Hurrah for King Billy!

[Heid the Ba]

Tradition dictates we should get this lad over.

Anyone heard from HD lately?

[Мастер]

Anyone heard from HD lately?

Perhaps this is why he hasn't been around much, he's had to see to this :)

Took the occasion to do a little research at Wikipedia U, how fortuitous that William III of Orange was able to take the throne of England without changing his number (although he did get busted down, or up, to William II for Scotland).

Then it seems a later monarchical line reset the numbers, and we had another William III.

Three rather long-serving queens in the last 120 years, one of whom had to get out of town in a hurry once.

From the Wikipedia page for her, Wilhelmina, is this statement (referring to the conditions in 1948):

The Dutch Royal Family was also one of seven European royal houses remaining in existence.

This surprised me, I thought I could name more than seven, and I could, when I thought about it. I think they are only counting people who are "king" or "queen", not those with less exalted titles.

The first entry under "current monarchies" on this Wikipedia page on European monarchs surprised me even more.

[Heid the Ba]

I wasn't expecting that one either!

[Lianachan]

Ah, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 - the last successful invasion of England. If anybody gives 1066 as the last successful invasion date, I think you're allowed to punch them in the face.

[MM_Dandy]

Ok. Now I'm curious - when was the last unsuccessful invasion of England?

[Lianachan]

Ok. Now I'm curious - when was the last unsuccessful invasion of England?

It depends on how you would define an invasion, really. A few were planned but never staged (Germany, in WW2 and Napoleon, for example). I can't think of many times a foreign force landed with the intention of taking the place over and failed to do so, although a couple of invasions were defeated at sea (the Spanish in 1588 and the French in 1759).

[Мастер]

It depends on how you would define an invasion, really.

A lot of them claim England is being invaded now . . .

[Lianachan]

It depends on how you would define an invasion, really.

A lot of them claim England is being invaded now . . .

True dat.

[Heid the Ba]

Was there not a French landing in Wales during the Napoleonic Wars? Germans in the Channel Islands? Ok not England or UK but still us in the wider sense.

My favourite exam question at university was : "The Glorious Revolution was neither. Discuss."

[tubeswell]

"The Glorious Revolution was neither. Discuss."

The english, after having gotten over Crumbwellians were then sadly let down by the debauchery of the restored Stuarts, and so opted to hand over their kingship to a foreign ruler, instead of waiting to be conquered by one yet again. They picked the Danes (who had a track record of conquering the British Isles anyway) because they wanted to stiff arm the pope. This is what happens if your country is repeatedly invaded by foreign lord - i.e.; just give up and hand over the keys to the conqueror of your choosing.

So are we to take it from this that the brits are now eyeing up another Danish king for the next job in the UK?

[Мастер]

The english, after having gotten over Crumbwellians were then sadly let down by the debauchery of the restored Stuarts, and so opted to hand over their kingship to a foreign ruler, instead of waiting to be conquered by one yet again. They picked the Danes (who had a track record of conquering the British Isles anyway) because they wanted to stiff arm the pope. This is what happens if your country is repeatedly invaded by foreign lord - i.e.; just give up and hand over the keys to the conqueror of your choosing.

So are we to take it from this that the brits are now eyeing up another Danish king for the next job in the UK?

So, Halcyon Dayz, how do you like being Danish?

[tubeswell]

Dutch is as good as Danish

[Lianachan]

Was there not a French landing in Wales during the Napoleonic Wars? Germans in the Channel Islands? Ok not England or UK but still us in the wider sense.

The French raided Devon in 1690, and invaded Guernsey in 1704. I can't recall a landing in Wales, but couldn't/wouldn't rule it out. The Germans occupied the Channel Isles for most of the duration of WW2, the Americans (led by a Scotsman ) raided Whitehaven in Cumbria in 1778 and I daresay there are many other similar examples, too. I was talking more about large scale, regime changing type invasions of England by Johnny Foreigner. I'm not including the Jacobite Rebellions (despite French and Spanish involvement and troop landings) as those are more like foreign assistance in a civil war.

My favourite exam question at university was : "The Glorious Revolution was neither. Discuss."

Fantastic question!

[Heid the Ba]

I was thinking of the French raid on Fishguard in 1797.

[Lianachan]

I was thinking of the French raid on Fishguard in 1797.

I'd forgotten about that one. If memory served, that was supposed to have been a diversion to distract the British from an invasion of Ireland?

The Whitehaven raid is my favourite. It just sounds like a big piss up.

[Halcyon Dayz, FCD]

Tradition dictates we should get this lad over.

I'm afraid you're out of luck.
Dutch law prohibits personal unions these days.

Anyone heard from HD lately?

No news is good news.

Anyone heard from HD lately?

Perhaps this is why he hasn't been around much, he's had to see to this :)

That, and I've been kinda busy.

Then it seems a later monarchical line reset the numbers, and we had another William III.

The Stadholders weren't a monarchial line.
The Stadholders were governors/regents/stewards appointed by the Lord of the Netherlands (a title that was just shorthand for 17 separate feudal titles).
First the Dukes of Burgundy, then Charles V Habsburg, who then left them to the Spanish Habsburgs.
In 1581, during the Dutch Revolt, the 7 northern Netherlands declared that King Phillip had deserted the throne and therefore the Dutch were relieved of their oath of allegiance.
They offered sovereignty to the Duke of Anjou, and then to Liz I.
When that fell through the States declared themselves sovereign and appointed their own Stadholders as chief executives, not sovereigns.
A "Gondor needs no king" moment...

Each Province had their own Stadholder, though the offices were often combined.
Only in 1747 were all the offices perpetually combined and became hereditary.
Still not officially a sovereign though.

So are we to take it from this that the brits are now eyeing up another Danish king for the next job in the UK?

So, Halcyon Dayz, how do you like being Danish?

Meh...
One could do worst.