British Culture - User contributions [en]

Privy Council

2010-07-10T09:37:35Z

Gehrmehn:

Historically, a select number of powerful men that met with the monarch in private (hence the name). Today, the Privy Council has some limited executive and judicial functions.

The Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British monarch and one of Britain's oldest institutions. It is dating back to the earliest days of the monarchy when it comprised those chosen by the King or Queen to advise them in important matters of state.

Elizabeth I's Privy Council consisted of about 40 members. Today there are 546 members, including all cabinet members past and present, the leaders of all the main parties, the Speaker, Archbishops, senior judges and some other important public figures. These members are appointed for life by the Queen on the prime minister's advice and are entitled to use the prefix "Right Honourable". New members are inaugurated at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

In its day to day business, the Privy Council meets regularly, on average once a month. Usually, councils are held by The Queen. Only a handful of members attend these meetings. Most of its business is transacted in discussion and correspondence between its Ministerial members and the Government Departments that advise them. Most deal with such matters as various as the closure of burial grounds, the proclamation of a new coinage and the dates of bank holidays.

Nowadays, the Privy Council no longer advises the monarch. Their function is confined to seeking the Queen's formal approval to a number of orders which have already been discussed and approved by ministers. However, the Privy Council still can exercise some restricted executive, judicial and administrative duties, e.g. in certain circumstances it can alter the statute book.

== Sources ==
* "The Monarchy Today." ''The Official Website of the British Monarchy''. http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueenandPrivyCouncil.aspx

* http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8046523.stm

* http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/82534.stm

* http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/page1.asp

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Privy Council

2010-07-03T23:45:36Z

Gehrmehn:

George VI

2010-05-16T17:35:23Z

Gehrmehn:

'' 1. Life ''

King George VI was born Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George of York on 14 December 1895.
He was the the X and George V's youngest son. (Bradford, p. 1)

1895 - 1952. King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions (1936 - 1952). Succeeded to the throne after his older brother, [[Edward VIII]], had abdicated in order to marry the American divorcee [[Wallis Simpson]] ([[Abdication Crisis]]).

Albert, generally also known as Bertie, considered the unprecedented abdication of his popular brother as a personal tragedy and feared "that dreadful day" to become a monarch. To his cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, he said:

Dickie, it is absolutely terrible. I never wanted this to happen; I'm quite unprepared for it. David has been trained for this all his life, I've never even seen a State Paper. I'm only a Naval Officer, it's the only thing I know about.

Despite being unprepared for the throne, despite his several physical and mental handicaps as well as turbulent external circumstances later on (Second World War) he grew steadily into the kingship and became the standard by which the monarchy itself was to be measured. He also helped to restore the monarchy to a popularity which had not been witnessed for many reigns and left his daughter, Elisabeth, a stable throne.

As already mentioned Albert had several mental and physical handicaps, e.g. shyness and timidity, self-doubt, nerviness, agitation, irascibility and "gnashing", frequent feeling of physical and mental exhaustion, jealousy, inner imbalance, slutter, gastritis. On the other hand he was popular as "the People's King" through all social classes and through all political parties due to his character. He was famous for his kindness for people regardless their social pedigree and care for his subordinates and their families. He was also known for his sensitiveness and tactfulness, his modesty, humor (so called "chaffing"), for his reliability, helpfulness and comradeship, but especially for his ethos/understanding of the king's duties, his diligence and devotion.

His ability to stabilise the throne during unstable and militant times (abdication of his brother and WWII) is worth to be mentioned. He promoted the importance of the Crown as a unifying symbol of the nation and Empire and was anxious to strengthen the bond between the monarch and his subjects.

After his death he was characterised as a great King. French Ambassador, René Massigli put it like this:

If the greatness of a King can be measured by the extent to which his qualities correspond to the needs of a nation at a given moment in its history, then George VI was a great King, and perhaps a very great King.

Father and predecessor of [[Elizabeth II]].

Gordon, P. ''Royal education: past, present, and future''. Frank Cass Publishers, 2003.

Wende, P. ''Englische Könige und Königinnen der Neuzeit. Von Heinrich VII. bis Elisabeth II.''. C. H. Beck Verlag, 2002.

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George VI

2010-05-16T17:28:40Z

Gehrmehn:

'' 1. Life ''

King George VI was born Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George of York on 14 December 1895.
He was the the X and George V's youngest son. (Bradford, p. 1)

1895 - 1952. King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions (1936 - 1952). Succeeded to the throne after his older brother, [[Edward VIII]], had abdicated in order to marry the American divorcee [[Wallis Simpson]] ([[Abdication Crisis]]).

Albert, generally also known as Bertie, considered the unprecendented abdication of his popular brother as a personal tragedy and feared "that dreadful day" to become a monarch. To his cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, he said:

Dickie, it is absolutely terrible. I never wanted this to happen; I'm quite unprepared for it. David has been trained for this all his life, I've never even seen a State Paper. I'm only a Naval Officer, it's the only thing I know about.

Despite being unprepared for the throne, despite his fear, several physical and mental handicaps as well as despite turbulent external circumstances later on(Second World War) he grew steadily into the kingship and became the standard by which the monarchy itself was to be measured. He also helped to restore the monarchy to a popularity which had not been witnessed for many reigns and left his daughter, Elisabeth, a stable throne.

As already mentioned Albert had several mental and physical handicaps, e.g. shyness and timidity, self-doubt, nerviness, agitation, irascibility and "gnashing", frequent feeling of physical and mental exhaustion, jealousy, inner imbalance, slutter, gastritis. On the other hand he was popular as "the People's King" through all classes of population and through political parties due to his character. He was famous for his kindness for people regardless their social upbringing and care for his subordinates and their families. He was also known for his sensitiveness and tactfulness, his modesty, humor (so called "chaffing"), for his reliability, helpfulness and comradeship, but especially for his ethos/understanding of the king's duties, his sense of duty, diligence and devotion.

His ability to stabilize the throne during unstable and militant times (abdication of his brother and WWII) is worth to be mentioned. He promoted the importance of the Crown as a unifying symbol of the nation and Empire and was anxious to strengthen the bond between the monarch and his subjects.

After his death he was characterised as great King. French Ambassador, René Massigli put it like this:

If the greatness of a King can be measured by the extent to which his qualities correspond to the needs of a nation at a given moment in its history, then George VI was a great King, and perhaps a very great King.

Father and predecessor of [[Elizabeth II]].

Gordon, P. ''Royal education: past, present, and future''. Frank Cass Publishers, 2003.

Wende, P. ''Englische Könige und Königinnen der Neuzeit. Von Heinrich VII. bis Elisabeth II.''. C. H. Beck Verlag, 2002.

[[Category:Expansion]]

I am adding further information on this page.

George VI

2010-05-16T17:27:29Z

Gehrmehn:

'' 1. Life ''

King George VI was born Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George of York on 14 December 1895.
He was the the X and George V's youngest son. (Bradford, p. 1)

1895 - 1952. King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions (1936 - 1952). Succeeded to the throne after his older brother, [[Edward VIII]], had abdicated in order to marry the American divorcee [[Wallis Simpson]] ([[Abdication Crisis]]).

Albert, generally also known as Bertie, considered the unprecendented abdication of his popular brother as a personal tragedy and feared "that dreadful day" to become a monarch. To his cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, he said:

Dickie, it is absolutely terrible. I never wanted this to happen; I'm quite unprepared for it. David has been trained for this all his life, I've never even seen a State Paper. I'm only a Naval Officer, it's the only thing I know about.

Despite being unprepared for the throne, despite his fear, several physical and mental handicaps as well as despite turbulent external circumstances later on(Second World War) he grew steadily into the kingship and became the standard by which the monarchy itself was to be measured. He also helped to restore the monarchy to a popularity which had not been witnessed for many reigns and left his daughter, Elisabeth, a stable throne.

As already mentioned Albert had several mental and physical handicaps, e.g. shyness and timidity, self-doubt, nerviness, agitation, irascibility and "gnashing", frequent feeling of physical and mental exhaustion, jealousy, inner imbalance, slutter, gastritis. On the other hand he was popular as "the People's King" through all classes of population and through political parties due to his character. He was famous for his kindness for people regardless their social upbringing and care for his subordinates and their families. He was also known for his sensitiveness and tactfulness, his modesty, humor (so called "chaffing"), for his reliability, helpfulness and comradeship, but especially for his ethos/understanding of the king's duties, his sense of duty, diligence and devotion.

His ability to stabilize the throne during unstable and militant times (abdication of his brother and WWII) is worth to be mentioned. He promoted the importance of the Crown as a unifying symbol of the nation and Empire and was anxious to strengthen the bond between the monarch and his subjects.

After his death he was characterised as great King. French Ambassador, René Massigli put it like this:

If the greatness of a King can be measured by the extent to which his qualities correspond to the needs of a nation at a given moment in its history, then George VI was a great King, and perhaps a very great King.

Father and predecessor of [[Elizabeth II]].

Gordon, P. ''Royal education: past, present, and future''. Frank Cass Publishers, 2003.
Wende, P. ''Englische Könige und Königinnen der Neuzeit. Von Heinrich VII. bis Elisabeth II.''. C. H. Beck Verlag, 2002.

Peter Gordon,Denis Lawton

[[Category:Expansion]]

I am adding further information on this page.

George VI

2010-05-16T17:23:29Z

Gehrmehn:

'' 1. Life ''

King George VI was born Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George of York on 14 December 1895.
He was the the X and George V's youngest son. (Bradford, p. 1)

1895 - 1952. King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions (1936 - 1952). Succeeded to the throne after his older brother, [[Edward VIII]], had abdicated in order to marry the American divorcee [[Wallis Simpson]] ([[Abdication Crisis]]).

Albert, generally also known as Bertie, considered the unprecendented abdication of his popular brother as a personal tragedy and feared "that dreadful day" to become a monarch. To his cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, he said:

Dickie, it is absolutely terrible. I never wanted this to happen; I'm quite unprepared for it. David has been trained for this all his life, I've never even seen a State Paper. I'm only a Naval Officer, it's the only thing I know about.

Besides his fear, several physical and mental handicaps as well as external circumstances later on(Second World War) he grew steadily into the kingship and became the standard by which the monarchy itself was to be measured. He also helped to restore the monarchy to a popularity which had not been witnessed for many reigns and left his daughter, Elisabeth, a stable throne.

As already mentioned Albert had several mental and physical handicaps, e.g. shyness and timidity, self-doubt, nerviness, agitation, irascibility and "gnashing", frequent feeling of physical and mental exhaustion, jealousy, inner imbalance, slutter, gastritis. On the other hand he was popular as "the People's King" through all classes of population and through political parties due to his character. He was famous for his kindness for people regardless their social upbringing and care for his subordinates and their families. He was also known for his sensitiveness and tactfulness, his modesty, humor (so called "chaffing"), for his reliability, helpfulness and comradeship, but especially for his ethos/understanding of the king's duties, his sense of duty, diligence and devotion.

His ability to stabilize the throne during unstable and militant times (abdication of his brother and WWII) is worth to be mentioned. He promoted the importance of the Crown as a unifying symbol of the nation and Empire and was anxious to strengthen the bond between the monarch and his subjects.

After his death he was characterised as great King. French Ambassador, René Massigli put it like this:

If the greatness of a King can be measured by the extent to which his qualities correspond to the needs of a nation at a given moment in its history, then George VI was a great King, and perhaps a very great King.

Father and predecessor of [[Elizabeth II]].

Gordon, P. ''Royal education: past, present, and future''. Frank Cass Publishers, 2003.
Wende, P. ''Englische Könige und Königinnen der Neuzeit. Von Heinrich VII. bis Elisabeth II.''. C. H. Beck Verlag, 2002.

Peter Gordon,Denis Lawton

[[Category:Expansion]]

I am adding further information on this page.

Edward VI

2010-05-04T21:17:00Z

Gehrmehn:

1537-1553, son of [[Henry VIII]] and [[Jane Seymour]], Tudor Monarch and Protestant.

Edward was born at Hampton Court. After 28 years on the throne his father, Henry war overjoyed about the long-awaited heir. Edward commenced a classical education in such subjects as Latin, Greek and philosophy. His teachers were Cambridge scholars John Cheke, William Grindal and Roger Ascham. These eminent men were devoted to the emerging Protestant creed, and conceivably this was when Edward began to acquire his enthusiasm for the new faith.

Edward VI is called by some as the Boy King. Indeed, he came to the throne of England at the age of nine and died at the age of fifteen. Despite his short life his kingship claims a significant legacy in the British history.

At his coronation Edward was presented by Archbishop Cranmer as a godly prince, a second king Josiah guided by providence to extingish once and for all the influence of Rome in England. Edward VI's reign is associated not only with the near collapse of the Tudor system, but also with the progress of the protestant Reformation. Under the influence of Archbishop Cranmer, Edward pursued religious reform throughout his kingdom. Under his reign the church property was confiscated, the chantries dissolved, the Book of Common Prayer amended, church statues, wall paintings, stained-glas windows destroyed (image-smashing).

Due to his father's testament and the rules of primogeniture, Edward became King when his father died in 1547. Although Edward thought that he ruled England, actual power lay with the Privy Council (a rather small group of councellors and advisors) and the Lord Protector.
Edward supposedly was "a cold-hearted prig", according to G.R. Elton, who liked to tell his much older sister [[Mary I|Mary]] off for her [[Catholicism]]:

"The lady Mary, my sister, came to me to Westminster, where after greetings she was called with my council into a chamber where it was declared how long I had suffered her mass, in hope of her reconciliation, and how now, there being no hope as I saw by her letters, unless I saw some speedy amendment I could not bear it. She answered that her soul was God's and her faith she would not change, nor hide her opinion with dissembled doings. It was said I did not constrain her faith but willed her only as a subject to obey. And that her example might lead to too much inconvenience." (Edward wrote this in his diary in 1551. He was 14, Mary was 35).

== Sources ==
* Alford, S. ''Kingship and Politics in the Reign of Edward VI''. Cambridge Universty Press, 2002.
* Elton, G.R. ''England under the Tudors''. London: Methuen, 1965.
* MacCulloch, D. ''The Boy King: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation''. University of California Press, 2001.
* http://englishhistory.net/tudor/primary.html

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