James VI and I (June 19, 1566 – March 27, 1625) was, from 1567, King of Scots and, from 1603, King of England and Ireland, being the first monarch of the House of Stuart to rule all three countries.
Although he had only two children who had surviving descent, almost every Royal House in Europe can claim descent from James. Not only is he a direct ancestor of the current British Royal Family, the House of Windsor, among some of James's other notable descendants are Bonnie Prince Charlie, Louis XV of France, Sophia of the Palatinate, Marie Antoinette, her husband Louis XVI of France and most other Royal Houses (such as those of the Scandinavian countries).
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In August 1589, James married Anne of Denmark by proxy and their actual wedding ceremony took place in Oslo, Norway, on November 23 of that year. Although James and Anne were close at the beginning of their marriage, they gradually drifted apart. She had been brought up a Lutheran and converted to Catholicism shortly after marrying James, which was unpopular among the people of Presbyterian Scotland (and, later, those of Anglican England).
By her husband's accession to the English throne in 1603, Anne was the mother of three living children (Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, Elizabeth and Charles), but had also suffered several miscarriages and stillbirths, and had another four children who died in infancy. Their second son succeeded James as King Charles I.
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Marriages and Issue | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales | 19 February 1594 Stirling Castle, Scotland |
Never married | 6 November 1612 (aged 18) | |
| Elizabeth of Bohemia | 19 August 1596 Falkland Palace, Fife |
Frederick of Bohemia 8 children |
13 February 1662 (aged 65) | |
| Charles I of England | 19 November 1600 Dunfermline, Scotland |
Henrietta Maria of France 5 children |
30 January 1649 (aged 48) |
Elizabeth, Electress Palatine and Queen of Bohemia (born Elizabeth of Scotland; 19 August 1596 – 13 February 1662) was the eldest daughter of James VI and I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. She was thus sister to King Charles I and cousin to King Frederick III of Denmark. With the demise of the Stuart dynasty in 1714, her direct descendants, the Hanoverian rulers, succeeded to the British throne.
Elizabeth was born at Falkland Palace, Fife.[1] At the time of her birth, her father was still the King of Scots only. When Elizabeth was six years old, in 1603, Elizabeth I of England died and James succeeded to the thrones of England and Ireland. When she came to England, she was consigned to the care of Lord Harington, with whom she spent the years of her happy childhood at Combe Abbey in Warwickshire.[1]
Part of the intent of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was to kidnap the nine-year-old Elizabeth and put her onto the throne of England (and, presumably, Scotland) as a Catholic monarch, after assassinating her father and the Protestant English aristocracy.[1] Among Elizabeth's suitors was King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, but she was eventually betrothed to the Elector Palatine in 1612.[1]
On 14 February 1613, she married Frederick V, then Elector of the Palatinate in Germany, and took up her place in the court at Heidelberg. In 1619, Frederick was offered and accepted the crown of Bohemia. Elizabeth was crowned Queen of Bohemia on 7 November 1619, three days after her husband was crowned King of Bohemia.[2] Frederick's rule was extremely brief, and thus Elizabeth became known as the "Winter Queen". Following the Restoration of the English and Scottish monarchies, she travelled to London to visit her nephew, Charles II, and died while there.
Elizabeth's youngest daughter, Sophia of Hanover, became the nearest Protestant relative to the English, Scottish and Irish crowns (later British crown). Under the English Act of Settlement, the succession was settled on Sophia and her issue, so her son George Ludwig ascended the throne as George I.
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine | 22 December 1617 Son of Elisabeth Stuart and Frederick V, Elector Palatine |
Charlotte 3 children Marie Luise 13 children Elisabeth Hollander von Bernau 1 child |
28 August 1680 (aged 63) | Is most infamous for annulling his marriage to Charlotte, his first wife and his subsequent bigamous and morganatic marriage to Marie Luise von Degenfeld; Was the father of the famous Duchess 'Liselotte' of Orléans, the second wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, and hence is an ancestor of the House of Orléans; has other less notable descendants as well. His progeny were genealogically senior to the progeny of his sister, Sophia of Hanover, but were passed over for the latter in the Act of Settlement 1701, allowing only Protestant descendants of Sophia to inherit the throne of Great Britain |
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| Charles II, Elector Palatine | 31 March 1651 Son of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel |
Princess Wilhelmina Ernestine of Denmark No Issue |
26 May 1685 (aged 34) | After his death, due to the succession rules in the Palatinate, the Electorate passed to the catholic Neuberg branch of the House of Wittelsbach. However his sister Elizabeth Charlotte, Duchess of Orléans, constituted a rival claim, one which was manipulated by her brother-in-law, Louis XIV of France, causing the Nine Years War | |
| Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate | 27 May 1652 Daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel |
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans 3 children |
8 December 1722 (aged 70) | Along with her husband, she is the founder of the modern House of Orléans. She also has many other descendants, belonging to, among others, the Spanish, Italian, Bulgarian, Austrian royal houses | |
| Philippe Charles d'Orléans | 2 August 1674 Son of Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans |
Françoise-Marie de Bourbon |
2 December 1723 (aged 49) | Regent of France and Navarre during the minority of Louis XV of France - the era was known as la Régence; He was the first member of the House of Orléans, and has many modern day descendants. |
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| Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans | 13 September 1676 Daughter of Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans |
Leopold de Lorraine 5 children |
23 December 1744 (68) | Became the Sovereign Princess of Commercy 1737; Through her son, Francis Stephen of Lorraine, she is an ancestor of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine; Her granddaughter, Archduchess Maria Antonia, also of this House, became Queen of France as Marie Antoinette |
|
| Karoline von der Pfalz | 19 November 1659 Daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and Marie Luise von Degenfeld |
Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg | 28 June 1696 (aged 37) | Her progeny are the lesser known, yet no less greater, descendants of Charles Louis of the Palatine and his morganatic wife, Marie Luise von Degenfeld Since in England there was no concept of morganatic marriages, her progeny would ideally have been in the Line of succession to the British throne. However, the Act of Settlement 1701 had already reserved the throne for the Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover, her aunt. |
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| Lady Frederica Schomberg | c.1688 Daughter of Karoline von der Pfalz and Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg |
Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness 2 children Benjamin Mildmay No Issue |
7 August 1751 (aged 73) | She inherited the title of Count of Mértola, which her father Schomberg was awarded for his services to the Portuguese Crown; has surviving descendants | |
| Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness | 17 May 1718 Lady Frederica Schomberg and Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness |
Mary 1 child |
16 May 1778 (aged 60) | He was the last male line descendant of one of William, the Conqueror's original barons; He left no sons, therefore the Baronies of Darcy (de Knayth) and Conyers and the Portuguese countship of Mértola, passed to his daughter |
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| Amelia Osborne, Marchioness of Carmarthen | 12 October 1754 Daughter of Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness and his wife, Mary |
Francis Osborne 3 children John "Mad Jack" Byron 1 child |
27 January 1784 (aged 30) | The children from her first marriage were George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds, Francis Osborne, 1st Baron Godolphin and Lady Pelham, wife of Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester Her offspring from her second marriage was Augusta Leigh, half-sister of Lord Bryon, the hero of the Greek War of Independence, also allegedly her lover and biological father of her daughter, Elizabeth Medora Leigh. |
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward of Palatine-Simmern | 5 October 1625 Son of Elisabeth Stuart and Frederick V, Elector Palatine |
Anna Gonzaga 3 children |
10 March 1663 | Had his wife not influenced him to convert to Catholicism from Protestantism, the succession to the British throne may have passed to his daughters; has varied descendants, including figures such as Louis XVI of France, Maria Amalia of Saxony, the Queen of Spain as the wife of Charles III of Spain and Frederick Augustus I of Saxony |
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| Louisa Mary of Simmern | 23 July 1647 Daughter of Edward of the Palatinate-Simmern and Anna Gonzaga |
Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm 1 child |
11 March 1679 | ||
| Anne Henrietta of Simmern | 23 July 1648 Daughter of Edward of the Palatinate-Simmern and Anna Gonzaga |
Henry III, Prince of Condé 5 children |
23 February 1723 (aged 74) | Two of her daughters married into the Conti line of the House of Bourbon and illegitimate Maine line respectively. Hence she was an ancestor of the Conde branch and its cadet Conti line, through her son and daughter. She is also an ancestor of Henri, Count of Paris, the current Orleanist pretender to the extinct French throne, of Juan Carlos, the present King of Spain and of Victor Emmanuel, pretender to the Italian throne. |
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| Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate | 14 March 1652 Daughter of Edward of the Palatinate-Simmern and Anna Gonzaga |
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 2 children |
12 August 1730 | Through her elder daughter Charlotte, she is an ancestor of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este, Henri, Count of Paris and Juan Carlos of Spain. Through her younger daughter, Wilhelmina Amalia, she was an ancestor of Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony and his wife Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria, Maria Amalia of Saxony, who was Queen of Spain, Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, Electress of Bavaria, Marie-Josèphe, the mother of Louis XVI of France, among others | |
| Charlotte Felicitas of Brunswick-Lüneburg | 8 March 1671 Daughter of Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate and John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena 2 children |
29 September 1710 (aged 39) | Her daughter Enrichetta married the last Farnese Duke of Parma. Her direct descendants ruled Modena till the death of her grandson Ercole III d'Este, whose only daughter married Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este, a son of Maria Theresa of Austria. Her granddaughter Maria Teresa d'Este was the maternal grandmother of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, and hence is an ancestor of Henri, Count of Paris and Juan Carlos of Spain. |
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia of Hanover | 14 October 1630 Daughter of Elizabeth Stuart and Frederick of Bohemia |
Ernst Augustus 7 children |
8 June 1714 (aged 83) | The Act of Settlement, 1701 declared her heiress to the British throne, and to her cousin Anne, excluding all other Catholic contenders being the only Protestant descendant of James I. The throne eventually passed to her son George Ludwig, who ascended as George I of Great Britain. Her daughter married into the Prussian Royal family, hence she has numerous descendants. (See Line of succession to the British throne) | |
| George I of Great Britain | 28 May 1660 Son of Sophia of Hanover and Ernst Augustus |
Sophia Dorothea of Celle 2 children 3 illegitimate children |
11 June 1727 (aged 67) | Has many modern day descendants. Through his son he is a direct ancestor of the House of Windsor. His daughter married into the Royal House of Prussia, hence he has the same descendants as his sister, Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (see below). His illegitimate daughter Lady Stanhope was probably the mother of Benedict Swingate Calvert and hence a grandmother of George Washington Parke Custis, stepgrandson and adopted son of George Washington | |
| George II of Great Britain | 10 November 1683 Son of George I and Sophia Dorothea of Celle |
Caroline of Ansbach 8 children |
25 October 1760 (aged 76) | His main descendants are the present royal House of Windsor, however, his daughters Mary, Louise and Anne married into the Houses of Hesse, Oldenburg and Orange-Nassau respectively. Therefore, the current Danish Royal Family, Dutch Royal Family and the Landgravial House of Hesse-Kassel can claim descent from him. Also, the heir to the British Throne, Charles, Prince of Wales is descended from him through 5 different lines | |
| Frederick, Prince of Wales | 1 February 1707 Son of George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach |
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha 9 children |
20 March 1751 | His son ascended the throne as George III of Great Britain. Two of his daughters, Augusta and Caroline Matilda, married into the Houses of Brunswick-Bevern and Oldenburg respectively. Through Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick, he is an ancestor of Jean Christophe, Prince Napoléon and Caroline of Brunswick, spouse of George IV of Great Britain and through his great-grandson Prince Paul of Württemberg, is an ancestor of the present Belgian, Danish, Dutch, Luxembourg, Norwegian and Swedish Royal families. | |
| George III of Great Britain | 4 June 1738 Son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha |
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 15 children |
29 January 1820 | Despite having many children, most of George's descendants are confined to the House of Windsor. However through his son, the Duke of Cumberland, he was a direct patrilineal ancestor of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick and as such the modern House of Hanover, the only extant line of the House of Welf. | |
| Sophia Dorothea of Hanover | 16 March 1687 Daughter of George I of Great Britain and Sophia Dorothea of Celle |
Frederick William I of Prussia 10 children |
28 June 1757 | Her husband was her paternal first cousin. Some of her prominent descendants include Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden, Maria Feodorovna, Empress of Russia, Anna Pavlovna of Russia (an ancestor of the present Dutch Royal family), Catharina of Württemberg, second wife of Jérôme Bonaparte, among many others. Also, through her great-grandson, Duke Louis of Württemberg, she is an ancestor of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Juan Carlos I of Spain and Jean Christophe, Prince Napoléon | |
| Sophia Charlotte of Hanover | 30 October 1668 daughter of Sophia of Hanover and Ernst Augustus |
Frederick I of Prussia 1 child |
1 February 1705 | Her son married his first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (see above), and fathered many children, hence she is also an ancestor of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Juan Carlos I of Spain and Jean Christophe, Prince Napoléon |
Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649), the second son of James VI and I, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Religious conflicts permeated Charles's reign. His failure to successfully aid Protestant forces during the Thirty Years War, coupled with such actions as marrying the Catholic Henrietta Maria of France, generated deep mistrust concerning the king's dogma. His last years were marked by the English Civil War, in which he fought the forces of the English and Scottish Parliaments, which challenged the king's attempts to overrule and negate Parliamentary authority, whilst simultaneously using his position as head of the English Church to pursue religious policies which generated the antipathy of reformed groups such as the Puritans. Charles was defeated in the First Civil War (1642–45) and the Second Civil War (1648–49) after which he was subsequently captured, tried, convicted, and executed for high treason. The monarchy was then abolished and a republic called the Commonwealth of England, also referred to as the Cromwellian Interregnum, was declared. Charles's son, Charles II, became king after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary of England | 4 November 1631, Daughter of Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France | William II, Prince of Orange 1 son |
24 December 1660 (aged 29) | Her son became William III of England; She has no surviving descendants | |
| William III of England | 14 November 1650, Son of Mary of England and William II, Prince of Orange | Mary II of England No Issue |
8 March 1702 (aged 51) | Deposed his uncle James II of England and was crowned King, Married his cousin, Princess Mary, and jointly ruled with her; has no surviving descendants |
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James II of England | 14 October 1633, Son of Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France | Anne Hyde 2 children Mary of Modena 2 children |
16 September 1701 (aged 67) | Was deposed in the Glorious Revolution; replaced by his nephew and his daughter, William III and Mary II ; Has Descendants to this day | |
| Mary II of England | 30 April 1662, Daughter of James II of England and Lady Anne Hyde | William III of England No Issue |
28 December 1694 (aged 32) | Ruled jointly with her cousin and husband, William ; Has no descendants | |
| Anne of Great Britain | 6 February 1665, Daughter of James II of England and Lady Anne Hyde | Prince George of Denmark 17 children |
1 August 1714 (aged 49) | Presided over the union of England and Scotland as Great Britain; Her only son to survive infanthood, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, died young, hence she has no descendants | |
| James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick | 21 August 1670, Son of James II of England and Arabella Churchill | Honora de Burgh 1 children Anne Bulkeley 10 children |
12 June 1734 (aged 64) | Has surviving descendants | |
| James Francis Edward Stuart | 10 June 1688, Son of James II of England and Mary of Modena | Maria Klementyna Sobieska 2 children |
1 January 1766 (aged 77) | The House of Stuart ended with the death of his second son, the Cardinal of York;has descendants to this day | |
| Charles Edward Stuart | 31 December 1720, Son of James Francis Edward Stuart and Maria Klementyna Sobieska | Louise of Stolberg-Gedern 1 illegitimate daughter |
31 January 1788 (aged 67) | He had a short-lived bastard son (who lived 1748-49) with his maternal first cousin, the wife of the Duke of Montbazon; It was earlier believed that his illegitimate daughter, Charlotte, Duchess of Albany, was not survived by any issue. However According to research conducted by Peter Pininski, Charlotte's younger daughter did indeed have issue, and her descendants include her son Charles Edward Stuart, Count Roehenstart, and Peter Piniski himself. |
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| Henry Benedict Stuart | 11 March 1725, Son of James Francis Edward Stuart and Maria Klementyna Sobieska | Never married | 13 July 1807 | He was the last scion of the House of Stuart and succeeded his brother to the Title of Pretense, styling himself Henry IX of England, Ireland, Scotland and France. With his death the direct line of the House of Stuart came to an end, barring other illegitimate and legitimate offshoots of the main line. He is alleged to have bequeathed his rights to the British throne to King George III, however he was succeeded in his pretension by his distant cousin, Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia. | |
| Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart | 28 June 1692, Daughter of James II of England and Mary of Modena | Never married | 18 April 1712 (aged 19) | She was the last legitimate female scion of the House of Stuart, other than her elder half sister, Anne; She was a possible match for Charles XII of Sweden, her first cousin, once removed Charles, Duke of Berry, and another cousin, the future George II of England; Has no descendants |
| Name of Descendant | Portrait | Birth and Parents | Marriages and Issue | Death | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henrietta of England | 16 June or 26 June 1644, Daughter of Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France | Philippe I, Duke of Orléans 2 children |
30 June 1670 (aged 26) | She died young, after giving birth to her second child with her husband. Her descendants include King Juan Carlos of Spain, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Franz, Duke of Bavaria among others. After the extinction of the House of Stuart with the death of Henry Benedict Stuart, the rights of succession to the British Throne, as per primogeniture, passed to her descendants. | |
| Marie Louise d'Orléans | March 26, 1662, Daughter of Philippe d'Orléans and Henrietta of England | Charles II of Spain No Issue |
February 12, 1689 (aged 26) | Was the first wife of the Last Habsburg monarch of Spain, Charles II; Has no descendants | |
| Anne Marie d'Orléans | August 27, 1669, Daughter of Philippe d'Orléans and Henrietta of England | Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia 3 children |
August 26, 1728 (aged 69) | Has surviving descendants; her daughter married into the French Royal Family and became the mother of Louis XV of France | |
| Marie Adélaïde of Savoy | December 6, 1685, Daughter of Anne Marie of Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia | Louis, Dauphin of France 2 children |
February 12, 1712 (aged 27) | Her son, Louis, Dauphin of France was the only surviving heir of Louis XIV, after the death of the latter's son and grandson, and ascended the throne as Louis XV;Has descendants. | |
| Louis XV of France | 15 February 1710, Son of Louis, duc de Bourgogne and Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy | Marie Leszczyńska 7 Children |
10 May 1774 (aged 64) | Succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV, has many surviving descendants. His male line descent became extinct with the death of Henry, Count of Chambord. His present descendants include Infanta Alicia of Spain, Juan Carlos of Spain, Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe, Frederick William, Prince of Hohenzollern and Archduke Sigismund, Grand Duke of Tuscany among many others. | |
| Maria Luisa of Savoy | August 17, 1688, Daughter of Anne Marie of Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia | Philip V of Spain 2 Children |
February 14, 1714 (aged 26) | Both her sons became Kings of Spain, yet both died without issue, hence she has no descendants | |
| Louis I of Spain | August 25, 1707, Son of Maria Louisa of Savoy and Philip V of Spain | Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans No Issue |
August 31, 1724 (aged 17) | Succeeded his father to the Spanish throne, but ruled for less than 8 months, which wasn't long enough for having conjugal relations with his wife, hence he wasn't survived any children or descendants. | |
| Ferdinand VI of Spain | September 23, 1713, Son of Maria Louisa of Savoy and Philip V of Spain | Barbara of Portugal No Issue |
August 10, 1759 (aged 46) | Succeeding at the death of his father, he was successful to only a small extant. Extremely melancholic, he was, however devoted to his wife, yet she predeceased him, leaving him even more distraught and childless, hence he was succeeded by his half brother Charles; Has no descendants | |
| Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia | April 27, 1701, Son of Anne Marie d'Orléans and Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia | (1)Anne Christine (2)Polyxena (3)Elisabeth Theresa 10 children |
February 20, 1773 (aged 72) | The post-Stuart Jacobite line descends through him; has descendants | |
| Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia | June 26, 1726, Son of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg | Maria Antonia of Spain 9 children |
October 16, 1796 (aged 70) | His marriage to Maria Antonietta of Spain united the blood of the House of Stuart with that of the House of Lancaster, as Maria Antoinetta was a descendant of Philip II of Spain, who claimed to be heir to the House of Lancaster; Has many surviving descendants. | |
| Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia | May 24, 1751, Son of Victor Amadeus III of Savoy and Maria Antonietta of Spain | Marie Clotilde of France No Issue |
October 6, 1819 (aged 68) | With the death of his distant cousin Henry Benedict Stuart, he became the heir-general to Charles I of England and succeeded to the Jacobite claims to the throne of Great Britain. He was extremely devoted to his wife, but was unable to conceive any children, hence he has no descendants. |