Everything about House Of Stuart totally explained
The
House of Stuart or
Stewart was a
royal house of the
Kingdom of Scotland, later also of the
Kingdom of England and the
Kingdom of Ireland, and finally of the
Kingdom of Great Britain.
Mary Queen of Scots adopted the
French spelling
Stuart while in
France to ensure that the
Scots Stewart was pronounced correctly. The name itself originates from the ancient hereditary Scottish title
High Steward of Scotland.
The House of Stuart ruled the
Kingdom of Scotland for 336 years, between 1371 and 1707.
Queen Elizabeth I of
England's closest heir was
King James VI of Scotland via her grandfather King
Henry VII of England, who was founder of the
Tudor dynasty. At Elizabeth's death, James Stuart ascended the thrones of the
Kingdom of England and the
Kingdom of Ireland and inherited the
English claims to the French throne. From 1603, the Stuarts styled themselves
"Kings/Queens of Great Britain", though there was no
parliamentary union until the reign of
Queen Anne, the last monarch of the House of Stuart. The Stuarts were followed by the
House of Hanover, under the terms of the
Act of Settlement 1701. Members of various
cadet and
illegitimate branches still survive today.
History
The earliest known member of the House of Stewart was Flaald I (Flaald the Seneschal), an 11th century Breton follower of the Lord of
Dol and
Combourg. Flaald and his immediate descendants held the hereditary and honorary post of Dapifer (food bearer) in the Lord of Dol's household. His grandson Flaald II was a supporter of
Henry I of England and made the crucial move from
Brittany to
Britain, which was where the future fortunes of the Stewarts lay. Walter the Steward (died 1177), the grandson of Flaald II, was born in
Oswestry (
Shropshire). Along with his brother William, ancestor of the Fitzalan family (the
Earls of Arundel), he supported
Empress Matilda during the period known as
the Anarchy. Matilda was aided by her uncle,
David I of Scotland, and Walter followed David north in 1141, after Matilda had been usurped by
King Stephen. Walter was granted land in
Renfrewshire and the position of Lord High Steward.
Malcolm IV made the position hereditary and it was inherited by Walter's son, who took the surname Stewart. The sixth High Steward of Scotland, Walter Stewart (1293-1326), married
Marjorie, daughter of
Robert the Bruce, and also played an important part in the
Battle of Bannockburn currying further favour. Their son
Robert was heir to the
House of Bruce; he eventually inherited the Scottish throne when his uncle
David II died childless in 1371.
In
1503,
James IV attempted to secure peace with
England by marrying
King Henry VII's daughter,
Margaret Tudor. The birth of their son, later
James V, brought the House of Stewart into the line of descent of the
House of Tudor, and the English throne. Margaret Tudor later married
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and their daughter,
Margaret Douglas, was the mother of
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. In 1565, Darnley married his half-cousin
Mary, the daughter of
James V. Darnley's father was
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, a member of the
Stewart of Darnley branch of the House. Lennox was a direct descendant of
Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland, also descended from
James II, being Mary's
heir presumptive. Therefore Darnley was also related to Mary on his father's side and at the time of their marriage was himself second in line to the Scottish throne. Because of this connection, Mary's heirs remained part of the House of Stewart. Because of the long French residence at
Aubigny, held by Darnley's branch in the
Auld Alliance, the surname was altered to
Stuart. In feudal and dynastic terms, the Scottish reliance on French support was revived during the reign of
Charles II, who had an illegitimate son by
Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth. This descent received the main Stuart
appanages of
Lennox and
Aubigny, as well as the main Tudor appanage of
Richmond.
French connections were notoriously unpopular and resulted in the downfall of the Stuarts, whose mutual enemies identified with the emergent Protestant nationalism and urban
mercantilism as opposed to Catholic feudalism and rural
manorialism. The
Glorious Revolution caused the deposition of
James II in favor of his son-in-law and his daughter,
William and
Mary. James continued to claim the thrones of England and Scotland, and encouraged
revolts in his name, and his grandson
Charles led an ultimately
unsuccessful rising in 1745, becoming ironic symbols of
conservative rebellion and
Romanticism. Due to the identification of the
Roman Catholic Church with the Stuarts,
Catholic Emancipation wasn't passed until Jacobitism (as represented by direct Stuart heirs) was extinguished. Despite the
Whig intentions of tolerance to be extended to
Irish subjects, this wasn't the preference of Georgian Tories and their failure at compromise played a subsequent role in the present division of
Ireland.
Heads of the House of Stewart
Dapifers of Dol
- Flaithri I (died c.1080)
- Alan I (died ?)
- Alan II (died 1095)
- Flaithri II (died c.1101-1102)
- Alan III (died c.1121)
High Stewards of Scotland
Walter the Steward, 1st High Steward of Scotland (died 1177)
Alan Stewart, 2nd High Steward of Scotland (died 1204)
Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland (died 1246)
Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland (died 1283)
James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland (died 1309)
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland (died 1326)
Robert Stewart, 7th High Steward of Scotland (became Robert II, King of Scots)
Kings of the Scots
Robert II (1371-1390)
Robert III (1390-1406)
James I (1406-1437)
James II (1437-1460)
James III (1460-1488)
James IV (1488-1513)
James V (1513-1542)
Mary I, Queen of Scots (1542-1567)
James VI (1567-1625)
Kings of Great Britain, France and Ireland
James VI of Scotland and I of England (1603-1625) - Jacobean Age
Charles I of England and Scotland (1625-1649) - Carolean Age
During the period between Charles I and Charles II, England was a Republican Commonwealth, and then a Protectorate under Oliver Cromwell and Richard Cromwell. This period of 11 years is known as the English Interregnum.
Charles II of England (1660-1685) and Scotland (1649-1685) - Restoration Age
James II of England and VII of Scotland (1685-1688) (continued to claim the English and Scottish thrones after his deposition in 1688 until his death in 1701)
Mary II of England and Scotland (1689-1694) - with William III of England and II of Scotland, of the House of Orange-Nassau, a descendant of Charles I
Anne of Great Britain (1702-1714) - Augustan Age
Jacobite Claimants
James Francis Edward Stuart (called the "Old Pretender" by his detractors, and "the King Across the Water" by his supporters) claimed throne as James VIII of Scotland and III of England, (1701-1766)
Charles Edward Stuart (called the Young Pretender by the English), claimed throne as Charles III, known to the Scots as Bonnie Prince Charlie, (1766-1788)
Henry Benedict Stuart, claimed throne as Henry IX (1788-1807)
Patrilineal descent
Patrilineal descent, descent from father to son, is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that the historically accurate royal house of the Stuart monarchs was the House of Stuart.
Alan of Dol, b. 1020
Flaald fitz Alan, Baron of St. Florent
Alan FitzFlaald, d. after 1114
Walter fitz Alan, 1106 - 1177
Alan fitz Walter, 2nd High Steward of Scotland, d. 1204
Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland, 1178 - 1241
Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland, 1214 - 1283
Sir John Stewart of Bonkyl, 1246 - 1298
Sir Alan Stewart of Dreghorn, 1280 - 1333
Sir Alexander Stewart, d. 1374
Sir Alexander Stewart, d. 1404
Sir John Stewart, 1st Lord Aubigny, 1370 - 1429
Sir Alan Stewart of Darnley, 1407 - 1439
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox, 1430 - 1495
Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox, 1472 - 1513
John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox, 1490 - 1526
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, 1516 - 1571
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, 1545 - 1567
James I of England, 1566 - 1625
Charles I of England, 1600 - 1649
James II of England, 1633 - 1701
Mary II of England, 1662 - 1694 and Anne of Great Britain, 1665 - 1714Further Information
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