Insight into History The Lymm High School History Magazine Issue 2: Feb 2021 The Royal Issue 1 Welcome message Welcome to The Royal Issue!! After the success of the last issue, we’ve had so many more volunteers to help, so this issue is a lot longer than the last. We have articles covering a lot of the past monarchs, as well as some about the current Royals. We hope you will find something you are interested in and learn some new facts too! If you are interested in being involved in the magazine in the future, whether that is writing full articles or just recommend- ing a film you have watched and anything in between, please send us a brief message on our Get Involved page. We hope you enjoy reading our magazine! The Insight Into History Team 2 Meet the Team Editor-in-Chief = George Pitcher Deputy Editor-in-Chief = Gemma Jackson Head of Design = Alisha Bushnell Head of Marketing = Charlotte Wood Editors Chief Political Editor = Jay Palombella Deputy Political Editor = Anna McDonald Gender + LGBTQ Editor = Jessica Salmon Minorities Editor = Emma Parkinson TV + Film Editor = Poppy Harris Head Interviewer = Lauren Cliffe Opinions Editor = Pierre De Villiers The Writing Team Year 12 - Amy French, Hattie Cosgrove, Emilia McMonagle, Sacha Jones, Bella Charlton, Ellie Colquhoun. Year 10– Amy Deeks Year 8 - Jake Sands Year 7 - Annie Martin, Reuben Roberts, Tom Matthews, Lily Norton. Fun Facts contributed by Beth Pitcher (Year 9). 3 Contents In a Nutshell: The role of the Royal Family - p6 Henry VIII and his 6 wives - p8 Henry VIII: Was he really the King he was made out to be? - p10 Queen Victoria: Empress of India - p13 Fact file: George VI - p15 The Great British Scandal: Prince Andrew- p18 William the Conqueror: Taking control of England – p21 Royal Dogs: The Queen’s Corgis - p23 Meghan Markle and the British media - p24 The overlooked triumphs of Queen consorts - p26 Fact file: James II- p28 The Commonwealth - A Relic of Imperialism or A Harmonious Family of Nations? - p29 Queen Elizabeth II: Is she truly the “Ultimate feminist” - p31 4 Edward and Mrs Simpson - The Scandals - p33 Diana: The People’s Princess - p36 Fact file: Charles I- p38 Queen Anne - p39 Bloody Mary: England’s First Queen - p41 Elizabeth I: The funding behind the slave trade - p43 Fact file: William I - p44 Fact file: Mary Queen of Scots - p44 The Royal Family: Is their time up? - p45 Recommendations- p47 The Interview - p51 This Month in History: Royal Events in February - p53 The Quiz - p54 5 In A Nutshell: The Role of the Royals The Royal Family is arguable the most famous family in the world, but what exactly do they do? Throughout this article I am going to explain what they do, and how their role has changed over time. For centuries, the role of the Kings and Queens of England was one of complete power. Power to make laws, declare war and generally decide the path of the country. However, eventually the monarchy lost a lot of its power, all thanks to one person: King John. John was strongly disliked by his barons, church leaders and the general public due to him abusing his power and asking for too much money from everyone. The barons drew up a document that restricted the power of the King and made sure that he had to follow the same laws as everyone else. This document was called the Magna Carta, and on June 15th, 1215 the barons forced John to sign it. The Magna Carta was the first step towards the creation of England’s constitution. After the Magna Carta, the Monarch still held the majority of power of Did you know? There has only ever been one King called John. It is suspected that this is due to the unfa- vourable reputation of the first King John. With nick- names like “the phoney king”, it is easy to guess that not many monarchs would want to be associated with him. Or they might just not like the name! the country, however they were regulated by the nobles. In some cases, the monarch made specific decisions with the permission of most trusted advisors, that still affect us today. For example, Henry VIII who changed the religion of the country from Catholicism to the Church of England, which he invented because the Pope (Head of the Catholic Church) would not allow him to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The concept of Parliament developed over 100s of years, and it was these officials that kept the Monarch in check. 6 Modern historians often consider the first Prime Minister of England to be Sir Robert Wal- pole in 1721-1742, however he never had that official title. In fact, the first time the title of Prime Minister was used was in 1905 with Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. Nowadays, it is the Prime Minister of the UK that has the power over the country, and they are elected every 4 years. So now we know how the monarch’s power has faded over the years, what is their role today? Well firstly, they don’t have to worry about money because they are supported by taxpayer money. This angers a lot of people, but it is worth adding that they do earn the UK King John approximately £1.8 billion a year, which includes the revenue from the millions of tourists that travel to visit royal attractions every year. The main role of the royal family is to carry out public and charitable “engagements”. These engagements may include overseas visits to represent the nation in other countries, especially Commonwealth countries. Members of the Royal Family often are involved in charitable causes that are close to their hearts, for example the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have a mental health charity called Heads Together. Another example is Prince Charles’ Princes Trust that he started in 1976 to help vulnerable children across the country. In a nutshell, the role of the Royal Family is to be a figurehead for our country and to represent national unity. Some may argue that this is no longer necessary, but many also find great joy from the Queen and her family. However, I am interested to see if the love for the Royal Family continues after the Queen dies. Fun Fact: Kate Middleton was the first royal bride to have a By George Pitcher university degree, when she married Prince William in 2011. 7 Henry VIII and his 6 wives 1. Catherine of Aragon A Spanish princess who had been engaged to Prince Arthur, Henry’s older brother, since childhood, who would become king of England. She travelled to England in 1501 to marry him, however when he suddenly died in 1502, she was betrothed to Henry. Married: 11 June 1509 - 23 May 1533 Children: Mary I born 18 February 1516 Divorced because she was getting older and Henry feared she wouldn’t be able to give him a son, who he desperately wanted as an heir to the throne, to continue the Tudor name and bloodline. 2. Anne Boleyn Anne was a courtier gracing his court when he first caught feelings for her, however she wasn’t necessarily the first in her family. It is highly suspected that Anne’s mother, Elizabeth Howard, was one of Henry’s many mistresses. Married: 25 January 1533 - 19 May 1536 Children: Elizabeth I born 7 September 1533 Beheaded when charged guilty for treason, as Henry held many charges against her, including adultery, incest and conspiracy against the king. 3. Jane Seymour Jane was Henry’s favourite wife, and they are buried together in St George’s Chapel, Winsor. This is most likely because she was the one of his wives to give him a son, Edward, however she sadly died in childbirth. Married: 30 May 1536 - 24 October 1537 Children: Edward 12 October 1537 It is suspected that had she not passed away giving birth to Edward, she would’ve been Henry’s forever wife. 8 4. Anne of Cleves- Anne arrived in England on 27th December 1539, landing at Deal in Kent, in preparation for her forthcoming marriage to King Henry VIII. Henry was excited about meeting Anne and so he decided to disguise himself and travel to Rochester to surprise her. Married: 6 January 1540 - 9 July 1540 Divorced as she wasn’t as pretty as she was in the painting Henry saw before agreeing to marry her, he claimed she looked like a horse. 5. Catherine Howard Catherine and Henry met through his wife, Anne of Cleves. The young and reportedly beautiful Catherine Howard was maid of honour to Henry's new queen, and they got married just 19 days after the divorce of Anne. Married: 28 July 1540 - 13 February 1542 She was the second of Henry’s wives to be beheaded for treason. After he was given evidence that she had had affairs before their marriage and that she was having an affair with her cousin, Thomas Culpepper, Henry had her imprisoned Fun Fact: 17 British monarchs are buried at Westminster Abbey, the first was King Edward to the 13th century. 6. Catherine Parr She impressed Henry when the country was in religious turmoil, by reading about the Church of England, and saying she believed it was much better than Catholicism. Married: 12 July 1543 - 28 January 1547 Catherine was Henry’s final wife and outlived him. Click here to listen to the Horrible Histories song. By Gemma Jackson 9 Henry VIII: was he the really king he’s often made out to be? Henry VII is arguably one of the most well-known and recognisable monarchs, with the overwhelming majority of people being able to identify him from his silhouette alone.