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EDWARD VII
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See also:EDWARD VII . (See also:ALBERT EDWARD) (1841-1910), See also: In November 1858 he was made a See also:knight of the Garter and a See also:colonel in the See also:army. In 1859 he travelled in See also:Italy and See also:Spain, and in 186o paid a visit as " Lord See also:Renfrew " to the See also:United States and See also:Canada.
Upon the completion of his Cambridge course in See also:June 1861 he joined the See also:camp at the See also:Curragh. The prince consort died on the 13th of December, and in 1862 the prince of Wales went for a tour in the See also:Holy See also:Land (February–June) under the guidance of See also:Arthur See also:Penrhyn See also:Stanley, afterwards See also:dean of See also:Westminster. See also:Early in 1863 he was sworn of the privy See also:council, and took his seat in the See also:House of Lords as See also:duke of See also:Cornwall. The See also:estate of See also:Sandringham, in See also:Norfolk, was See also:purchased for him out of the savings of his minority, and his See also:town See also:residence was fixed at See also:Marlborough House.
His impending See also:marriage to the princess Alexandra, daughter of See also:Christian IX., king of See also:Denmark (b. December 1, 1844), had already been announced, and took See also:place on the loth of See also: Queen Victoria remained in retirement, but they filled her place at important public functions. The prince's readiness to promote every worthy cause was most marked; no one was a more See also:constant attendant at meetings for See also:objects of public utility of a non-See also:political nature, and his speeches were always characterized by excellent sense. The most important See also:external event . of these years was a tour to See also:Egypt, undertaken in 1869 in See also:company with the duke of See also:Sutherland, See also:Sir See also:Samuel See also:Baker and others, an See also:account of which was published by Mrs See also: In March 1875 it was officially announced that he would make a visit to India, carrying out an See also:idea originally conceived by the first See also:Indian See also:viceroy, Earl See also:Canning. He was supposed to travel as See also:heir-apparent, not as representative of the queen; but the characters could not be kept apart, and in fact the prince's visit was a political event of great importance. Leaving See also:England on See also:October 11, he was received at Bombay by the viceroy, Lord See also:Northbrook. Here he met a very large number of Indian feudatory princes, whose acquaintance he subsequently improved by visiting at their courts during the seventeen See also:weeks which he spent in the country. During these four months the prince travelled nearly 8000 m. by land and 2500 M. by See also:sea, became acquainted with more rajahs than had all the viceroys who had reigned over India, and saw more of the country than any living Englishman. The visit led up to the queen's See also:assumption of the See also:title of empress of India in the following year.
The prince's life after this date was full of conspicuous public appearances. In 1885 he visited Ireland at a time of much political excitement, and was received enthusiastically in many quarters and without symptoms of See also:ill-will in any. In 1886 he filled the See also:presidency of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, opened the See also:Mersey See also:Tunnel, and laid the first See also: In 1890 he opened the Forth Bridge. On the 14th of January 1892, however, a heavy See also:blow See also:fell upon him and his house by the See also:death of his eldest son, Prince Albert Victor, duke of Clarence, after a brief illness. The See also:young prince, who with his brother George had made the tour of the See also:world (1879-1882) in H.M.S. "Bacchante," and after a See also:short career at Oxford and Cambridge was just settling down to play his See also:part in public life, had recently become engaged to Princess Victoria Mary of See also:Teck (b. May 26, 1867), and the popularity of the heir to the See also:crown had been increased by the expression of his See also:satisfaction at his son's See also:bride being an See also:English princess. On the 6th of July 1893 the broken See also:thread was reunited by her marriage to Prince George, duke of York.
The year 1894 was a busy one for the prince of Wales, who became a member of the royal See also:commission on the See also:housing of the poor, opened the Tower Bridge, attended.the Welsh See also:Eisteddfod and was duly initiated, and paid two visits to Russia—one for the marriage of the grand-duchess See also:Xenia, the other for the funeral of the See also:tsar, his brother-in-See also:law. In 1896 he became first See also:chancellor of the university of Wales, and his first See also:act after his See also:installation at See also:Aberystwyth was to confer an honorary degree upon the princess. He had already been for some years a trustee of the British Museum. On the 22nd of July 1896 his daughter, Princess Maud, was married to Prince See also: In December 1899, while passing through See also:Brussels on his way to St Petersburg, he was fired at by a miserable lad named Sipido, crazed by See also:reading anarchist literature. Fortunately no injury was done. It was the especial distinction of Albert Edward, while prince of Wales, to have been a substantial support of the See also:throne before he was called upon to fill it. This cannot be said of any of his predecessors except Edward the See also:Black Prince. He was exemplary in the See also:discharge of his public duties, and in his scrupulous detachment from party politics. He was a keen See also:patron of the See also:theatre, and his thoroughly British See also:taste for See also:sport was as pronounced as.his inclination for most of the contemporary amusements of society. The " Tranby See also:Croft Case "(1890), in which Sir William See also:Gordon See also:Cumming brought an unsuccessful See also:libel See also:action for having been accused of See also:cheating at a See also:game of See also:baccarat, caused some comment in connexion with the prince's See also:appearance in the See also:witness-See also:box on behalf of the defendants. But it did him no disservice with the See also:people to have twice won the See also:Derby with his horses See also:Persimmon (1896) and See also:Diamond Jubilee (i9oo)—his third victory, in 1909, with Minoru, being the first occasion on which the See also:race had been won by a reigning See also:sovereign; and his See also:interest in yacht-racing was conspicuously shown at all the important See also:fixtures, his yacht " Britannia " being one of the best of her day. His activity in the life of the nation may be illustrated by his See also:establishment (1897) of the Prince of Wales's (afterwards King Edward's) See also:Hospital Fund, his devotion ter the cause of See also:Masonry (he was first elected grand See also:master of the Freemasons of England in 1874), and his position as a bencher of the See also:Middle See also:Temple, where he also became (1887) treasurer. On the death of Queen Victoria on the 22nd of January 19o1, the question what title the new king would assume was speedily set at See also:rest by the popular announcement that he would be called Edward the Seventh. The new reign began auspiciously by the holding of a privy council at St James's Palace, at which the king announced his intention to follow in his predecessor's footsteps and to govern as a constitutional sovereign, and received the oaths of See also:allegiance. On the 14th of February the king and queen opened parliament in See also:state. Shortly afterwards it was announced that the visit of the duke and duchess of York to See also:Australia, in See also:order to inaugurate the new See also:Commonwealth, which had been sanctioned by Queen Victoria, would be proceeded with; and on the 16th of March they set out on See also:board the " See also:Ophir " with a brilliant See also:suite. The tour lasted till November 1, the duke and duchess having visited Australia, New See also:Zealand, the Cape and Canada; and on their return the king, on November 9, created the duke prince of Wales and earl of Chester. Meanwhile parliament had settled the new See also:civil See also:list at £470,000 a year, and the royal title had been enlarged to include the colonial See also:empire by an act enabling the king to See also:style him-self " Edward VII., by the grace of See also:God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of all the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India." At the end of May 1902 the See also:long-See also:drawn-out See also:war in See also:South See also:Africa came at last to an end, and the See also:coronation was fixed for the 26th of June. But on the 24th, amid See also:general consternation, the king was announced to be suffering from perityphlitis, necessitating the immediate performance of an operation; and the coronation, for which unprecedented preparations had been made, had to be postponed. The operation—performed by Sir Frederick Treves—was, however, so marvellously successful, and the king's progress towards recovery so rapid and uninterrupted, that within a fortnight he was pronounced out of danger, and soon afterwards it was decided to hold the coronation service on See also:August 9. Though shorn of much of the magnificence which would have been added to 'See also:tin June by the presence of See also:foreign royalties and the preparations for a great procession through See also:London, the solemnity duly took place on that date in Westminster See also:Abbey amid great rejoicings. The king spent several weeks (partly in a See also:yachting trip See also:round the See also:coast and up to See also:Stornoway) in recruiting his See also:health, and on the 25th of October he went in procession through the See also:main streets of south London, when he was most enthusiastically received. Next day the king and queen attended St Paul's See also:cathedral in state to return thanks for his restoration to health. On New Year's day 1903 the coronation was proclaimed in India at a magnificent See also:durbar at See also:Delhi. At See also:home the king opened parliament in See also:person in February 1903, and on the 31st of March he sailed from See also:Portsmouth to pay a visit to the king of See also:Portugal at See also:Lisbon, leaving Lisbon for See also:Gibraltar on the 7th of See also:April. On the 11th he held a See also:review of the See also:garrison troops and next day See also:left for See also:Malta, and the tour was continued to See also:Naples (23rd of April). On the 27th of April he was received at See also:Rome by the king of Italy—the first time an English king as such had been there; and two days later he paid a visit to See also:Leo XIII. at the Vatican. On May day he was received in Paris by See also:President See also:Loubet. Later in the year return visits were paid to England by President Loubet (July) and the king and queen of Italy (November). On the 11th of May His See also:Majesty paid his first formal visit to Edinburgh, and held courts at Holyrood. In July the king and queen went to Ireland, and though the See also:Dublin See also:corporation refused to See also:vote a loyal address the reception was generally cordial. In See also:September the king took his See also:annual " cure " at See also:Marienbad, and paid a visit to See also:Vienna, where he was received by the See also:Austrian emperor. In 1904 again the king and queen went to Ireland; in June the king was cordially received by the See also:German emperor at the yacht-races at See also:Kiel, and he included a visit to See also:Hamburg, where the welcome was hearty. In November the king and queen of Portugal were entertained at Windsor and at the See also:Guildhall. The success of King Edward as a See also:promoter of international friendliness, and the See also:advantage of so efficient a type of kingship, attracted universal See also:attention, and See also:treaties of See also:arbitration were concluded by Great Britain with See also:France, Spain, Italy, See also:Germany and Portugal in 1903 and 1904. In his first two years the king had already earned the title of Edward the Peacemaker, and established his position as a source of new strength to the state. This reputation was confirmed in the years which followed, during which the royal See also:hand was to be seen in the progress of foreign affairs in a manner somewhat new to old-fashioned politicians. The entente with France was promoted by his See also:influence, notably by his reception of President Fallieres in England in 1908. It was noticed that the permanent under-secretary, for foreign affairs, Sir Charles See also:Hardinge, generally accompanied the king, as one of his suite, on his visits abroad: and the conclusion of the Anglo-See also:Russian agreement (19o7)—which was attributed with some See also:reason to royal policy—was hotly criticized in See also:Radical quarters. It was pointed out that neither the foreign secretary (Sir E. Grey) nor any other secretary of state accompanied the king on his foreign visits. These objections were, however, scouted by the See also:government, and undeniably public See also:opinion approved of the sovereign's See also:personal activity in a See also:sphere peculiarly his own. The strengthening of British influence in See also:Europe, which was the marked result of the Anglo-See also:French and Anglo-Russian ententes, and of the closer ties between England and countries like Portugal and Spain (whose young king Alfonso married Princess Ena of See also:Battenberg, King Edward's niece), had, indeed, temporarily the effect of rousing German suspicion, the view taken being that the See also:object of British foreign policy was to isolate Germany; and during 1907 and 1908 the political situation was coloured by the discussions in the See also:press with regard to Anglo-German rivalry. But in February 1909 the king and queen paid a state visit to the Kaiser in See also:Berlin, where the greatest cordiality was displayed on all sides; the event was prepared for, in both countries, as a means of dispelling the clouds which had gathered over the relations between England and Germany, and the success of the visit proved once more how powerful King Edward's See also:personality could be as an agency for See also:peace and international amity. During the year 1909, however, the political situation at home was developing into an acute constitutional crisis, which seemedlikely to involve the Crown in serious difficulties. Mr See also:Lloyd-George's See also:budget convulsed the House of See also:Commons and the country, and was eventually rejected by the House of Lords ; and the Liberal government now put in the forefront of its See also:programme the abolition of the Peers' " See also:veto." As was hinted, not obscurely, later by the doctors, King Edward, although certainly not prejudiced against a Liberal See also:ministry, was seriously disturbed in mind and health by the progress of events, which culminated in the return of Mr See also:Asquith to See also:office after the elections of January 1910, and in his statement that, if necessary, guarantees would be sought from the Crown for the purpose of enforcing the will of the representative chamber. A remarkable sign of the king's discomfort was his insertion, in the See also:official "King's Speech " at the opening of parliament, of the words " in the opinion of my advisers," in connexion with the passage dealing with the House of Lords. The king had been far from robust for some little time, and while he was taking See also:change and rest at See also:Biarritz in the early See also:spring of 1910 he had a bronchial attack which caused some anxiety, although the public heard nothing of it. When he returned to England there is no doubt that he was acutely affected by the prospect of being forcibly dragged into the political conflict. In the country at large there was indeed considerable confidence that the king's tact and experience would help to bring order out of See also:chaos; but this was not to be. Within two days the public heard with consternation that he was ill, and then was dead. On May 5 it was announced that he had See also:bronchitis; and he died at 11.45 P.M. on the 6th, of heart failure. On May 17, 18 and 19 there was an impressive lying-in-state in Westminster See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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