The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-22
THE QUEENS ANCESTRY.
Victoria LinealIy Descended From
William the COnquerOr.
From the New York Tribune.

So much has been written and said, even
in the English press. about the German
origin of Queen Victoria, that very
widespread impression has been created
to the effect that she has no English blood
in her veins, nor any right to describe
the Tudor, the Plantagenet. the Norman
and the Stuart kings of England as her
ancestors. Under the circumstances it
may be of interest, just at the present mo-
ment, when her subjects are in the act of
celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of
her accession to the throne to call atten-
ton to the fact that, Notwithstanding the
popular belief to the contrary, she is line
ally descended from King William the
conqueror, not always through the direct
male l1ne IL is true, but sometimes
through the female line.
Thus, the male line of William the Con-
queror became extinct in the second gen
GRAFTON, and his son Henry l was sue
ceeded first by Stephen, son of the Con-
queror's daughter Adela, married to the
French count of Blois, and on his death
the crown descended to Henry IL, son of
Mathilda, who was the only daughter of
King Henry l. Mathilda had married as
her first husband Emperor Henry of
Germany to whom, however, she bore no
children. Her second husband was Geof-
frey Plantagenet, count of Anjou, who
became father of King Henry II, and
thus brought what is known as the Plan
tagenet strain of blood into the reigning
house of England. From that time on the
crown descended in a direct line from
father to son, from father to grandson,
or from older brother to younger brother,
but always in the direct male line, until
the deposition and death of King Richard
In ha 1,gr
cousin, succeeded to the throne
Henry ~ was the son of John of Gaunt,
Duke of Lancaster and fourth son of King
Edward III. and it was on that account
Henry ", Henry V and Henry VI were
known as the Lancastrian Kings of Eng
land. King Henry WIS only son was muir
dered after being taken prisoner at the
battle of Tewkesbury, and thereupon the
throne devolVed upon his kinsman King
Edward ". The latter was a great
grandson of Edmund, Duke of York, one
of the younger sons of King Edward III.
On Edwards death he was succeeded by
his young son, Edward " who, along
with his younger brother, was murdered
in the tower of London by his fathers
brother, Richard the Hunchback who
thereupon took possession of the throne.
King Richard falling in battle without
leaving any issue was succeeded by King
Henry VII, who fortified his own claims
TO the throne by wedding the eldest daugh-
ter and heiress of King Edward ".
King Henry VII, however, had rights
of his own to the throne, independently of
his wife, being descended from John OF
Gaunt, the fourth son of King Edward
III. True, King Henry Wis great-grand-
father, son of John of Gaunt, had had
the misfortune to be born out of wedlOck
several years prior to the marriage of his
father and mother. But this little stain
upon his escutcheon was set right by a
patent of legitimatcy ratified by act of
parliament and confirmed by the pope
King Henry's mother, Margaret, was the
granddaughter of the eldest son thus legit-
imatized, and she married Edmund Tu-
dor who thus became the father of King
Henry VII, and brought what was known
as the Tudor strain of blood into the
reigning house of England.
King Henry VII was followed by his
son, King Henry WILL and the latter in
turn was succeeded first of all by his son,
King Edward VI, then by Bloody" Mary
and thereafter by Queen Elizabeth, who
died unmarried. The male Tudor line
having thus become extinct the crown
descended to the heirs of King Henry
WIS daughter, Margaret, who had mar
red King James " of Scotland. queen
Margaret of Scotland became the grand
mother of Mary Queen of Scots, and was
latter's son, King james VI of Scotland,
who, on the death of Queen Elizabeth,
succeeded to the throne of England under
the title of James l. the crowns Of Eng
land and Scotland being for the first time
united.
King James. who was the first of the
Stuart line on the throne of England. was
followed by his son, Charles, who lost mis-
head on the scaffold, and after the death
of oliver Cromwell, who governed Eng
land, Scotland and Ireland as a republic
the son of Charles l became king, being
followed at his death by his brother
James. James. on being deposed, was
succeeded first by his daughter, Mary,
who was married to William of Orange.
and secondly by his daughter, Anne, who
died without leaving any surviving issue.
King James had a son, who. however,
at the time Of the deposition of his father
was debarred from succession to the
throne In consequence OF his profession Of
the Catholic religion, and his two SONS in
turn, who were known as the young pre-
tender" and as Cardinal of York, were
excluded, from the succession on analo-
gous grounds, both of them dying with
out legitimate issue.
According to lineage and legitimate de-
scent, the crown should have devolved
upon the descendants Of Henrietta Stu
art. Duchess of Orleans, daughter Of King
Charles /. But, owing TO their being men,
bers Of the Catholic church, they were
excluded from succession TO the throne
by what Is known as the act of settle
ment The descendants OF this daughter
OF the headless King Charles / are to-day
represented by Marie Theresa Of Modena.
Archduchess Of Austria, and wife Of
Louis. Prince OF Bavaria. heir presump-
tive TO the throne of Bavaria.
owing TO this exclusion, he crown Of
Great Britain fell to a more remote off
shoot Of the Stuart dynasty. namely. the
Protestant descendants OF Elizabeth. sis
ter OF King Charles I, who married the
King OF Bohemia. This King OF Bohemia
had a daughter by his union with Eliza
beth Stuart. who bore the name OF So
phia, and who married Ernest, Elector Of
Hanover. becoming the mother OF George
who succeeded 90 the crown OF England
under the title OF King George I. and like
wise 20 his fathers throne Of Hanover
King George was succeeded by his son.
George III. and the latter by his grandson
King George III. The two elder sons OF
the latter George ~ and William ",
having died without leaving any legiti-
mate issue. the crown OF England. OF Scot
land and Of Ireland devolyed upon the only
daughter OF George HIS fourth son. the
Duke OF Kent, that daughter being Queen
Victoria. owing 10 the existence in Han
ovor of the Sale law. which forhfda tho