Ponderings

Tag: history

  • The Traitor King

    On the 28th May 1972, the exiled and disgraced Duke of Windsor and former King, Edward VIII died. He ascended to the throne in 1936, but abdicated within the same year. His rapid accession, abdication and banishment was just a misfortune in a series of misfortunes which almost threatened to topple the British Monarchy itself. Within four decades the status of the Crown appeared to be diminishing into insignificance.

    At the turn of the twentieth century, the United Kingdom made a decision to forge alliances with European powers. However the result of this was far from inconsequential. Unwittingly, this decision plunged the Kingdom into the First World War. It fought a bitter, bloody and protracted campaign against Germany. The once close cultural connection between these two countries was severed, and the warmth, affinity and familial affection that the British public felt for the partly German Royal Family waned to an alarming degree.

    In 1917, at the height of war, the Kingdom was in a fragile state, it was far from united. It was in a frayed position, riddled with strikes, mutiny and increasing political radicalisation. King George V was forced to divest the Family of its foreign associations, and he decided to rebrand it for a more modern and progressive age. His first decision was to anglicise the Royal Family. He renamed the Royal Dynasty “The House of Windsor”. His German relations who still resided in the Kingdom were no longer Battenbergs, but became Mountbattens instead.

    Although George had foreign ancestry, he remained culturally English, despite the leftist author H.G Wells’ complaints about “an alien and uninspiring court”. However these words were brushed off by an unruffled King.

    Wells’ strident admonitions seemed harsh and unfair but were met with the King’s firm and witty riposte, “I may be uninspiring but I’ll be damned if I am an alien!”. George’s second decision was to reform the honours system, which was regarded as elitist and undemocratic.

    He established the Order of the British Empire, which acknowledged the achievements of both women and men from across the social classes. In an astounding break from tradition, he arranged his first investiture within the grounds of Ibrox stadium in Glasgow, the home of Rangers football club. The first recipient of the award was the humble khaki clad Lizzie Robertson, who was rewarded by the King “for devotion to duty in a national projectile factory”. He also established the Companions of Honour, which paid tribute to those who worked hard to protect the rights of ordinary British workers.

    It seemed for a time that the Crown was secure. With these new measures, he managed to stave off the dangers of socialist revolution which had cost the lives of his cousins in Russia. King George V was truly the “people’s King”. The silver jubilee celebrations brought a feeling of national unity while the continent was tearing itself apart. However six months later, on the 20th January, 1936, the beloved King died.

    The old continental alliances were fracturing once more. An embattled and humiliated Germany was on a dark path towards totalitarianism. The British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin believed that the political and religious settlement encapsulated by the presence of the constitutional monarchy was an essential bulwark against dictatorship in this country.

    Baldwin paid tribute to the late King, commending his legacy. He said that he was responsible for “bringing in the moral authority, honour and dignity of the throne”. Edward’s accession did nothing to allay the fears of a population that had barely recovered from the last war.

    Unlike his father, Edward revealed a shocking lack of empathy for the poor and the unemployed. While on an official engagement to the poverty stricken villages of South Wales, he uttered with spectacular insensitivity that “something must be done” but offered no words of comfort to those without work. His affair with the American socialite Wallis Simpson was common knowledge, but despite protestations he refused to relinquish it. One year after his abdication they married.

    Edward’s actions looked increasingly selfish, arrogant and disloyal. He alienated himself from his family, who were appalled that he put his own feelings first, rather than serve the interests of his country. He was marooned in self-imposed exile in France. In October 1937, he added insult to injury when he toured Nazi Germany with the Duchess. His visit was promoted and published as vital propaganda by the German media. He was filmed meeting Hitler at his Bavarian retreat, and Edward performed a Nazi salute. Edward made no secret of the fact that he favoured Nazism as a political ideology, which he perceived as preferable to Communism.

    Edward’s blatant admission made him a profound liability to the British state at the height of the Second World War. There were rumours swirling around that he was a spy and leaking secrets to the German military. There were even suggestions that he was about to revive the days of imperial Prussia and was about to be parachuted in as the new Kaiser. In 1940 he was appointed governor of the Bahamas, but he disliked the role and resigned after five years.

    At the end of the war, the Duke and Duchess returned to France. They were feted as a celebrity couple by the French, but the British public never forgave their treachery. The duke died from complications following heart surgery at his home in France. His legacy as the traitor King has never been forgotten.

  • Shame On Evil Thinkers

    St. George has been an integral part of English identity since the fourteenth century. The adoption of George as England’s patron saint has helped to bring new meaning and insight into our native culture and traditions. The legends that surround him remain a source of pride, in spite of the detractors.

    It is lamentable that in our postmodern society many people have chosen to forget this essential part of our foundation story. Every nation is founded on a series of myths and legends. These intricate and elaborate tales of heroes and villains are symbolic manifestations of the nation’s character and sensibility. King Edward III recognised this, and he found inspiration in the mythology of a legendary Knight

    Edward cultivated an idiosyncratic and aristocratic culture at court. The King and the nobles were brought together in a complex system based on chivalric custom, including honours, arms and pageantry. Chivalry originated from a military culture, and described the strict codes of behaviour mandated on the battlefield. War was deeply embedded within the culture of this country. However, warfare was not just about consolidating the power and influence of the Crown. The nation as a whole depended upon military strength to enable it to survive.

    St. George was the patron saint of soldiers and nobles, and the epitome of a chevalier. The tale of his Knightly conduct was appropriated by the King and woven into an earlier legend surrounding King Arthur and his court. The legend states that the King was in attendance at a court ball when a lady accidentally dropped her garter. When everyone except the King erupted into laughter, he admonished the crowd. He retrieved the garter and said, “shame to him who thinks evil of it”. Henceforth Edward established the Order of the Garter and dedicated it to St George.

    It is a strange paradox that the profoundly Christian order of Knights was nonetheless perennially engaged in war. It is difficult to reconcile a sense of righteousness with the eternal compulsion for battle. However it is justified as the moral aspect is entwined with the notion of defending the honour of a nation from evil. Medieval England, and Europe as a whole faced the imminent threat from violent and hostile outsiders who sought to usurp Christianity with a contrary religion and set of values that were in direct opposition. The story of St George slaying the dragon is a metaphorical depiction of this righteous battle, and it has been revived throughout the centuries.

    The warrior spirit of the English has never truly died, even in times of relative peace. This is something which we must always hold on to, despite the evil thinkers who continue to project their shame upon us.

  • A Ceremony Of Riches

    Maundy Thursday is a significant date. It precedes Good Friday, the most solemn occasion in the Christian calendar. It commemorates Jesus washing His disciples feet in a simple act of devotion and humble piety. In many churches all over the world, similar rituals are repeated to honour Christ’s example.

    In this country, during the Middle Ages the Monarch washed the feet of his poorest subjects. It was the purest demonstration of obeisance, an integral part of noblesse oblige. In our modern and increasingly cynical secular society, such rituals are now sneered at, as it is fashionable to undermine the sacred and to diminish people with status and authority, particularly those with hereditary power.

    However this interpretation is naive and shallow. It must be emphasised that traditions matter because they are a fundamental part of who we are as people. Our shared history strengthens the bond that ties us to our ancestors, and this allows us to pass on something meaningful to those who are yet to be born.

    Unfortunately, as our society became wealthier, it moved further and further away from religion. Material concerns were the primary focus, matters of the soul were only secondary. The notion that the greatest treasure lies within the cultivation of the life of the spirit was lost, because the riches on earth provided so much joy, however temporary.

    The Reformation was a double edged sword, it brought a necessary and democratic change to our culture but ultimately it severed the most important connections. It weakened the spiritual power of the Monarch, and the most profound religious rites that they enacted were stripped of their meaning.

    Tudor and Stuart Monarchs did not inspire as much awe in the populace as their medieval forebears but they still managed to maintain a semblance of piety. The Cromwell regime divested itself of Monarchical influence altogether, along with its ceremonial trappings and perceived superstitions. After the Restoration many of the religious ceremonies were revived, including the Maundy Thursday rite of foot washing. The King’s subjects also believed that one touch from the King could cure them of their iniquities.

    In the wake of the Glorious Revolution, however, the dour Protestant King William revealed his disdain for “foolish old Popish ceremonies”, a shocking outburst reflecting his prejudices, and deep seated arrogance. When told of the power of the King’s touch he sneered, “Well, God give you better health and more sense!”. Since his accession, the Monarch’s only role on Maundy Thursday has been to distribute money to the poor. The sacred rites have disappeared.

    It is sad that these rites have been abandoned, and it is indeed telling that a practical, purposeful and material act has replaced the traditional ceremony. The Victorians, with all of their numerous faults and failings, still recognised the importance of noblesse oblige. The wealthiest members of society were often the greatest philanthropists.

    However there were still pockets of greed and selfishness which rapidly became a source of great shame. Disraeli bemoaned those with wealth who continued to ignore the plight of the poor and described this noticeable gap in society as, “between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy…who are formed by a different breeding, are fed by a different food, are ordered by different manners, and are not governed by the same laws”. This was part of his infamous speech about the Kingdom, which far from being united, was in fact two nations separated by different values and priorities.

    The reason for disunity was the decline of the Established Church and its influence in society. During the Middle Ages the Kingdom was happy and stable. It was a rich tapestry of social classes held together by numerous threads of rights and responsibilities that maintained peace and helped to preserve people’s sense of wellbeing. As soon as the Church lost its power and influence, the poor lost their education, the land was usurped by the nobles and the Crown was blackmailed into giving up its rights of succession in favour of their own rulers. In turn, these rulers controlled the masses, with mixed success over the years.

    Disraeli saw a parallel with the medieval barons, as the country was under the yoke of a new kind of tyranny. The factory owner operating in an industrialised England was an entirely new innovation, but he was nonetheless imbued with the same avaricious intent. His only motive was profit, and he disregarded the moral values and traditions of the nation state. Disraeli’s social reforms were his attempt to revive the concept of noblesse oblige in a modern, capitalist society.

    Today should be the one day that we reflect upon the greatest gift that has been given to us, our spiritual inheritance as a Christian nation. It is worth more than gold, and we must never forget that.

  • A Glass of Blessings

    On April the 3rd, 1593 the poet and Anglican priest George Herbert was born. He was born into a prominent and influential Anglo-Welsh family. His ancestors included luminary figures, one notable member was the Earl of Pembroke. Herbert’s older brother Edward became the learned and respected Lord Herbert of Cherbury. Edward was revered as a renowned philosopher and theologian who later acquired the sobriquet “the father of Deism”. This philosophy championed the dual power of nature and reason.

    The Herberts elevated education and the arts as noble pursuits. His esteemed family background meant that his ultimate destiny was certain, it was inevitable that he would make his mark as a man of letters. When he was eight years old, the family moved to a dwelling close to the Charing Cross in London.

    At that time, this now unremarkable London landmark still had profound national, and spiritual significance. It was one of the twelve “Eleanor crosses”, dedicated to Eleanor of Castile. These were memorials commissioned by King Edward I to remember his late, lamented wife, and these were built at strategic points across his kingdom. Although three centuries had passed since its construction, Londoners understood the importance of the monument. The sixteenth century playwright George Peele composed a drama based on the life of the King, and devoted a section of the play to the assembling of the Charing Cross. The location, at the heart of the capital, was imbued with myth. Many other writers sensed the resonance of the King’s crosses, and inspired poems of a distinctly visionary nature.

    The poetic and numinous elements of central London had a tremendous influence on the young Herbert. His spiritual sensibility continued to invigorate him throughout his literary career. His faith in a higher power provided a comforting light during the darkest episodes in his life. In spite of his privilege he was prone to episodes of ill health. He experienced tubercular disease and prolonged fevers which stifled his intellectual ambitions.

    Nonetheless his inner resilience and resolve carried him through his years at Cambridge, where he ascended to the position of fellow. In 1619 he was appointed assistant to the University Orator. The Orator’s role fascinated him, and it helped deepen his understanding and appreciation of the art of rhetoric. It gave him an important grounding in his future career as a poet. He ascribed to Cicero’s maxim that the purpose of oration was to teach, to delight and to persuade. Meanwhile his mother, Magdalen, was encouraging him to seek a vocation in the Church.

    Magdalen was an educated and well connected lady who regularly entertained respected figures like John Donne and William Byrd. Both used their considerable talents to promote Christian virtue. A year later Herbert himself became the University Orator. In 1623 he delivered a “farewell oration” to King James I who was on a visit to the University. The King was so moved by the sermon that he requested a written copy. Emboldened by the flattery of the King, and supported by his cousin the Earl, Herbert entered the realm of politics and he represented the constituency of Montgomery. However when the King died, his enthusiasm for politics ebbed away.

    Herbert felt that he was drifting through life. In 1626 this period of torpor and ennui ended when he finally entered the priesthood. He was assigned to minister at the small parish of Leighton Bromswold in Huntingdonshire. This relatively unassuming English village was situated close to Little Gidding, an Anglican religious community later immortalised by T.S Eliot. In Herbert’s mind, however, this was a place that encapsulated the English soul. The founder of Little Gidding was Nicholas Ferrar, a close friend and confidant. Ferrar became a mentor to him, even in times of despair and doubt. He helped to cultivate and refine his poetry.

    In 1629 he moved to another parish, Fugglestone St Peter with Bemerton, which was near Salisbury. While serving as rector he worked on his poetry, which had spiritual themes. He entrusted his collection to Ferrar. Unfortunately four years later his tuberculosis returned and he died. Ferrar published his entire work the same year, and he wrote the preface. Ferrar’s intervention introduced an entire readership to some of the most affecting religious poetry ever written. It is poignant to consider that in his short, painful but immensely productive life Herbert continues to inspire us today.

  • Gloriana

    On the 24th March, 1603 Queen Elizabeth I died. She was the last monarch in the Tudor dynasty. Her impressive legacy as a ruler and national figurehead continues to be revered today. She is remembered for the many successes achieved during her reign. Her achievements include the restoration of Protestantism, the preservation of Royal Supremacy, quelling any malicious attack upon her crown and stopping foreign invasion.

    Her place in English history is assured. In her lifetime, she was admired for her popular appeal and cultural potency. Her position in our national story is down to her intelligence and insight. She understood that our identity has always depended upon our ability to absorb other influences without compromising our uniqueness. It is indeed a strange paradox that we are defined by our ambiguity.

    Our lack of clarity ensured our stability and continuity. In contrast other European powers foundered under the constraints of rigidity. Elizabeth sought a pragmatic solution to the religious conflicts that were tearing the continent apart. Her religious settlement was her ambitious attempt to find a middle path between the polar opposites of Catholicism and Protestantism. Her ambitions rapidly bore fruit. Her reforms engendered a sense of national pride which had failed to flower under the bitter and vengeful rule of her sister Queen Mary I.

    The unmarried Queen soon acquired a cult status, and she became an object of veneration. Central to her myth was her inviolability. This inspired poets like Philip Sidney and Edmund Spenser. Spenser was a key figure in the Elizabethan national project, in 1580 he was appointed secretary to the Lord Deputy of Ireland.

    The Queen faced rebellion from her Irish subjects who were implacably opposed to her Protestantism and had instead chosen to ally themselves with her enemies. She decided to grant land to her courtiers to prevent the rebels from establishing a base for their allies in Spain.

    Spenser was given a castle and estates in County Cork. While residing here he composed a remarkable elegy to his beneficent, in the form of the epic and allegorical poem “The Faerie Queene”. He dedicated the poem to her, and honoured her strengths, virtues and distinctly feminine intelligence. These qualities are embodied in the character “Gloriana”, a regal archetype and personification of imperial might.

    Another aspect to our culture is our innate conservatism, and our inclination to pay homage to our past. At the height of Tudor power, allusions were drawn to the court of King Arthur. The Tudor monarchs relied upon legend to cement their popularity, and other mythical figures were invoked, including the supposed founding father of the nation, Brutus. The poets of the era absorbed these conventions in their work.

    Spenser utilises Arthurian myth and legend in the poem to reconstruct his vision of the nation under the reassuring helm of Gloriana herself. Her Empire, unlike the Catholic theocracies across the continent, is free from tyranny and oppression. It is inhabited solely by the brave, the good and the godly. In spite of the threats, her Knights have the courage to defend the Crown, the nation and her people.

    In 1589, Queen Elizabeth I awarded Spenser a pension, however nine years later his castle in Ireland was set on fire during Tyrone’s rebellion. It was burned into the ground, and his youngest child succumbed to the flames and was killed. He returned to England a year later and died from a broken heart. Spenser’s verse is a vital part of the myth of Elizabeth, and his vivid depictions of the glorious Queen continue to inspire us today.