King of the Castle: Famous & Fascinating Royal Dads (ep 60)

For much of royal history, Kings literally ruled. And a King’s primary job description was to ensure peace and prosperity at home, protect against enemies abroad, and secure the succession. Be a judge, be a soldier, be a dad. A King’s success was typically judged against these criteria, at least through the Middle Ages and into the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Then Queens took the throne, which shifted the focus on family roles somewhat. Parliament began to take more control. A constitutional monarchy emerged. Still, the focus on fathers continued well into the 20th century.

We’re going to take a look at five royal fathers: Henry II, Edward III, Henry VIII, Prince Albert, and George VI. For all, we’ll be considering this well-known question: Does father know best?

We start with a first and a second: first Plantagenet King and second husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II. Henry produced many sons and created a dynasty. Not a bad start.

And now on to Edward III. Edward and Philippa produced 13 children, 9 of whom lived to adulthood. He had an impressive five sons, although the descendants' behavior implies that might have been too many.

Next up: Henry VIII, one of the most famous…and infamous…royal fathers. The obsession of his life and his reign was laser focused on the goal of producing a son. So after all that effort to finally have a son, what kind of father was he?

Our next royal father was never King himself, but he was father of a King and some Queens, and grandfather of many royals all across Europe. I’m speaking of Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria.

Our final father is quite recent: George VI, the father of the current Queen. It’s easy to see how George VI’s dedication to his family benefitted his daughters and his nation.

History shows us what's possible.

Transcript

Since Father’s Day is right around the corner in the US, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the royal fathers in history. So today we’ll look at some very famous—and some a bit less famous but still fascinating—fathers in British royal history. They check all the boxes: royals, rebels, and even a few romantics.

            For much of royal history, Kings literally ruled. And a King’s primary job description was to ensure peace and prosperity at home, protect against enemies abroad, and secure the succession. Be a judge, be a soldier, be a dad. A King’s success was typically judged against these criteria, at least through the Middle Ages and into the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Then Queens took the throne, which shifted the focus on family roles somewhat. Parliament began to take more control. A constitutional monarchy emerged. Still, the focus on fathers continued well into the 20th century.

            We’re going to take a look at five royal fathers: Henry II, Edward III, Henry VIII, Prince Albert, and George VI. For all, we’ll be considering this well-known question: Does father know best?

Henry II

            We start with a first and a second: first Plantagenet King and second husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II. Henry’s mother, Matilda, claimed the throne when her father Henry I died in 1135, but her cousin Stephen of Blois was crowned King instead. Henry joined his mother in her battle for the throne, eventually coming to an agreement that Stephen would name him as his heir. When he was 19 he made a very profitable marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. One of the wealthiest heiresses of the time, Eleanor had just annulled her marriage to the King of France. She married Henry eight weeks later. All Eleanor’s lands came with her, which meant Henry now controlled more French land than the French King.

            In 1150, Henry and Eleanor became King and Queen of England. Henry went to work getting things settled in England after years of civil war and chaos. He established the basis for common law and gained authority over the nobility. His efforts to secure the Plantagenet dynasty were matched by Eleanor, who went to work providing heirs. Eleanor and Henry had eight children, seven of whom lived to adulthood—including four sons: Young Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and John.

            So Henry was father of the Plantagenets, and he did that pretty well: getting the country on the right track and creating a dynasty that would last three hundred years. He also had a very respectable number of actual sons: four. So how would he rate as a father?

            As a family man, Henry II was effective early on when it came to producing sons. But as the kids grew up, he lost it a bit. Henry struggled to distribute various parts of the kingdom to his sons, especially to his youngest (and reportedly favorite) son, John. Nicknamed “Lackland” because as the youngest son there wasn’t much land left to give him, John naturally wanted more. To shore up support for his dynasty and the future, Henry II decided to have his heir crowned as a sort of co-ruler. 

            The Young King was frustrated he had the title but nothing to rule, especially when he saw his brother Richard wielding real power as Duke of Aquitaine. Overall discontent with their father was something Henry’s sons could agree on, and in 1173 the boys rebelled against their father—supported and likely egged on by their mother. Henry II was able to put down the rebellion, but it wasn’t exactly an indication of family unity. The King made a show of peace with his sons but not with their mother, committing Eleanor to a variety of prisons for the rest of his life.

            After Young Henry died in 1182, more family trouble broke out. The King agreed Richard would be heir but ordered him to give Aquitaine to John. Richard, who had spent years in the Duchy, refused. Henry ordered Geoffrey and John to take the area by force, but the war ended in a stalemate. Only when the King brought Eleanor into the discussion would Richard agree. Geoffrey died in 1186, leaving only Richard and John to battle over the King’s favor and possessions. When Henry refused to publicly acknowledge Richard as his heir, Richard joined with Philip (son of the French King, his mother’s ex!) to attack Henry’s forces. The King agreed to a compromise with Philip and to recognize Richard as his heir. When he learned favorite son John was on Richard’s side, the King collapsed and died 6 July 1189.

            Both surviving sons took the throne. Richard’s reign is considered very successful, mostly due to the work of his mother Eleanor to burnish his reputation and rule England on his behalf while Richard focused on the Crusades. Richard has gone on to become a popular figure and is often included on lists of top monarchs in English history. He had no children, so after his death in 1199, John took the throne. There has only been one King John, and it’s probably just as well—he is typically considered a bad King and often ends up on the worst monarchs in English history lists.

            So Henry produced many sons and created a dynasty. Not a bad start.

Edward III

            And now on to Edward III. Edward didn’t come from a happy family himself. His mother and father were not on the best of terms, so say the least, and Queen Isabella worked with her special friend Roger Mortimer to depose Edward II and place young Edward III on the throne. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1327 at age 14. Fortunately for him, his mother chose Philippa of Hainault, to be his wife, and that turned out to be an excellent move. Supported by his wife, in 1330 Edward III asserted his own power, executing Mortimer and banishing Isabella. Edward III’s first son Edward was born that year as well.

            Edward and Philippa produced 13 children, 9 of whom lived to adulthood. Among these were four spare heirs: Lionel, John, Edmund, and Thomas. Spoiler alert: you’ll hear these names again.

            Edward’s reign was defined by the Hundred Years’ War with the French, which he instigated when he claimed the throne of France in 1337. In the early part of his reign, he was as successful at the war as he was at everything else. Victories in France! Honor at home! Sons everywhere! Looks like a great candidate for father and King of the century.

            As things went on in a very long reign, it’s not surprising there were some stumbles. After all, if you do anything for 65 years, you’re likely to make mistakes. Things with the war against the French went really well for a while, with impressive victories at Crecy and Calais. But the alliances were costly, and the Black Death struck with a vengeance, wiping out approximately a third of the English population. Military failures piled up in the later years of Edward’s reign. There was political strife at home as well, with the population tired of paying for a war that never ended. 

            Edward started to turn more responsibility over to his sons. Edward, the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, was an extraordinary warrior and is credited with many French victories. During the long campaign at Aquitaine, Prince Edward sustained heavy losses in France, and it seems his brother John of Gaunt was working against him in England. His young son died, and his own health began to deteriorate. Edward Prince of Wales, known as the Black Prince supposedly because he wore black armor, died in September 1376. That meant his son Richard was now heir to the throne.

            King Edward was devastated by his eldest son’s death. As military campaigns abroad failed, discontent at home increased. The King was aging and his health was failing. John of Gaunt was virtually in control of the King’s government, and he was targeted by the Commons and Parliament. In this time of chaos, Edward III died in June 1377. He must have realized his death would make things worse: the new King would be his 10-year old grandson, Richard.

            There were many achievements in the reign of Edward III. He created the Order of the Garter and bolstered the sense of community among the great peers of the land. The reinforcement of the aristocracy led to a sense of national identify, which was supported by early defeats of the French. He was popular throughout his reign. And he certainly provided the nation with ambitious leaders in his many sons.

            Nearly a hundred years after Edward’s death, his descendants would be locked in their own battles against each other. But that, of course, is a story for another day.

Henry VIII

            Next up: Henry VIII, one of the most famous…and infamous…royal fathers. The obsession of his life and his reign was laser focused on the goal of producing a son. To get there, he abandoned one wife, beheaded another, turned the Kingdom upside down and inside out, broke with Rome, declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, and set himself firmly on the road to tyranny. So after all that effort to finally have a son, what kind of father was he?

            Surprisingly, according to contemporary reports, Henry was a more active father early in his reign with his first child, daughter Mary. For years, Henry had a warm relationship with Mary, and there are many descriptions of them spending time together. He also spent some time with Elizabeth after her birth, although not as much. It’s interesting that we just don’t see as many reports of Henry carrying Edward around or spending the kind of time with him that we do with Mary, and to a lesser degree, with Elizabeth.

            But that doesn’t mean Edward wasn’t important to the King. Just the opposite: Edward’s birth is one of the highlights of Henry’s reign. The King staged an elaborate christening ceremony at Hampton Court Palace, going to extreme lengths to have a special structure built so the christening font could be seen by all the people invited to participate. The baby prince was carried to the font in a grand procession that included high-ranking members of the court and clergy, foreign ambassadors, and the prince’s two half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. It was one of the most spectacular events to take place during Henry’s reign.

            Edward received the best of everything—the best care, the best food, the best protection. He had the best teachers the King had to offer. He had the most caring household and most attentive royal staff. Edward’s every wish seems to have been granted, and he was indulged in every way.

            It was a far different experience from that of his sisters, of course. But after Edward’s birth, life seems to have settled for Henry’s daughters as well. The King officially returned both his daughters to the line of succession in the Third Succession Act in 1543. The Act stated that after the death of Edward and any children he might have, and the deaths of any children of the King and Katherine Parr, and the deaths of any children the King might have with any future wife (seriously, Henry?), Mary would be the next in line. After the deaths of Mary and any children she might have, Elizabeth would be next. In addition to establishing this by law, Henry VIII devoted the majority of his will to reinforcing this plan, and then dictating how the succession should continue past Elizabeth and her children. 

            So, eventually, Henry has all three of his legitimate, surviving children in his plan for the succession. And, eventually, all three of them take the throne. This is unprecedented: no other father had all three surviving children take the throne. So was Henry a success as a father after all? He would most certainly say yes. But many of you disagree, as evidenced by the responses I got to the unofficial study I did on social media. 

Prince Albert

            Our next royal father was never King himself, but he was father of a King and some Queens, and grandfather of many royals all across Europe. In fact, had he lived, he might have been called Grandfather of Europe—his wife was definitely called Grandmother of Europe. I’m speaking of Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria.

            When Victoria, King William IV’s niece, came to the throne, the country was ready to see a young couple and children as royal family. Victoria and Albert were married in a grand ceremony in February 1840 at St. James’s Palace. Albert’s role in the royal family was unclear. As Prince Consort, what exactly was he to do? He expressed that concern himself, writing, “I am very happy and contented; but the difficulty in filling my place with the proper dignity is that I am only the husband, not the master in the house.” Victoria was Queen, and in their household that was the title and the person who mattered. However, once Victoria got pregnant, Albert started to take on public roles and become more involved in government business.

            And Victoria was pregnant a lot. Even though she was a very small woman, and pregnancy was still very dangerous for mother and child at this time, Victoria managed to become pregnant and successfully deliver nine children. Between 1840 and 1850, Victoria had seven children. This meant she was either pregnant, recovering from birth, or breastfeeding almost constantly during the first years of her marriage. Some recent historians wonder if the constant motherhood was a way for Albert to create a place for himself and a way to be the master of the house. He certainly took advantage of the Queen’s pregnancies and time bearing and caring for babies to expand his role in government and governing. Albert was a modernizer, and he used his influence to reorganize and streamline the royal household and finances. He became Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and reformed the university curricula. He led reforms in welfare and supported the campaign against slavery. He organized the exhibitions of the Society of Arts into the Great Exhibition of 1851, which proved an international success. 

            His influence was also felt in the family sphere. He oversaw the education of his children. He was particularly devoted to his eldest daughter, Vicky, and appreciated her quick mind and desire to learn. By contrast, his eldest son and Victoria’s heir, Prince Albert the Prince of Wales, did not respond well to the demanding curriculum. The Prince, who was known as “Bertie” to family and friends, was also less serious in his personal life, something that Albert despaired of. He expected his children to embrace his views of happy, productive family life and to take that into their own families.

            Although Prince Albert only lived long enough to see one of his children marry and have children of her own, he and Victoria had a plan for their offspring. Disturbed by the Napoleonic wars and determined to do all he could to prevent such a thing happening again, Albert had a vision of a grand family council of siblings and cousins ruling Europe and beyond. Of course, the problem was that being related doesn’t necessarily mean getting along, and by the time of World War I, the family was torn apart and facing off against each other, with devastating consequences. So, ultimately, mixed results for Albert’s fatherhood.

George VI

            Our final father is quite recent: George VI, the father of the current Queen. Albert Frederick Arthur George, known as Albert or “Bertie” to his family and friends, was born 14 December 1895 at Sandringham during the reign of Queen Victoria. He was fourth in line to the throne, after his grandfather (who would become Edward VII), father (who would become George V), and older brother (who would become Edward VIII). 

            After Edward VII died in 1910, Albert’s father became King, his brother became Prince of Wales, and he became Duke of York. He served in World War I, although his service in combat was limited by illness. However, he continued his training and became the first royal prince to be certified as a fully qualified pilot. After the war, Albert fell in love with Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, youngest daughter of the Earl of Strathmore. He was determined to marry her and proposed. She turned him down twice, not relishing the idea of marrying the Duke of York and becoming a Duchess. But he persisted and eventually prevailed. The pair were married 26 April 1923. The country celebrated the wedding and became enchanted by the young couple. Their first child, Princess Elizabeth, was born in April 1926, and sister Margaret Rose followed in 1930. 

            The family was a happy one, representing the love and acceptance Albert had lacked as a child. The Duke and Duchess were devoted parents, taking their daughters with them on outings and sharing family photos and videos with the public. With the death of George V in 1936, the Prince of Wales became King Edward VIII and Albert became heir to the throne. Most people expected the new King to settle down and find an appropriate wife now that he was on the throne, but they hadn’t factored in his devotion to the woman already in his life, Wallis Simpson. Refusing to give her up, King Edward VIII was issued an ultimatum: Wallis or the crown. The King abdicated, saying he couldn’t face the trials of ruling without the woman he loved.

            So Albert, reluctantly, became King of England. He took the royal name George and was crowned King George VI on 12 May 1937 (the day originally planned for the coronation of Edward VIII). With war looming, the country in chaos, and the monarchy at risk, George had an unenviable task before him. He relied on his sense of dedication and duty, his deep religious belief, and the love and support of his family.

            The King’s family was clearly his top priority. He referred to them as “us four,” and continued to keep them close throughout his reign. He was dedicated to preparing his daughter, Elizabeth, for the day she would eventually take the throne. Knowing the fear or being unprepared himself, he wanted Elizabeth to be confident when the time came.

            During the war, the royal family represented a sense of commitment that echoed the duty of the King. When asked if the two Princesses would be evacuated away from London during the worst of the bombing, the Queen replied, “The children will not go unless I do. I shall not leave without the King. And the King will not leave under any circumstances whatever.” 

            The King is said to have described Elizabeth as his “pride” and Margaret as his “joy.” When Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten in 1947, the King wrote her a personal letter about his feelings of pride as he walked her down the aisle. “I have watched you grow up all those years with pride under the skillful direction of Mummy…who, as you know, is the most marvelous person in the world in my eyes, and I can, I know, always count on you, and now Philip, to help us in our work.” He closes by saying how much he’ll miss her and asking her to come back as often as possible.

            It’s easy to see how George VI’s dedication to his family benefitted his daughters and his nation. The Queen, the nation’s longest-reigning monarch and someone who has weathered her share of trials and challenges, has always credited her father as an inspiration for dedication and service.

            So who is your choice for best royal father? We’ve seen a few rebels and at least one real romantic among the royals. Thank you for joining me. Next week, we’re flipping it a bit to consider what happens when the King dies young and the child comes to the throne too soon. Missing fathers, and their impact, next week! See you then.