The Kings and Queens podcast

Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte holds a unique distinction. He became the first President of France in 1848 before becoming its last monarch when he ruled as Emperor between 1852-1870 founding the second French empire. He oversaw the modernisation of the French economy, the grand reconstruction of Paris, considerable social reform, further colonisation overseas and renewed rivalries in Europe. The impact of his rule would be felt deep into the 20th century. I was lucky enough to speak to Sam, my British housemate who grew up in France about Napoleon III.

Contemporary poet and critic Leigh Hunt described George IV (1820-30) as a violator of his word, a libertine, over head and ears in debt, a disgrace, a despiser of domestic ties, the companion of demi-reps and gamblers without a single claim on the gratitude of his country, nor the respect of posterity. 

Characters

Maria Fitzherbert – illegitimate Catholic wife of George

Charles James Fox – Whig statesman and friend of George

Henry Hunt – radical speaker and agitator

John Nash – Architect

James Gilray – contemporary cartoonist

Napoleon Bonaparte – Emperor of France

Richard II – King of England (1377-99)

The US declaration of Independence described George III (1760-1820) as “marked by every act which may define a tyrant.” At home he was described as one of the most conscientious sovereigns who ever sat upon the English throne. Yet, he vehemently opposed catholic emancipation and the abolition of slavery. His characterisations are almost as broad as the events that unfolded during long reign. It saw an independent United States and a revolutionary France. It saw the age of enlightenment, the age of industry, science and technology and the age of imperialism that would see Europe reach the peak of its global power.

George III – King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain (1760-1820) and Ireland (1801-20)

France

Maximillien Robespierre – leading Jacobin revolutionary

United States

Thomas Paine – English-born American revolutionary activist

Prime Ministers

Thomas Gray – British poet and scholar

George II's (1727-60) temper was warm and impetuous but was good natured and sincere. He was unskilled in royal of talent of dissimulation, he always was what he appeared to be. He might offend but he never deceived. What you saw was what you got. Could Britain’s second Hanoverian king provide calm composure against the immense challenges presented by a new Jacobite claimant and the first true global conflict in an unforgiving environment led by burgeoning prime ministers? 

Characters

George II – King of Great Britain, Elector of Hanover (1727-60)

Anne – Queen of Great Britain (1702-14)

James Stuart (the Old Pretender) – son of James II and Jacobite pretender

Mary Bellenden – mistress of George II

Robert Jenkins – Welsh mariner who sparked the War of Jenkin’s Ear

Elizabeth Montagu – social reformer and literary critic

Credits

Music for the Royal Fireworks – George Frideric Handel

Author Simon Jenkins described the Georgian kings not as monarchs but as princelings, who came to power not by the sword or politics but merely descent from a distant protestant mistress. They were mostly bewigged, powdered non-entities who couldn’t even control their own children, nor say boo to a goose.

The first, George I (1714-27), faced a perilous threat from the moment he stepped on British shores, the shadow of the Jacobites was widening. The foreigner would need to heavily rely upon his new British statesmen to ensure the House of Hanover would survive.

Characters

George I – King of Great Britain (1702-27), Elector of Hanover (1698-27)

Count Christoph von Konigsmarck – lover of Sophia Dorothea

Robert Walpole – British statesman, first de facto Prime Minister of Great Britain

James Stuart ‘the Old Pretender’ – chief Jacobite claimant to the British throne

George Frideric Handel – Baroque composer

Louis XIV – King of France (1643-1715)

William III – King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1689-1702)

Simon Jenkins – historian

Credits

Suite in D major – The Water Music – George Frideric Handel

Anne (1702-14) was described as stubborn, miserable, weak-willed, vapid, grossly obese. A woman of ordinary character. Yet, she became the first Queen of Great Britain. Her reign would have long-lasting consequences, the establishment of the Bank of England meant the nation was now punching above its weight. The nation became the military force not seen since the days of Edward III and Henry V. Within the fledgling kingdom of Great Britain, the economic and political base was built for the golden age of the 18th century.

Characters

Mary II – Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (1689-94), sister of Anne

Sarah Churchill, duchess of Marlborough – courtier of Anne, keeper of the privy purse

Prince Eugene of Savoy – field marshal in the Holy Roman Empire

Daniel Defoe – writer, journalist and spy

Credits

The Prince of Denmark’s march – Jeremiah Clarke

William III (1689-1702) had limited interest in the affairs of England, Scotland and Ireland. His interest lay in keeping the King of France at bay and would use England as weapon to achieve his goals. It was perhaps the king’s indifference that allowed parliament to gain permanent supremacy over the nation leading to a remarkable transformation in the political and religious affairs of England. During William's reign, along with Mary II (1689-94) the parliamentary state was established, to this day it remains the enduring feature of the British political system.

Mary I – Queen of England (1553-58)

Credits

James II of England and VII of Scotland (1685-59) followed in the footsteps of his predecessors. He too, struggled with the scope and nature of government. He believed it his duty as a Roman Catholic prince to level the religious playing field and did not learn the lessons of the civil war. He woefully underestimated the power of parliament. His rule saw the beginnings of the modern British state and the ultimate death knell of absolute monarchy.

Characters

James II of England and VII of Scotland

Oliver Cromwell – 1st Lord Protector of the English commonwealth

Titus Oates – English priest and fabricator of the Popish plot

William of Orange – Prince of Orange, husband of Princess Mary

Mary I – Queen of England and Ireland (1553-58)

John Callow – Historian

CREDITS

Courante – Henry Eccles

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Charles II (1660-85) was described by Ronald Hutton as the playboy monarch, naughty but nice, the hero of all who prized urbanity, tolerance, good humour, and the pursuit of pleasure above more earnest, sober or material virtues. Yet, like his grandfather he struggled to pay for it. Though Restoration England brought a new respect and freedom to the monarchy, the country had survived 11 years without the crown. He would test the patience of the establishment when his lifestyle and his faith drew him to the webs of Catholic Europe.

Characters

Charles II – King of England, Scotland and Ireland

Oliver Cromwell – Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland (1653-58)

The CABAL - Lord Clifford, Earl of Arlington, Duke of Buckingham, Lord Ashley, Duke of Lauderdale

Nell Gwynne - mistress of Charles II

William Harvey – physician and tutor of Charles II

Louis XIV – King of France, cousin of Charles II

Samuel Pepys – Diarist and President of the Royal society

Figures from the past

Elizabeth II – Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms (1952-present)

CREDITS

Henry Purcell – The Old Bachelor

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The Commonwealth of England - 1649-60

Characters

John Morrill – Historian

Edward the Confessor – King of England (1042-66)

Credits

chamonesteyn brush-strokes-on-a-canvas