Alternate successions of the English crown
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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 null as Edward VIII died without issue in 1972, at which point the Crown would have passed to his niece Elizabeth II.
However, there have been noteworthy alternative claimants to the Crown in English history, and it is of scholarly interest to trace what the succession to the Crown would have been had they succeeded in attaining the throne (although such 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.
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[edit] Descendants of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence
- See also: Britain's Real Monarch
This line’s claim to the Crown is based squarely 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.
| Alternative Succession of Royal Houses Descendants of George, Duke of Clarence 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 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, only 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: This list 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. This line does, however, maintain the precedent of the right of a male to inherit via female line set by the succession of Henry II after he reclaimed the usurped crown from his cousin Stephen.
[edit] Descendants of Mary Tudor, Queen of France
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 the Lady Anne Stanley (the marriage of Lady Catherine Grey having been annulled, and her children declared illegitimate, by Elizabeth I). [2]
| 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 follows as such:
- 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
- Lady Anne Stanley, 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. In the opinion of legitimists, because Lady Anne and her heirs, the legitimate monarchs, were not in possession of the throne, no English law passed since 1603 is valid, as the parliaments that passed them were not summoned by the rightful monarch, and the bills did not receive the Royal Assent, as the rightful monarch did not approve them. Under the laws of 1603, the 9th Earl of Jersey’s divorce was not valid, and therefore his remarriage during his ex-wife's lifetime was null and void, and the children of the marriage illegitimate. Thus for legitimists 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). [3]
[edit] Continuation of the House of Stuart
The current line, passed over by the Act of Settlement 1701, inherited their claim to the Crown from the deposed James II of England via his youngest sister Henrietta Anne Stuart. [4]
- Charles I of England
- James II of England, third son of Charles
- James Francis Edward Stuart, only son of James
- Charles Edward Stuart, eldest son of James Francis
- Henry Benedict Stuart, second son of James Francis
Though a line of descendants extends from Charles Edward Stuart, they are illegitimate as he never married. This left the claim in Henry’s hands upon the death of his brother. As Henry was a peaceable man, and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, he never pursued his claim to the English Crown, though he used the title 'King Henry IX of England'. Without any descendants, the claim then passed upon Henry’s death to his second cousin, twice removed, Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia. Upon Charles' death, the crown then passed to his younger brother Victor.
| Alternative Succession of Royal Houses Descendants of Henrietta Anne Stuart Map of 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[5] |
| House of Austria-Este |
| 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 of Orléans, second daughter, third line of Henrietta
- Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, second son of Anne
- Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia, second son of Charles
- 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
- Maria Theresia of Austria-Este, only child of Ferdinand Karl
- Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, eldest son of Maria
- Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, second son of Rupprecht
- Franz, Duke of Bavaria, eldest son of Albrecht
Upon the death of the Duke, his claim on the English Crown[6] will pass to his younger brother Max.
[edit] References
- ^ Channel 4 - History - Britain's Real Monarch
- ^ Descendants of Anne, Countess of Castlehaven
- ^ The Henrician succession to the Throne of England
- ^ The Jacobite Heritage
- ^ By Jacobite 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 the different numerals.
- ^ The Jacobite claim is to the thrones held and claimed by James II and VII; as king of England, France (claimed by English monarchs since the Hundred Years' War), Scotland and Ireland. The Acts of Union that created Great Britain and the United Kingdom are considered moot by those who believe that the monarchs who passed them were not the true claimants.
