The year 1814 not only marks the end of the Napoleonic Wars, but also ushers in the era of constitutional monarchies. No longer could Kings and Queens of Britain, or emperors of France, wield absolute power. This drastic transformation forced monarchs to come to terms with their diminished powers, and to reign rather than to rule. This much is intuitive. And much of it is even codified in the constitutional laws of Britain. 

But what is not so intuitive is the power left to constitutional monarchs, such as Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth II. 

My guest is Dr. Heidi Mehrkens of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. She explains that constitutional monarchs have been practicing the fine art of soft power. It's a balancing act to be accessible to the people - but not too accessible. So monarchs show their normalness, like their normal families. This practice dates back to 1837 in Britain, the year Queen Victoria began her reign. The surprising aspect of this power, though less than absolute power, is that it has connected the monarchs to their people. This was not at all the case prior to the 1789 French Revolution.  

Dr. Mehrkens has many stories to share with us in this episode, such as tourism of monarchy and a prince who thought he would never die - because he was the heir to the throne. 

To learn more about Dr. Mehrkens, listen to this podcast and also visit his academic homepage.

Below, are links to other episodes about climate:

S2E19: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Dr. Frost

S2E22: Finland's Wars With Russia, Dr. Lavery

S2E28: Hungary's History, Dr. Nemes

I hope you enjoy these episodes.

Adel

Host of the History Behind News podcast

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