cance were the steps taken under his gmdance m the evol ution of Parliament. Here he l ea rned from the ideas of his uncl e Simon. �?ward II married Isabe l, the only daughter of Phihp IV of � rance. The shield of the l atter shows an example of d1midi�tion. Phi lip had three sons, but no

THE H U NDRED Y EARS' WAR At fi rst Edward I II's war went well . A great naval victory at Sl uys ( 1 340) was foll owed by t riumphs on l and at C r ecy ( 1 346) and Poitie rs ( 1 3 56) . He founded the O rde r of the Garte r, the greatest su rviving orde r of chivalry in the worl d. Its motto Honi soil qui mal y pense ( Ashamed be he who thinks ill of it) may refer to the legendary Countess of Sal isbu ry - though at this date l adies did not usually wear garters - but may with greater l ike l ihood al l ude to his cl aims on the F rench C rown. At almost the same time, the pestilen­ tial Bl ack Death spread disaster over Europe. The heavy mo rtal ity (probab ly more than a third of the popu l ation of Engl and perished) cont ributed to social disorder and the Peasants' Revolt in the next reign ( 1 38 1 ) . The campaigns in F rance l anguished, and the King, g rown senile, died in an atmosphere of unrest after his l ong and at times glorious reign. The p rob l em of distinguishing cadet members of the royal family can easil y be seen on Tabl e 3. The l abe l and the bordu re we re the devices mainl y em­ pl oyed in Engl and. Down to and incl uding Edward III the el dest sons of the ru l er seem to have used a bl ue l abel of three points. Accordingly a white ( or sil ver) l abe l cou l d be used for another son, as it was for Thomas of B rotherton, Earl of Norfolk. Edward the Bl ack Prince, el dest son of Edward III, changed to a white label in 1 340, p resumabl y because a bl ue l abe l wou l d not have shown up well ove r the b l ue arms of F rance. Ever since then the el dest son has used a white l abel during the l ifetime of the sove reign (see the shiel d of Prince Charles at the bottom of Tab le g) . The B l ack P rince, so-called from the col ou r of his armou r, never came to the throne. His original shiel d, hel met and su rcoat can stil l be seen over his tomb at Canterbu ry, sp l endid examp l es of fou rteenth-centu ry craftsmanship. His next three brothers all used l abel s of various designs, but the youngest, Thomas, Duke of G louces­ ter, used a pl ain bordure. Othe r royal p rinces haci used bo rdures before; the shiel d of John of Eltham on his effigy in Westminster Abbey is one of the maste r-

[ 1 4]

TAB L E 2

ENGLAND

Normans and earl y Plantagenets

1050 @ WILLIAM I ==a=.=== Ma tilda D . of Norm a ndy f/083 K. of Engla nd 106( d. of Ba ldwin V *1027 f/087 C. of Flanders

1'VILLIA M Ill Clito D. of Norma ndy C. of Fla nders J 127 */JOI X / 128

@ STEPHEN K. of Engla nd 1 135 *1096 fl 154

ll25

=

1 100 J l2l (J) . Ma tilda --- @ HENR Y I A delu. a *1079 f1118 K of Engla nd 1 100 *1104.> f/151 *1068 fl135 d. of Ma lcolm lll d. of Godfrey l K. of Scotla nd D. of Lower Lorra ine m. (2) l /38 Willi a m d 'A ubigny E. of A rundel fll76

1080 Stephen -- ADELA *1062 f1137 C. of Blois 1102

@ WILLIA M fl K. of Engla nd 1087 *1056 k. 1 100

ROBERT Ill D. of Norma ndy */051 f1134 m. Sybilla d. of Godfrey C. of Conuersa no

x

HENRY Bp. of Winchester */099 fillI Ma tilda f115J d. of Eusta ce III C. of Bou/ogne

WILLIA M IV D . of Norm a ndy *J JOI fl 120

J l l4 (I) (2) l /27 Henry V --- MA TILDA -- Geoffrey Pla ntagenet Roman Emp. I 106 procl. Q. of Engla nd C. of A njou *1081 f/125 1 141 *Jl /3 f1151 *1103 fll67 HO USE OF PLANTA GENET

WILHA M C. of Martain & Boulogne E USTA CE E. of Wa renne & Surrey *1134 X J J59 C. of Boulogne m. 1 164 Isa bel *ll27 f1153 fl 199 m. 1 140 Consta nce d. of Willia m f/ 1 76 E. of Wa renne d. of Louis VI @ HENR Y II K. of Fra nce K of Engla nd I 154 *J 133 fl 189

HENR Y Rex Filius 1 1 70 *1155 f1 183 m . l l 73 Ma rga ret */ 158 f1 198 d. of Louis Vil of Fra nce

Eleanor '1122 t/204 d. of Jl 'illiam {l "JJJ) .\' D. of A quilaine m. (I) Louis l "ll of Franc,

WILLIA M C. of Poitou *1 136 f1164

GEOFFREY VI C. of A njou *l /34 f1157

GEOFFRE Y D. of Bn'tta ny *I 158 fl 186 · J l91 . m . 1181 Consta nce 1177

*1 156 f1189 Coeur de Lion K of Ca stile *l l62 f/214 d. of Cona n, d. of Sa ncho VI E. of Richmond m . 1168 Henry K of Engla nd I 189 *1155 f/214 K of Na va rre */ 157 fl 199 the Lion, D . of Sa xony fl 195

=

\

'

l/

""" I,.. 1236 @ HENR Y Ill - Elea nor A RTHUR K. of Engla nd 1216 */222? f/291 *1187 d. of Raymond •1207 t 1272 murd. 1203 Berenger V C. of Provence TA BLE 3

(2) 1200 (!} @ JOHN -Isa bella K. of Engla nd l 199 f/246 *1167 f/216 d. of A im a r Ta il/fer m . (J) 1 189 lsa bella C. of A ngouleme, f/217 m. (2) 1220 Hugh de d. of Willi a m E. of Lusign a n Gloucester (diu. 1200) C. of Ma rche

JOAN *1210 f/238 m . 1221 A lexa nder II K of Scots f/249 Isa bel f/240 d. of Willia m Ma rsh a l, E. of Pembroke

(2) 1243 . RICIIA RD -- Sanchza fl 261 E. of Cornw a ll d. of Raymond Rom a n K 1256 Berenger V */209 f/272 C. of Provence m. (3) 1269 Beatn·ce of Falkenstein */253> f/277

IIENRY d 'Alm ayne */235 murd. 127l

=

(3) 1235 Frederick II !SABELLA *1214 f/241 Rom a n Emp. 1215 *1194 f/250

1272 EDMUND __ Ma rga ret */249 f/313 E. of Cornwa ll */249 f/300 d. of Richard de Cla re F,, of ! lerlford (div. - 1293)

1239 (2) = ELEANOR */215 f/275 de Montfort m . (!) 1224 E. of Leicester Willia m Ma rsha l */209 f/265 E. of Pembroke f/231 Simo11

ENGLAND

TAB LE 3

Plantag enets and t he Hundred Years' W a r ISSUE OF HENR Y JJl (TABLE 2)

(2) 1299 1254 (!) Eleanor = @ EDWARD J-- Margaret *1244 f/290 K. of England 1272 *1279 f/318 d. of Phz/zp Ill d. of Ferdinand Ill */239 f/307 K of France K of Castile

1251 A lexander III = MARGA RET */240 f/275 K of Scots *1241 f/286

(2) 1276 (2) EDMUND --- Blanche Crouchback t1302 E of Lancaster d. of Robert I 'K. of Sicily' 1257 C. of A rtois *1245 f/296

TABLE 4 JOAN of A cre */272 f/307 m. (!) 1290 Gilbert de Clare E of Gloucester *1243 f/295 m. (2) 1297 Ralph de Monthermer E. of Gloucester f/323

MARGARET */275 f/318 m. 1290 John JI D. of Brabant */275 f/312

@ EDWARD JI K of England 1307 •I 284 murd. I327

Isabel */292 f/358 d. of Philip IV K of France

1329 @ EDWARD JJI -- Philippa of Hainau/t JOHN of E/tham E of Cornwall K of England 1327 */314 f/369 */316 f/336 •1312 f/377 d. of William Ill C of Holland

JOAN *1321 f/362 m. 1328 David II K. of Scots *1324 f/371

I I36 J . A lice THOMAS of Brotherton -E. of Norfolk d. of Roger Halys */300 f/338 m. (2) Mary f/362 d. of William L. Ros

EDWA RD *1319 f/332

=

1325 (2) Margaret EDMUND f/349 of Woodstock d. ofJohn L. Wake E. of Kent w. ofjohn Comyn */301 ex. 1330

JOAN Fair Maid of Kent JOHN */328 f/385 E of Kent m. (!) 1349 Thomas */330 f/352 Holland E of Kent 1338 (!) = MARGARET EDMUND John t/360 D. of Norfolk E. of Kent L Segraz•e m. (2) 1361 EDWARD */320 f/399 *1326 f/333 f/353 Pr. of Wales f/376 m. (2) 1354 Walter L. Manny f/372

•. .��:. . �· �. i t �· �

-



1361 (2) EDWARD -- JOAN Pr of Wales Fair Maid . */330 of Kent f/376 */328 f/385

@ RICHARD II K of England 1377-99 *1367 murd. 1400 m. (2) /396 Isabel */389 tl409 d. of Charles V J K of France

=

�I

(!) 1352 1359 (!) -- Catherine LIONEL -- Eli,:.abeth BlANCHE -­ EDMUND JOHN d. of Payne of A ntwerp of Langley *!332 f/363 of Lancaster of Gaunt Roell D. of York D. of Clarence d. of Wilham */345 D. of Lancaster de Burgh *!350 f/403 */341 f/402 */338 f/368 */340 f/399 f/369 m. (2) 1393 Joan Ho/and m. (2) 1368 Violante E of Ulster m. (2) 1371 Constance d. of Thomas E. of Kent Visconti f/386 f/394 of Peter I of Castile TABLE 5

Anne of Bohemia */366 f/394 d of Emp. Cha rles JV

PHILIPPA C. of Ulster */355 f/381 m. 1368 Edmund Mortimer E of March */352 f/381

=

.�+fl

Isabel d. of Peter I K. of Castile f/393

THOMA S of Woodstock D. of Gloucester */354 murd. 1397

1374

Eleanor Bahun f/399 d. of Humphrey E. of Hereford

TA BLE 4

!387 John I PHILIPPA K of Portugal */360 f/415 */357 f/433

CA THERINE */373 f/418 m. !393 Henry lll K of.Castile */379 f/406

' j

.

.

� .a�· .

=

1428' !4ll (2) @ HENR Y V _!E!!_ -Cathen ne (2) 0wen Tudor THOMA S = M,argaret Ho/and A nne K o11 England 1413 d. 0.r Ch / are, V I 1 J *J400 D. of Clarence f/429 f/432 *I '387 f/422 K of Fra nce e m. (2) d. of Annund Jacob K. of Sweden

,---'----..,__--------.-----------------

/082? @ CANUTE IV -­ A dela ti 1 15 The Saini d. of Robert I K. of Denmark 1080 */040.> murd. 1086 C of Flanders

(1) @ NIELS -- .Margaret @ HA R OLD (IX) Hfn tl/30? 1104 Denmark K. of Denmark 1074 K. of d. of Inge/ murd. I /34 t/080 m. (2) Ulfhild K. of Sweden d. of Harold Finson 1/29 MA GNUS Rixa K. of Sweden I 129 •1116 t afler 1155 *1106 Y. 1134 d. of Boles/aw III D. ofPoland ! /56 = a daughter of Sverker I

@ CANUTE V K. of Denmark 1154 *1130? murd. 1157

K. of Sweden t before 1 1 72

=

= INGEBORG *1244 f/287

Magnus VI K. of Norway *1238 t/280

1236) John I =. SOPHIA Mgv. of Brandenburg *1217 */213 t/266 t/247

SOPHIA tI286 26() WALDEMAR III Margaret -- ERIC I ;;:a/dema r D. of Schleswig ti 272 D. of Schleswig K. of Sweden tI257 d. of fa r�mar t1272 *1243 tI302 D. of Rugen

d.

1287 WA LDEMAR IV (1) -- Eli ;;abeth D. of Schleswig ofJohn I tI312 D. ofSarelauenburg

T

. INGEBORG *1 1 75 f/236

Philip II A ugustus K. of France *I 165 t/223

1239 -@ ERJC J V Jul/a Ploughpenny t/250) K. of Denmark 1241 d. of Albert I */216 murd. 1250 D. of Saxony

1261

Boedil -- @ ERIC I Egode d. of Thu rgol K. of Denmark

u�

ll /7> 1 1 19> Ingeborg HA KON -­ RA GNILDA CANUTE CHARLES .Margaret d. of Mstisla,, I of]"l"d The Pious C. of Flanders d. of Raynold II GD. of Kiez, K. of Wenden *1083.> murd. 1127 C. of Clermont *1096 murd. I /3/ T @ ERIC III lamb K. of Denmark 1137 1154 / /32 tl/46 Magnus I V =CHRISTINA @ WA LDEMA R /-- Sophia m. 1144 luitgard The Great *1140 tl/98 tl/39 K. of Norway tJ /52 d. of Vladimir (div. 1 133) K. of Denmark I 157 *1115? tI/39 d. of Rudolph C. of Stade */ /3/ ti /82 D . of Novgorod

1177 (2) .Ii CANUTE VJ Gertrude K. of Denmark I 182 */ 154? ti 197 *II63 t/202 d. of Henry The lion D. of Samny

1229 WALDEMAR = Eleanor •1209 t/231 *1211 tl23/ d. of A lphonso II K. of Portugal

@ OLA F Hunger K. of Denmark 1086 t/095 m. lngegerd d. of Harold III K. of Norway

l.

Malmn·de d. of Mstislaw I GD. of Kiez·

@ ERIC II Emune K. of Denmark I / 34 murd. 1137



=

1152> A delaide @ SWEYN III K. of Denmark I 147 d. of Conrad Mg1•. of Meisserr . X 1157

=

1202 HELEN William Brunsw.t/233 D. of liineburg *1184 t/213

1 248 1237 (I) ,'\1argarel @ CHRISTOPHER I @ A BEL -- J!ati/da t/282 K. of Denmark 1250 *1225 f/287 K. of Denmark 1252 d. of Sambor *1219 t/259 •1218 murd. 1 252 d. of A dolph I V D. of Kassuben C. of Holstein m. (2) 1261 Jar/ Birger ti 266

A BEL *1252 t/279

1273 @ ERIC V Agnes Clipping t/304 K. of Denmark 1259 d. of john I */249 murd. 1286 .\1gv. of Brandenburg m. (2) 1293 Gerard II C. of Holstein

.\fA TllDA *1250 t/300 m. 1 269 A lbrecht III Mg1·. of Brandenburg

ERIC D. of Langeland *1272 tl310

1313 ERIC II -- Adelaide D. of Schleswig d. of Henry I t/325 C. of Holstein

@ WA LD EMAR V (Ill) D. of Schleswig K. of Denmark 1326- 1330 *1314? t/ 364 - I HENRY D. of Schleswig t/375

tl l:�J '

=

1296 qJ CHRISTOPHER II -- Euphemia EYSTEIN I

TAB LE 23

i @ MA GNUS IV

@ SIGURD II

I I

@ MAGNUS V

ERIC

I

@ INGE /1

I

HAKON

@ CHRISTIA N II

I

@ FREDERICK Ill

I

@ FREDERICK VI

@ CHRISTIAN V

I

I

@ FREDERICK IV

I

@ CHRISTIAN Ill

JOHN D. of Holst.-Sonderbg. I

A LEXANDER

A UG. PHILIP D. of Ho/st.-Sond.-Beck

I

FRED. L O UIS

I

FREDERICK

L OUISE m. Charles of Hesse-Cassel

@ MA GNUS VII

EUPHEMIA m . A lbrecht of Mecklenburg

T

I

,

I

@ MA RGARET HENR Y of Mecklenburg

L OUISE

l1>-

'-1;>

T

_

FRED. WILLIA M -LO CJSE El. of Brandenburg *1627 f/66/ d. of Henry Frederick */620 fl688 Pr. of Orange

@ FREDERICK I (III) El. of Brandenburg K in Pn,ssia *1657 f/713

ERNEST A CG. El. of Hano1·er *1629 t 1698

T (2) 1684

1658 ERSEST A L 'G. -- SOPHIA El. of Hano1•er *1630 f/714 *1629 fl698 d. of Frederick l' El. Palatine & K of Bohemia

SOPHIA *1630 f/714 d. of Frederick V F.l. Palatine & K. of Bohemia

1706

@ FREDERICK WILL/A J! I K in Prussia *1688 f/740

d. of .-l lehm !fl Co,podar of .llolda1•ia !)/,\I/TRI •t483 t/509

I

© / J 'A ,\' I Kalita

-

GD. of No1·,gorod & .\loscow /328 •1304 f/340

=

t

Hden

@ 1294 .\/!CHAE!. II - ..J l\'.\'E d. of Dimitri GD. of J '/adimir /305 D. of Ros/ot */27/ murd. /3/8

D CKES OF Sl-�RPL 'K/10 1 ' (et!. 1·183)

J .103 .·lgraphia A NDREW d. of .·llera11der D. of .\lo;:;haisk D. ofStarod11b •1382 t/432

=

PETER D . of Dmitro,, '1385 t/428

D l.\1/TRI D. of Uglirh r, D. of ,\/n,coll' 14./l'i ·J ./20 f/45.,

/436

J .107

HORIS D. of l 'olot,k & R�i,,,, •t'/-19 t/49./

! l 'A N */478 t/523

G. - D l 'KES OF Tl'ER (er!. aftn 1505)

r.RAND-D CKES O F Sl 'ZDA L (ext. 14././)

d. of !loya, CO.\'STA .\'TINE = A nnJtasia +l·l /9 D . of l 'ghrh Polieuct, & R::_i,,,, l ',liami11ot . /33 * I 31/9 t J

Sophia d. of Dimitri D. of Zao�mA

nl. aftn J .19-1

/471

!)/.\ //TIU •J .IRI f aftrr 1510

u,,_,·,t

Julinr,a

l'l 'R! of nmitro 1 • · / -/80 t/5'il'i

Dl,\IITRI I) of l '.�/irh •J,f8/ t/521

t/504 d. of .\lirharl D. of Kl/Olm TIIEO!)ORI·.' n. of l 'n/111,A t/51.'f

St.I/FON D of Kaluga · 1-181 tl.518

J .l(j,/

r.D. of ,\_va;:,nn t 1 ./8.1

/).

1L\'f)I/ E l 1 ' D. of 1 '11/01,A •u.52 t J ./8 I

15.Tf

f:11pli,0Hnr l.516 m,ml. l5fif/./

1L\'DRF: J r

/ ),

B ORIS r.D. of S11::.dnl t/394 m. /35./ .\far;• d. of 0/giml r.D . of Lithuama

PR/Sr.ES OF R l'/.SJ.: (nt. 1529)

1 ./70 :tNl)Rr.'W -- I/elm t/48.'1 /). of l 'glich d. of Roman & Mo::.hai