Mother's Day in Monaco

June 17 is Mother's Day in the Principality of Monaco and HSH Princess Stephanie marked the day by visiting new mothers and their babies at the Princess Grace Hospital.

MM Video: British Monarchs

Consort Profile: Queen Catherine of Aragon

One of the greatest English queen-consorts and a longtime favorite of mine Queen Catherine of Aragon was a 'woman among women' and it would be hard to imagine how she could be capable of such inner strength, such devotion, tenacity and even forgiveness and even fighting spirit without keeping in mind that she was very much her mother's daughter and that mother happened to be the formidable Queen Isabella of Castile. She was born in 1485 even as her parents Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile were fighting the last battles of la Reconquista; the longest war in history, to liberate Spain from the Moors. From an early age her character was shaped by two guiding forces; her fervent Catholicism and her betrothal to HRH Arthur, Prince of Wales, son and heir of King Henry VII of England. She thus saw it as her lifelong destiny to be Queen of England.

Unlike other girls of her era Isabella inisted that Catherine be extremely well educated and capable of being a monarch in her own right as she was. In 1501 Catherine and Arthur were married, both at a very tender age, but the two never lived together fully as husband and wife before Prince Arthur died of disease in 1502. This left Catherine in limbo and soon she was reduced to poverty at the hands of her miserly father-in-law. This only changed when King Henry VII died and his younger son became King Henry VIII. The new monarch decided that he would marry Catherine and after obtaining a papal dispensation the two were wed in 1509. From her first arrival she was beloved by the English people and their esteem for her only grew over time. As Queen consort her primary duty was to produce an heir to the throne but this proved extremely problematic. In 1511 she gave birth to a son but the boy, named Henry after his father, lived for only 52 days.

Nonetheless, Catherine was a hard working, learned and religious Queen who quite capably acted as regent for her husband while Henry VIII was away on the continent renewing the war with France. It was during this time that the Scots under King James IV invaded northern England and Queen Catherine met the crisis with courage and cool determination that would have made her mother proud. The army she sent north inflicted a crushing defeat on the Scots at the battle of Flodden in which James IV was killed. Catherine sent her husband the cloak of the late King of Scots as a trophy of her victory in his absence. She was also constantly furthering her own education and growing in her own faith. Yet, bearing children continued to be problematic. Numerous painful pregnancies ended with only one surviving child, Princess Mary, who was Catherine's pride and joy.

Eventually Henry, who had numerous mistresses, became infatuated with Ann Boleyn (sister to one of his previous mistresses) but Ann was not content to be used as her sister had been and demanded that Henry make her his wife and queen. Doubts were cast on the validity of his decades long marriage to Catherine and Ann also introduced the King to the new religious ideas of Protestantism of which he particularly favored the theory that the King, rather than the Pope, held final power over the Church as well as the state. Finally, Henry, who was totally infatuated with Ann Boleyn, became determined to divorce his older and long suffering wife and demanded that Catherine go away quietly and agree to an annulment by the Church. Catherine bravely refused, not only for herself, but to protect her daughter from being declared a bastard. Knowing that the clerics in England would bend to Henry's will (as all but the Bishop of Rochester did) she appealed her case to Rome and Pope Clement VII.

At the time Rome was occupied by the forces of the King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who happened to be Catherine's nephew. Obviously the Pope was not eager to risk the wrath of Charles but he also did not want to offend Henry who had heretofore been a loyal if not devout Catholic; who had even been given the title "Defender of the Faith" for his vehement condemnation of Lutheranism. In the end, the facts could not be denied and the Pope ruled in Catherine's favor. In the eyes of the Church she was Henry's true and only wife till death should they part. Henry VIII was not a man to be thwarted however, and though Catherine had seemed to win the day, he did something no one had thought he would have ever dared to do. Henry VIII broke with Rome and declared himself Supreme Head on earth of the Church of England. The people were outraged and the vast majority sided with Catherine as the faithful wife who had been wronged. They had nothing but hatred for Ann Boleyn whom they regarded as a home-wrecker who had bewitched the King in her ambitious grasp for the role of Queen.

Undoubtedly Catherine could have commanded a significant rebellion on her behalf by her sympathizers and those who refused to give up the Catholic faith in favor of the new government religion. Emperor Charles V also promised to invade England at once should his beloved aunt only give the word but this Catherine refused to do. Even while she was locked away under house arrest she refused all offers of rescue or rebellion on the grounds that she would not be the cause of any further suffering on the part of her English people. To the frustration of Henry, however, she refused to stop calling herself his true wife and Queen. Kept away from her daughter she finally died in 1536, forgiving Henry and worrying for his salvation with her last breaths. The King buried her as a dowager Princess of Wales rather than a Queen of England. He did not attend the funeral nor would he allow their daughter to. Catherine's life was over but her influence would be felt in English history long after her death even if she is one of the more overlooked of the famous 6 wives of Henry VIII.

MM Video: The Kings & Queens of Romania

Cinema Royals

JUAREZ (1939) Starring Paul Muni, Bette Davis and Brian Aherne is probably the most well known film on the subject of the French intervention in Mexico, Maximilian and Juarez. It is a classic piece from the Golden Age of Hollywood and much more than simply a biopic of Benito Juarez. Paul Muni is the intended star as Benito Juarez but it is Brian Aherne as Emperor Maximilian who steals the show and has the most screen time. Muni balked at this and had more scenes for himself put in but lingering on his wooden portrayal only serves to slow the film down whenever he appears. Despite bending the truth considerably to portray Juarez in a favorable light Emperor Maximilian still comes off as a sympathetic character. Also on hand are John Garfield as General Porfirio Diaz and Donald Crisp as Marshal Achille de Bazaine. Claude Rains delivers a typically brilliant and villainous portrayal as Emperor Napoleon III. The film leaves no doubt as to who the viewer is supposed to be rooting for with a succession of ham-fisted efforts to portray Juarez as a secular saint but the character is so dull and the story of Maximilian and Carlota (played by Bette Davis) is so much more interesting that the film really revolves around them. Bette Davis also offers up a brilliant portrayal of the doomed empress and her descent into madness must stand out as one of her greatest moments on film ever. Those interested in the period cannot afford to overlook this film no matter which side you are on in the republican-monarchist debate.

MM Video: African Kings

Monarchist Profile: Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau

Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau was a French adventurer who played a leading role in the rise to power of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam. Born in Brittany in 1769 he drifted east and was enlisted in the mercenary army of Father Pierre Pigneau de Behaine to fight alongside the forces of Prince Nguyen-Phuc Anh. He came to Vietnam with the padre in 1794 and joined in the grand campaign wherein the foreign troops were particularly helpful in naval and artillery roles and it was in such a role that Chaigneau distinguished himself in the naval attack on Thi Nai.

In 1802 the war ended with success for the Nguyen and Prince Anh was crowned as Emperor Gia Long. The new monarch was a man as generous to his friends as he was harsh toward his enemies and Chaigneau was awarded the rank of a mandarin, roughly in the middle of the scholar-gentry hierarchy of Confucian Vietnam. Chaigneau stayed at court to serve Emperor Gia Long and was soon raised to the status of Grand Mandarin with the honor of a 50-man escort. He also married a Vietnamese lady, Ho Thi Hue, from a prominent Catholic Viet family. As he continued his service he took the name Nguyen Van Thang and was made an advisor to the Emperor who sought to utilize his foreign officials in dealing with the Europeans who were feared as much as admired.

Eventually he returned to France and was made the first French consul in Cochinchina, their name for the far south of Vietnam. However, his situation, and those of Europeans in general in Vietnam, changed with the passing of Gia Long and the accession of Emperor Minh Mang. The new monarch favored closer ties with China and the rejection of all ties with Europe. Chaigneau proposed a treaty between France and Vietnam but Minh Mang rejected it. As tension increased between the court in Hue and all foreigners Chaigneau was finally obliged to leave Vietnam for good and return to France where he died in 1832 in Lorient.

MM Video: The Nguyen Dynasty

Prince of Hanover Back in Court

HRH Prince Ernst August V of Hanover is back in court again for an appeal of the case from 2004 in which he was accused of beating a hotel owner in Kenya (no comment yet if he is related to Barack Obama). Prince Ernst August's wife, Princess Caroline of Monaco, will likely be called to testify as a witness to the event. The Prince of Hanover has admitted to hitting the hotel owner but denies that he was as violent or extreme as the man claims. The hotel owner claims that the Prince hit him repeatedly, with a "ring" that left bruises and caused him to have to go to the emergency room. Oh, puh-leez! Is this guy up for "Drama Queen of the Year" award? The Prince of Hanover says he slapped the guy, lightly, and that is all. He also has witnesses who will verify his version of the story. To me, this sounds like a trumped up accusation by the hotel owner who is looking for some easy cash. True, the Hanoverian heir has had problems in the past with alcohol and his temper but this sounds to me like the Prince was being targeted, possibly for that very reason. Prince Ernst August V of Hanover is a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and a great-grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Royal Anthem Series: XXIII Vatican City State

The Vatican City State is home to the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church, the Holy See, and is a neutral, micro-state, absolute theocratic-monarchy within the city of Rome. The current sovereign of Vatican City is HH Pope Benedict XVI. Vatican City has existed since 1929 when Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with the Kingdom of Italy. Technically the Vatican State has no national anthem though what is usually taken for one is the official papal anthem.

The Papal Anthem: The Pontifical March

Royal Guardians Profile: Den Kongelige Livgarde

The Danish Royal Life Guards are a unit of the Royal Danish Army charged with the security of the royal family and their residences. The Lifeguard is a palace guard with all of the parade ground precision and spit and polish one would expect of the guardians of Europe's oldest monarchy, however, they are also a front-line combat regiment that serves on Danish military missions overseas. HM King Frederick III founded the Lifeguards in 1658 as a royal body guard and a line infantry regiment. Since that time the Royal Lifeguard has seen service on a wide variety of battlefields in numerous wars throughout the history of Denmark such as the Great Northern War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Schleswig Wars, the German occupation of Denmark and more recently in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

While not on active service the Royal Lifeguard provides security details at Hovelte, Rosenborg Castle and Kastellet in Copenhagen and a detachment is always on duty at the primary Danish royal residence of Amalienborg Palace. Sometimes the Royal Lifeguard also stands duty at Fredensborg Palace, Marselisborg Palace, Grasten Palace, Christiansborg Palace and other areas across Denmark as needed. Tourists flock to Amalienborg to watch the changing of the guard and the troops cut an impressive figure in their dark blue tunics, tall bearskin busbies and French sabers. On the rare occasions that full dress is called for they were bright red tunics that cause them to bear more than a passing resemblance to the famous Grenadier Guards of Britain.

Today there are two battalions of the Royal Lifeguard, one of which is a training battalion and the other an armored infantry battalion. Over the years many princes of Denmark have served in the ranks of the Royal Lifeguard and that tradition has continued to the present day. When Crown Prince Frederick served his tour of duty with the army he served in the Royal Lifeguard and worked his way up to the rank of sergeant before his time was up.

MM Video: The House of Grimaldi

Monarch Profile: Emperor Gwangmu of Korea

With all of the problems concerning North Korea lately I thought it would be a good time to deviate from my planned blog post and make Korean Emperor Gwangmu the monarch profile for today. Gwangmu (aka Gojong) was the 26th King and 1st Emperor of Korea from the Yi dynasty of the Chosen people. Born in 1852 Gwangmu came to the Korean throne as a child following the suspicious death of the pitiful Emperor Cheolijong in 1864. His father served as regent on his behalf until 1873. During the regency of his father, Prince Heungseon Daewongun, the government of Korea pursued a policy of strict isolation with the western world and carried out a number of persecutions against Catholic missionaries and native converts. These policies led to difficult confrontations, first with the 2nd Empire of France in 1866 and the United States in 1871.

In the years that followe Japan forced Korea to open up and fought the First Sino-Japanese War which effectively ended the era of Korea as a vassal kingdom of the Great Qing Empire. The efforts of Gwangmu to modernize the country caused some problems and overall was a case of 'too little too late' as Japanese power in Korea increased. In 1896 the situation became so severe that King Gojong and the Crown Prince had to flee to the Russian legation in Seoul from which he governed for about a year. The following year Gojong declared the total independence of Korea from China by proclaiming Korea an empire and took the reigning title of Emperor Gwangmu. The Japanese opposed this move and the seemingly close ties between the Korean Emperor and the Russians. From 1904 to 1905 the Russo-Japanese War raged and the resulting victory of Japan spelled the end of Korean independence as Japan forced a protectorate treaty on the empire. Emperor Gwangmu tried to oppose this and attempted to gain international support for the independent Korean Empire but it was to no avail.

Because of his efforts to thwart their domination of his country the Japanese forced Emperor Gwangmu to abdicate in 1907 with the throne passing to his son Emperor Sunjong. In 1910 the last pretense of Korean independence was removed when Japan annexed Korea. Emperor Gwangmu lived under Japanese house arrest at the Deoksu Palace until his death in 1919. Immediately rumors spread that he had been poisoned by the Japanese. In any event, Korea remained a province of Japan until 1945 when the country was partitioned as it has remained ever since. Thus, Emperor Gwangmu was the last Korean leader of a united Korea.

Royal Anthem Series: XXII Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy located on the British Isles off the northern coast of Europe. At one point the U.K. was the most powerful country in the world with the British Empire ruling over roughly a quarter of the entire earth's surface and population. The reigning monarch is HM Queen Elizabeth II. The national anthem of Great Britain is "God Save the Queen". This is also the royal anthem of various Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica and is one of the two national anthems of New Zealand. It has proven to be a very popular song and tune in monarchies around the world.

The British National Anthem: God Save the Queen

The Marquis de Lafayette

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette is probably still the most famous Frenchman to have a place in American history. It was on this day in 1777 that he arrived in South Carolina to join the revolutionary cause. The teenage marquis was quickly given the rank of major general in the Continental Army and made an aide-de-camp to General George Washington. At the outset he had more libertarian zeal than practical military ability but he was not lacking courage and over time distinguished himself on a number of battlefields and was wounded in his very first real fight at the battle of Brandywine. Washington was extremely fond of Lafayette and the two were described as being as close as father and son. During the war Lafayette returned to France for a time to lobby the government of King Louis XVI to aid the colonial cause. Unfortunately for the ancien regime such support finally came.

His service in America made Lafayette an icon of the revolutionary crowd and he was a liberal to his very core. However, he was not a radical or even much of a revolutionary when it came to his own country and the prospect of spilling French blood. Once back in France, following the eruption of the revolution his popularity was not to last long. The treasonous clique that took power made him commander of the National Guard but his star declined from there as the radical Jacobins accused him of being a royalist. Truth be told, Lafayette was not a sincere royalist in the depths of his soul; his only cause was a vague, utopian "liberty" but he did remain, throughout his time in France, firmly in the camp of those who favored a constitutional monarchy rather than a revolutionary republic.

Lafayette was also, unlike many of his compatriots in the American Revolution, a fervent abolitionist who opposed slavery in any and all cases from start to finish. He favored many of the principles of the republican crowd but he never supported violent methods to champion them nor did he see the monarchy as inherently evil as most republicans did. During the initial war against Austria he got into trouble by writing to his enemies about the possibility of making peace and restoring order in France under the constitutional monarchy. However, the Queen did not support the plan and when the radicals got wind of it Lafayette was swiftly declared a traitor for his orders to the National Guard to defend the constitution and the monarchy. He tried to escape to America via Holland but was captured by the Austrians.

It was only after Napoleon seized power that Lafayette was able to return to France but he remained firmly out of politics refusing to support Napoleon or to actively oppose him. He toured America again where he was still greatly celebrated and he returned to France prior to the July Revolution at which time he was offered the post of dictator but declined the offer in favor of making Louis-Phillipe "King of the French". He was made National Guard commander again until his calls for the abolition of slavery got him in trouble again. Nonetheless, when he died the King of the French buried him with full military honors to be outdone only by the mourning ordered by the Congress of the United States. Had I been in France at the time of Lafayette, his position would have been too lukewarm for me. However, he should not be categorized with the worst elements of the revolution and perhaps his ways would be more acceptable to French monarchists today as a more "realistic" strategy for restoration. Monarchists in any and all cases should focus on the ultimate goal and not allow differences of strategy to divide us.

MM Video: The Papal Monarchy

Royal Anthem Series: XXI Portugal

The Kingdom of Portugal was a constitutional monarchy on the Iberian Peninsula which existed from 1139 to 1910. The last monarch was His Majesty King Manuel II and the current (most widely recognized) heir to the throne is Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza.

The National Anthem of the Kingdom of Portugal: O Hino da Carta

The Danish Succession Referendum

As most of you probably know the Kingdom of Denmark recently held a referendum on their succession which resulted in a large majority (80%+) in favor of changes to do away with male premogeniture as has been done in other liberal European monarchies (such as Sweden) in recent years. Let me begin by saying that I have nothing against women royals or female monarchs. In fact, it often seems to me that there are more women monarchs and consorts among my list of favorites than men. In Denmark, Queen Margrethe II herself is a fine example as she does and always has done an admirable job as Queen and has always been among my favorites amongst monarchs of the 'living minority'. However, all that being said, were I a voter in Denmark this past week I would most definitely have had to vote "no".

Upon looking into the issue further I found that there were some elements (conservative youth - God bless them) who opposed the bill with the same line of reasoning I would: it is absurd to try to make a monarchy, based on hereditary succession, "fair". The claim that male premogeniture was "unfair" to females never made sense to me. Is not equal premogeniture "unfair" to younger children? Isn't the Danish monarchy "unfair" to absolutely every Dane that isn't of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg? Furthermore, even in monarchies that have scrapped the traditional system of succession I still see no gender equality. When a woman marries a King she becomes Queen but when a man married a Queen he does not become King. Likewise when a girl marries a prince she becomes a princess but when a guy marries a princess he does not automatically become a prince. How "fair" is that?

It was also interesting for me to learn that those on the opposite extreme in Denmark also wanted to end the requirement that royal marriages obtain government approval (which I wouldn't have much of a problem with) and allow for illegitimate children to have succession rights (which I would have a big problem with). Thankfully there is enough common sense in Denmark for that to happen and the country is monarchist enough that no serious debate yet exists on the monarchy itself, yet I see efforts to make the system "fair" as chipping away at the institution and setting a rather dangerous precedent. Monarchy is unfair, life is unfair -get used to it. Here's an astounding fact experience can speak to as well: republicanism is unfair too. Granting power based on a popularity contest seems even more absurd to me than granting it based on tradition. "Fairness" these days, is all too often a code word used by revolutionary republicans and it should send up a red flag for all loyalists around the world.

Long live the Queen of Denmark and God save Europe's oldest monarchy!

Happy Portugal Day

Today is Portugal Day, the date chosen to commemorate the death of Luis de Camoes in 1580. He is best remembered for a poem of his which celebrated the glories and accomplishments of the Kingdom of Portugal. Since (following the triumph of the revolutionary republicans) the fortunes of Portugal have significantly declined, it is easy to forget the multitude of gigantic accomplishments the Portuguese kingdom made to the world. The Portuguese, starting with the patronage of the legendary Prince Henry the Navigator, were trailblazers in global exploration, navigation and cartography. Camoes himself was party to some of these early voyages of exploration and lost an eye after being shipwrecked in what is now Vietnam.

People today do not consider Portugal to be a major power but there is a great deal of history they are forgetting about. When they think of Portugal they think of things like wine and cork trees. When I think of Portugal the first thing I think of is the statue of St Anthony that the country gave to the city of my birth San Antonio which today stands alongside the San Antonio River on the beautiful Paseo del Rio. However, after that, I think of the country that introduced Europe to the wider world, the country that was first to have a global empire and the last to lose it; I think of the country that discovered and settled Brazil, mapped the coasts of Africa, discovered the Cape of Good Hope, were first to trade with India, Indonesia and even Japan. I think of the country that circled the globe and made Europe aware of diverse peoples across South America, Africa and Asia.

Today about the only thing people seem to remember about the Portuguese Empire is the slave trade. The fact is that the Portuguese never even attempted to conquer huge amounts of territory and rule large groups of people. Their colonial empire was based on trade rather than conquering huge swathes of territory. A little history review for the unfamiliar; the first King of Portugal was Afonso I who secured the country from Leon and the Moors and was recognized by the Pope. Early on the country signed a treaty with England, the oldest alliance in Europe. Prince Henry the Navigator spurred Portugal into becoming a great seapower and the world leader in exploration and trade. Over the years that followed Portugal became a major commercial and educational center in Europe and one of the richest countries in Europe. The Portuguese empire stretched from Brazil, the Azores, all around the coast of Africa and the Persian Gulf to India, Indonesia, China and Japan.

Fortunese declined somewhat following the death of the legendary King Sebastian after which a succession crisis arose. The Spanish Hapsburgs later absorbed Portugal but independence was restored by King John IV of the current House of Braganza. More problems, some due to bad ministers and some simply unavoidable natural disasters caused further decline throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries. All of the bad elements came together in the early 20th Century when King Manuel II was overthrown in 1910 and the First Republic declared. The era that followed was one of political chaos and religious persecution which lasted more or less until the rise of the "New State" under the corporatist Salazar. After another revolution brought his regime down the last significant elements of the Portuguese empire were given up, the last being the Chinese port of Macau in 1999. The Mad Monarchist wishes all Portuguese a happy Portugal Day and encourage all to struggle on for the day that the Kingdom and the greatness of Portugal is restored.

MM Video: Maximilian and Carlota