King Charles III and His Namesake Predecessors

A new king has ascended the throne of the UK.  To most of us, Charles III is as familiar as milk tart, biltong and our very own online casino South Africa.  An interesting topic for discussion would be his predecessors.  Who are they and who shares his name?

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Charles III automatically became regent on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.  At 73 years of age, he is the oldest ever king-in-waiting.  We know him as an environmentalist, conservationist and jolly good all-round kind of guy.

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Similarly, even those who might not have yet registered at our online casino South Africa will very well know what all the fuss is about.  Springbok Casino is, after all, rated the best gaming platform – for South Africans, by South Africans.  Although we can’t claim royal patronage, we can claim the title as the number one online casino South Africa!

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A Royal Nod to the House of Stuart

As for Charles, well, he is officially Charles Philip Arthur George.  He could have chosen any of those names as his royal designation.  Instead, he gave the nod to the House of Stuart from whence his two predecessors, King Charles I and King Charles II, hailed from.

Who were these men… and why did Charles elect to support an ancient Scottish House rather than that of the House of Windsor – as he would have done, had he become King George VII.

Here is a snapshot of the two Carolean monarchs from the House of Stuart… plus a pretender to the throne.  This particular royal declared himself King Charles III more than 275 years ago!

King Charles I – The Absolute Monarch Who Lost His Head

Charles I was short, sickly and predisposed to a stutter.  Despite his physical limitations, he believed in the divine right of kings.  That was mistake number 1.

His second blunder was to marry Henrietta Maria de Bourbon – a French princess and practicing Roman Catholic.  Together these errors conspired to bring him and the monarchy down.

Instead of gaining absolute power, as was his wish, Charles I was deposed and the monarchy collapsed.  In its stead was a republic, governed by Oliver Cromwell the Lord Pretender.

Charles I not only lost his crown…  He was charged with high treason and executed outside the Banqueting Hall in London in 1649.  He was just 48 years of age.

What had the first King Charles achieved over his 24-year reign?  Other than dissolving parliament at the drop of the hat, he raised taxes and bungled religious reforms.  During his tenure on the throne, the wars of the 3 kingdoms were ignited, ending in the English Civil War.

The shy, lonely and unlikely king, who thought he had absolute power dispensed by God, was the last king crowned with the ancient coronation regalia.  It was later seized, melted down and sold by Oliver Cromwell’s Republican forces.

Charles I’s reign started with problems and culminated in ignominy.  As a protestant, he was not allowed to be coronated in the presence of his Catholic wife.  He was also the first sitting monarch to be tried and condemned to death.  Even in death, he was insulted.  Charles I was denied a burial in Westminster Abbey.

In short, the first Carolean king was not popular.  Is this an omen for King Charles III, a man who has struggled with his public image since the death of the widely adored Princess Diana?  Time will tell…

Charles II – The Affable Playboy King

As the son of Charles I, Charles II was always on a mission to regain the throne.  With a little help from his extended family – more specifically his cousin King Louis XIV of France – he became the ‘comeback king’.

After spending years in exile hobnobbing around Europe, Charles II returned to England following the death of Oliver Cromwell.  Although he restored the monarchy, Charles II will go down in history as a serial philanderer.

Besides his all-time favourite courtesan, the actress Nell Gwyn, the king had countless affairs – usually with the wives of well-heeled noblemen.  According to historical records, King Charles II fathered legions of illegitimate children. On the 14 he acknowledged, most were given dukedoms and earldoms.

Today, the incumbent Dukes of Buccleuch, Richmond, Grafton and St Alban can all trace their lineage directly to Charles II.  Many aristocrats, including Princess Diana of Wales and Camilla, the Queen Consort, are descended from Charles’ illegitimate sons.

What is interesting is William, the Prince of Wales, will become the first monarch to descend from two royal houses and Charles I, Charles II and Charles III!

Key Accomplishments of the King

Other than his enduring reputation as a playboy king, what did Charles II accomplish over his 25 years on the throne?

• He amassed a treasure trove or paintings, sculptures and artefacts, many of which are still part of the royal collection.
• He sold Dunkirk to King Louis XVI for a meagre £40k and gained Tangier and Bombay as part of his wedding dowry.
• Last but by no means least, he gave what would become the US state of Carolina to eight of his BFFs!

More importantly, Charles II survived the Great Plague and the Fire of London.  Rumour has it he even helped firefighters to contain the blaze.

When no legitimate heir was forthcoming, his Roman Catholic brother, James, Duke of York, became the heir-presumptive.  This stirred up a hornet’s nest, resulting in the so-called Exclusion Bill that attempted to exclude the Duke of York from the throne.

Those for the bill went on to form the Whig Party.  Those against morphed into the Tory Party.  The rest, as they say, is history.  On his death, Charles II was duly succeeded by his brother who became James II of England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland.

Is Charles III anything like his predecessor?  Well, he too was a bit of a playboy in his younger days.  He also had to contend with the COVID pandemic.  What we can say for sure is he never sired 14 children – either in or out of wedlock!

Charles III – The Bonnie Pretender to the Throne

The last of Charles III’s predecessors is a self-proclaimed king.  His reign lasted as long as the Jacobite Uprising and he was never officially recognised as regent.

Charles Edward was the grandson of James II.  His grand uncle was Charles II. After his grandad was deposed, Charles’ mission was to re-claim the throne for the House of Stuart.

Although he managed to raise an army in the Scottish Highlands, it was soundly beaten by the British Government troops at Culloden Moor.  Charles the Pretender – aka Bonnie Prince Charlie – escaped to France.  He indulged in a life of drunkenness and debauchery until his death in Rome at the age of 67 years.

The incumbent Charles III can’t constitutionally dissolve parliament, start a war or raise taxes.  That said, by virtue of his age, his reign is likely to be shorter than any of his predecessors… bar Bonnie Prince Charlie, who wasn’t king at.

As to why Charles III chose to be part of the Carolean era dominated by the House of Stuart?  Pundits believe it is the House of Windsor’s efforts to prevent Scotland from seceding from the UK!

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