New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-20
THE QUEENS ANCESTRY.
VICTORIA LINEALLY DESCENDED FROM
WILLIAM THE CONQUERoR.

So much has been written and said, even In
the English press about the German origin or
Queen Victoria that very Widespread I'M
preston has been created to the effect that she
has no English blood in her veins nor any righ,
to describe the Tudor the Plantagenet, the
Norman and the Stuart kings of England as
her ancestors. Under the circumstances IL may
be OF interest just at the present moment. when
her subjects are in the act Of celebrating the
sixtieth anniversary Of her accession to the
throne. to call attention to the fact that not
withstandng the popular belief to the contrary.
she is lineay descended from King William the
Conqueror. not always through the direct male
line. 1t is true but sometimes through the female
line.
Thus the male line Of William the Conqueror
became extinct in the second generation, and his
sonsHenry was succeeded first by stephen. son
Of the Conqueror's daughter Adcla. married to
the French Count Of Blos, and on his death
the Crown descended TO Henry II. son of Ma
thilda, who the only daughter of King
Henry I. Mathilda had married as her first hus-
band Emperor Henry V Of Germany. to whom.
however she bore children. Her second hus-
band was Godfrey Plantagenet. Count of Anjou.
who became father of King Henry III. and thus
brought what Is known as the Plantagenet strain
OF blood into the reigning house of England.
From that time on the crown descended in
direct line from father TO son, from father 10
grandson. from older brother to younger
brother. but always in the direct male line. until
the deposition and death of King Richard II in
the year 400. when Hen3y ". his cousin, sue
ceeded to the throne.
Henry " was the son Of John of Gaunt. Duke
OF Lancaster and fourth OF King Edward
III. and IL was on that account Henry ". Henry
" md lrO q ho I ctria N
Kings of England. King Henry WIS only
was murdered after being taken prisoner at the
battle OF Tewkesbury. and thereupon the throne
devolved upon his kinsman King Edward ".
The latter a great-grandson of Edmund,
Duke OF York, of the younger sons of King
Edward Ill On Edwards death he
ceeded by his young son, Edward V, who,
along with his younger brother. 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 sue
cceded by King Henry VII who fortified his
claims TO the throne by wedding the eldest
daughter and heiress Of King Edward ".
King Henry VII. however, had rights Of his
own to the throne. Independently Of his wife, be-
ing descended from John Of Gaunt, the fourth
son of King Edward III. True, King Henry
had had the misfortune to be born out OF we'd
lock several years prior TO the marriage Of his
father and mother. Put this little stain upon his
escutcheon set right by patent of leriti-
macy ratified by act Of Parliament and con-
firmed by the Pope. King Henry's mother. Mar
garet. was the granddaughter of the eldest son
thus legitimiZed, and she married Edmund Tu-
dor who thus became the father of King Henry
VII. and brought what known the Tudor
strain of blood into the reigniny house OF Eng
land.
King Henry VII followed by his son. King
Henry VIII. and the latter in turn succeeded.
first of all by his son King Edward VI, then by
'Bloody" Mary. and thereafter by Queen Eliza
beth, who died unmarried. The male Tudor line
having thus become extinct the crown descended
10 the heirs Of King Henry Wis daughter Mar
garet who had married King James " Of Scot
land. Queen Margaret Of Scotland became the
grandmother Of Mary Queen Of Scots, and was
J. consequently t-grandmother OF the ater's
son, King James VI Of Scotland who. the
death of Queen Elizabeth. succeeded to the
throne Of England under the title of James /, the
crowns of England and Scotland being for the
first time united.
King James. who was the first of the Stuart
line the throne of England, was followed by
his son Charles who lost his head on the scat
fold and after the death of Oliver Cromwell
who governed England. Scotland and Ireland as
a republic. the son Of Charles became King
being followed at his death by his brother James
James on being deposed. was succeeded first by
bis daughter Mary, who married to William
of Orange and secondly by his daughter Anne
who died without leaving any surviving issue.
King James had son. who however at the time
Of the deposition CT 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
Pretender" and as Cardinal Of York were ex
cuded from the succession on analogous
grounds. both of them dying without legitimate
issue.
According to lineage and legitimate descent
the crown should have devoved upon the de-
scendants of Henrietta Stuart. Duchess of Or
leans daughter Of King Charles ]. But owing
to their being members 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 presumptve to the throne Of Bavaria.
Owing to this exclusion. the crown of Great
Britain fell TO more remote offshoot Of the
Stuart dynasty. namely. the Protestant descend
ants of Elizabeth sister of King Charles l. who
married the King of Bohemia. This King Of
Bohemia had daughter by his union with Eliz-
abeth Stuart, who bore the name Of Sophia, and
who married Ernest. Elector Of Hanover, becom-
ing the mother of Gorge, who succeeded to the
crown Of England under the title Of King
George l. and likewise 10 his fathers throne Of
Hanover. King George succeeded by his
son. George II. and the latter by his grandson
King George III. The two elder sons Of the lat
ter, George ~ and William w. having died
without leaving any legitimate issue, the crown
Of England, of Scotland and Of Ireland devolved
upon the only daughter of George 1lIs fourth