The life of King Edward VII

Front matter

*u

-W

V

Preface

DURING a number of years' study of British institutions in their modern development and of British public life in its adjustment to new and changing conditions I have felt an ever-growing appreciation of the active influence exercised by the present Sovereign of the British Empire upon the social life and public interests of the United Kingdom and an ever-increasing admiration for his natural abilities and rare tactfulness of character. King Edward the Seventh, in a sixty years' tenure of the difficult position of Heir to the British Throne, has built into the history of his country and Empire a record of which he and his people have every reason to be proud. He had for many years the responsibilities of a Royal position without the actual power; the public functions of a great ruler without the resources usually available ; the knowledge, experience and statecraft of a wise Sovereign without the Regal environment.

The Prince of Wales, however, rose above the apparent difficulties of his position and for more than a quarter of a century has emulated the wise example of his princely father — Albert the Good — and profited by the beautiful character and unquestioned statesmanship of his august mother. As with all those upon whose life beats the glare of ever-present publicity and upon whose actions the press of friendly and hostile nations alike have the privilege of ceaseless comment, the Heir to the British Throne has had to suffer from atrocious canards as well as from fulsome compliments. Unlike many others, however, he has lived down the falsehoods of an early vi PREFACE

time ; has conquered by his clear, open life the occasional hostility of a later day ; and at the period of his accession to the Throne was, without and beyond question, the best liked Prince in Europe — the most universally popular man in the United Kingdom and its external Empire. Upon the verge of His Majesty's Coronation there has occurred that sudden and dramatic illness which proves so well the bravery and patience of the man, and has increased so greatly the popularity and prestige of the Monarch.

In the United States, which King Edward has always regarded with an admiration which the enterprise and energy of its people well deserved, he has in turn won a degree of respect and regard which did not at one time seem propable. To him, ever since the visit to the Republic in i860, a closer and better relation between the two great countries has been an ideal toward which as statesman and Prince and Sovereign he has tried to labour.

For years past my interest in this Royal career has led me to collect materials beari ig upon its evolution ; and if the bringing together of these facts in the following pages should help in even the most minute degree to promote public appreciation of one who, I believe, is destined to be a great Sovereign, as he was a wise Prince, I shall be more than satisfied.

Toronto, Canada, 1902.

CHAPTER I The Crown and the Empire PAG e

The Harmonizing of Monarchy and Democracy in the British Empire — The Influence of Queen Victoria During the Past Century — The Elements of Imperial Influence in the Crown — The Crown the Pivot of Unity — The Great Position and Opportunities of the New King — The Traditions and Principles of Monarchy in Great Britain — Its Growth from Feudalism to Constitutionalism — Its Expansion and Application to a World- Empire — The Cost of the Monarchy 17

CHAPTER II Early Years and Education of the Prince

The Home Life of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort — Favourable Surroundings of the Royal Family — Birth of the Prince — Christening Ceremonies and the Title of Prince of Wales — A Gay Court and a Happy Home — Additions to the Royal Family —Early Education and Training of the Children— The Parents' Sense of Responsibility— Religious and Other Instructors — Prince Albert's Watchful Care Over the Training of the Youthful Prince of Wales— Visits to Italy, Spain and Portugal. Colonel Bruce Appointed Governor — Studies at Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge— Death of the Prince Consort— Tour in the East Accompanied by Dean Stanley— Following the Footsteps of Richard Coeur de Lion — In the Holy Land — At Constantinople, Athens and Malta 31

CHAPTER III. Royal Tour of British America and the United States

Importance of this Royal Visit— First Check Administered to the Manchester School of Anti-Empire Theorists — The Canadian

vii viii TABLE OF CONTENTS

Invitation and Royal Answer — Preparations for the Tour and Arrival at Newfoundland — Reception at Halifax, St. John and Other Points in the Maritime Provinces — Arrival at Quebec and Welcome by the Governor- General and his Ministers — Knighthoods Conferred and Addresses Answered — At Three Rivers, Montreal and Ottawa — Laying the Corner-stone of the Parliament Buildings — Visit to Toronto and Other Points — The Orange Incident — At London, Stratford, Woodstock, Hamilton and Many Other Places — Enthusiastic Receptions, Loyal Addresses and Interesting Replies — Visit to the United States as Lord Renfrew — Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Other Places — Departure from Portland and Arrival at Home — Influence and Effects of the RoyaTTour

Chapter IV

The Early Years and Surroundings of the Princess Alexandra of Denmark — " The Most Beautiful Girl in Europe " and a Royal Romance — Story of the Engagement — The Enthusiastic Reception of the Princess in England and Splendour of the Progress Through London — The Marriage in St. George's Chapel, Windsor — Description by Mr. Speaker Denison — Lady Waterford and Canon Kingsley Describe the Beautiful Bride — The Home Life of the Royal Couple — Character and Tastes of the Princess of Wales — Royal Visit to Ireland and Wales

:k J

CHAPTER V Early Home Life and Public Duties

Early Married Life of the Royal Couple — Elements Entering into the Development of the Prince's Character — The First Royal Functions Following the Marriage — Speeches Upon Different Occasions — A Succession of Ceremonial Events — Visit of the Khedive of Egypt — A Royal Tour of Ireland — Births of Prince Edward, Prince George and the Princesses Louise, Victoria and Maud — Visit to Manchester in 1869 — Patronage of Many Institutions — Illness of the Princess of Wales — Life at Marlborough and Sandringham — The Prince as a Father, as a Landlord, as a Host — The Princess at Home and Abroad 79

TABLE OF CONTENTS ix

Chapter VI Page

The Prince of Wales a Much -Travel led Man — Preliminaries to the Eastern Tour of 1869 — Visit of the Princess and Himself to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin and Vienna — Arrival in Egypt — Their Suite and Friends — Entertained by the Khedive at Cairo — The Princess Visits the Khedive's Harem — Trip Up the Nile — Thebes, Luxor and Karnac — The Pyramids — Through the Suez Canal — In the Holy Land — At Jerusalem and Bethlehem — Visit to Constantinople — In the Crimea — On the Battlefield of Balaclava — From the Bosphorus to Athens — Home Again — Importance of the Tour 99

Chapter VII

Character and Position of the Prince of Wales in 1871 — Origin of His Illness — Typhoid Contracted at the Same Time and Place Kills Lord Chesterfield and the Prince's Groom — Anxiety of the Nation — Progress of the Disease — The Queen and Royal Family at Sandringham — Crisis Prolonged for Many Days —

• Intense Interest of the People — Final Recovery of the Prince — The Queen's Letter to the Nation — Thanksgiving Day and the National Celebration of the Event — Effect of the Illness on the Prince of Wales — Results in a Great Development of His Popularity and Influence 117

Chapter VIII

Imperial Importance of the Royal Visit — Its Origin and Character — Mr. Disraeli and Parliament — Arrangements and Appointment of the Suite — Commencement of the Journey — At Athens, Port Said and Cairo — From Aden to Bombay — Arrival and Striking Reception of the Royal Guest — The Prince and the Chiefs of India — Sir Madhava Rao and Sir Salar Jung — Visits to Baroda and Hyderabad — From Madras to Calcutta — Banquets and Receptions — Deer Stalking, Fishing and Shooting — Native Enterx TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGB

tainments and Customs — A Chapter of the Star of India — Visit to Cawnpore and Royal Entry into Delhi — At Lahore and Gwalior — Visit to Nepaul and Allahabad — Farewell to India and Short Tour of Spain and Portugal — Return of the Much- Travelled Prince to London — Extraordinary Character of the Whole Tour — Important Results Both in a Personal and Imperial Sense i 3 '

Chapter IX

Royal Visit to Derby — At the Marriage of the Duke of Edinburgh in St. Petersburg — Ceremonies in Connection with Asylums, Agricultural Shows and Benevolent Institutions — Royal Visit to Birmingham in 1874 — Visit to Cambridge and to Dartmouth — The Prince Speaks on Education at Various Times and Places — Directs and Controls the Fisheries Exhibition — Housing of the Poor — The Prince as Chairman of the International Health Exhibition — Various Functions — Hospitals, Charities, Presentation of Colours, Unveiling of Statues — The Glasgow Exhibition of 1885 Opened by the Prince — At the Trinity House — A Succession of Onerous Duties Well Performed 162

Chapter X

Interest Taken by the Prince of Wales in Masonry — Becomes Grand Master of the English Order. Installed as Grand Master of the Mark Masons — The Freemasons and the Queen's Jubilee — Visit of the Prince and Princess to Ireland in 1885 — Addresses Received in Dublin and the Replies Made by His Royal Highness — Enthusiasm of the Popular Reception — Visit to Mallow and Cork — Incidents of the Tour — The Prince's Love for Music — Heads a Movement to Promote National Training in Music — Founds the Royal College of Music and Delivers an Important Speech — The Prince and the Queen's Jubilee in 1887 — His Control of Arrangements at the Diamond Jubilee .... 1 8 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS xi

Chapter XI

Education and Training of the Royal Family — Domestic Life at Sandringham — The Princess of Wales a Model Mother — The Prince's Views of a Boy's Education — He Takes Prince Eddie and Prince George in Hand — Character of Their Training — On Board the Britannia — The Young Princes Sent on a Cruise to the West Indies, Egypt, India, Australia, Japan and South Africa — Tutors at the University — Education of the Daughters — Simple and Useful System — The Members of the Royal Family in Mature Years — Marriages of Princess Louise and Princess Maud — Engagement and Death of the Duke of Clarence and Avondale — The Favourite Son of the Princess of Wales — Grief of the Father and Mother — Marriage of the Duke of York to the Princess May — The Grand-children of the Prince and Princess of Wales — Prince Edward, the future Heir to the Throne

Chapter XII

Importance of Social Functions — The Prince of Wales Leads the Social Life of His Country — His Influence Upon Current Taste and Current Custom — Visit to Country Houses — Royal Rules and Etiquette in the Acceptance of Invitations — Some of the Prince's Favourite Hosts — The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire — Lord and Lady Cadogan — Lord and Lady Londonderry — Lord and Lady Warwick — At Sandringham and Marlborough House — The Derby-Day Dinners — Stories of the Prince — His Social Characteristics — His Personal Friends — The Duke of Fife and Lord Glenesk — "The Prince's Set" — Social Cleverness and Dignity of the Prince of Wales — His Leadership of Society Greatly Aided by the Tact of the Princess

Chapter XIII

Thoroughly English and Royal in His Love of Sport — Advantages of Good Sportsmanship in a Nation — A High Code of Honour Prevalent in England — The Prince of Wales Leads in This xii TABLE OF CONTENTS

FAGS

Connection — His Patronage of the Turf a Great Benefit to Sport — At Ascot, Newmarket and Goodwood — Persimmon Wins the Derby — Popularity of the Victory — The Prince in Steeple- Chasing — His Horses and Stables — Perseverance and Fair Play the Royal Motto — His Love for Shooting — Said to be the Best Shot in the Kingdom — Deer Stalking in the North — Hunting With the German Emperor in the Forests of Central Europe — With Baron Hirsch in Hungary — Hunting in Egypt and India — The Prince as a Yachtsman — A True Leader of the Sport of the Realm 211

Chapter XIV

Incidents and Influences in the Formation of Character — The Royal Environment — Self-Control, Good Memory and Courage Characteristics of the Prince of Wales — Good Nature and Dignity Combined in His Manner — Stories of the Prince Which Illustrate His Inherent Courtesy — His Fondness for Country Life — His Strict Observance of the Sabbath — The Prince and Princess at Church — His Patronage of the Theatre — Cricket, Hockey, Lawn-Tennis and Bowls — The Prince as a Dancer and Skater — Other Games Affected by the Prince — Cards and Card-playing — The Famous Baccarat Case — The Prince at the Table — Moderation His Motto — Anecdotes Illustrating His Character and Habits — A Life of Broad Toleration and Courteous Consideration for Others 218

Chapter XV

Inheritance of Imperial Ideas from the Prince Consort — Value to Himself and the United Kingdom of the Prince's Travels — Sending of His Sons to Visit the Colonies — Desire ot the Prince of Wales to visit Australia — He Inaugurates the Colonial and Indian Exhibition — Founds the Imperial Institute — His Deep Interest in the Royal Colonial Institute — The Colonies and the Royal College of Music — The Prince of Wales and the Colonial Conference of 1887 — The Prince and Colonial Statesmen in 1897 — His View of the Relationship of the Crown to the Colonies . 234

ALEXANDRA The Queen Consort of Edward VII.

QUEEN VICTORIA, 1901 The Honored Mother of Edward VII.

TABLE OF CONTENTS xiii

Chapter XVI

The Difference Between His Position and that of Previous Heirs to the Throne — The Difference in Character and Apparent Wisdom of the Course Pursued — Difficulties of the Prince of Wales — His * Financial Position Not a" Serious Trouble — Estates Very Carefully Managed — In the Political and Diplomatic World — Absolute Impartiality in the One Case ; Unquestioned Influence in the Other — Association with Rulers, Statesmen and Public Leaders — The Prince and the People — His Combined Democracy and Dignity — His view of the Crown in Its Relation to the Subject — Immense and Valued Philanthropic Interests of Himself and the Princess of Wales — An Estimate of the Sums Given Away by Them Over a Term of Years 2 aR

Chapter XVII

The Death of Queen Victoria — Confidence of the Empire in the New Sovereign — The King's First Privy Council — He Speaks to the Nation — An Address to the People of Canada and to Those of Australia — The Army and Navy and the King — Parliamentary Speeches on the Accession — Queen Victoria's Funeral — Opinions of the New King in Australia, Canada and Elsewhere — Colonial Addresses and Expressions of Loyalty — Foreign Sentiment and References — The King and the Emperor William — Special Embassies to Foreign Countries — The Name and Title of the Sovereign 2 6S

CHAPTER XVIII The First Year of the New Reign

King Edward Opens His First Parliament — Brilliant Character of His Majesty's First Functions — Great Popularity of the King Shown during His Visit to London — The Accession Oath Controversy — Parliamentary Action Attempted — The Roman Catholic Prelates Take Action— Opinion in the Colonies — The Royal Titles Question — Discussion in the British and Canadian Press — Parliamentary Action Taken After Colonial Opinion xiv TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Has Been Obtained — Final Decision and Proclamation by the King-Emperor — The Death of the Empress Frederick — The King Attends the Funeral at Fredrickshof — Visit to the German Emperor — The New Prince of Wales Pays an Official Visit to Berlin — The King and Queen Alexandra hold their First Court — A Brilliant and Beautiful Event at Buckingham Palace 286

CHAPTER XIX Empire Tour of the New Heir to the Throne

Comparison with Previous Royal Tours — Origin of the Project — Preparation and Appointment of the Suite — From Portsmouth to Melbourne by way of Gibraltar, Malta, Aden, Ceylon and Singapore — Brilliant Scenes and Enthusiastic Receptions — Opening of the Australian Parliament and Varied Functions — - At Ballarat, Brisbane and Sydney — A Triumphant Progress — Loyal New Zealand Gives a Royal Welcome — Visit to Rotorua and Reception by the Maoris — At Albany, Perth and Fremantle in Australia — Mauritius Visited on the Way to South Africa — Amid Scenes of Recent War and Present Welcome — Durban, Maritzburg, Simon's Bay and Cape Town — Arrival at Quebec — In Montreal and Ottawa — From the Atlantic to the Pacific and Back again — Over the Canadian Pacific Railway — Winnipeg and the West — Through the Rocky Mountains — Reception at Toronto — Halifax and St. John — Farewells to Australia and Canada — Myriad Addresses and Able Replies of His Royal Highness — Presents to the Duchess — Newfoundland Visited — Welcome Home to England — The Duke of Cornwall Becomes the Prince of Wales 305

Chapter XX

Interest of the Royal Family in the Struggle — Influence of Queen Victoria and Activities of the Prince of Wales — The New King's Keen Sympathy with Officers and Men — His Insight into the Imperial Importance of the Struggle — His Honours of the Army

TABLE OF CONTENTS xv

PAGE

and its Commanders — The Negotiations for Peace and End of the War — The King's Messages and Speeches — Royal Honours to Roberts and Kitchener 35 1

CHAPTER XXI Preparations for the Coronation

Importance of the Event and Intense Popular Interest in its Consummation — Arrangements Throughout the Empire for its Celebration — Preparations Amongst Foreign Nations to Honour the British Sovereign — Colonial Leaders and Foreign Representatives Arrive in London — Indian and Colonial Troops at the Metropolis — The Great Naval Review Arranged — Executive Committee of Management and Final Programme of Events — The Coronation Conference — Rumoured Illness of the King . . 368

CHAPTER XXII Serious Illness of the King

The Position of Affairs in London and Throughout the Empire — An Eventful Day and Dramatic Announcement — His Majesty's Dangerous Illness. Its Character and History — Postponement of the Coronation — Sympathy of British Peoples Everywhere — Dislocation in Social, National, Financial and Colonial Affairs — A World-wide Realm Disturbed in Business and Anxious in Spirit — Foreign Friendliness Displayed — Gradual Recovery of the King 380

Chapter XXIII

Preliminary Incidents and Events — The Coronation Honours — Entertainment of the Colonial Premiers and Guests — The Troops from India and the External Empire — The King's Dinner to the Poor — Six Hundred Thousand Royal Guests — Functions, Banquets and Receptions — The Coronation on August 9th — The Procession to the Abbey — Splendour of the Scene and Ceremonial — Incidents of the Day — The Great Naval Review — Inauguration of a New Era in British History 391 xvi TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER XXIV Industrial and Commercial Development of Great Britain

PACiH

The Evolution of a Century — The Steam Engine — Vast Accumulation of Capital — The Factory System — England's Pre-eminence in Manufacture — Inventive Progress — Progress in Postal Facilities 421

CHAPTER XXV Victoria — England's Great Queen

The Throne the Embodiment of Power — Great Influence of the Monarch — Intimate Relations Between the Countries of the Empire — The Great Queen's Tact and Sagacity — Her Successor's Inheritance 432

Chapter I

THE great development of a political nature in the British Empire of the nineteenth century was the complete harmony which gradually evolved between the Monarchy and a world-wide democracy. This process was allimportant because it eliminated an element of internal discord which has destroyed more than one nation in the past ; because it permitted the peaceful progress of scattered states to continue through the passing years without having questions of allegiance to seriously hamper their growth ; because it trained political thought along lines of stability and continuity and made loyalty and liberty consistent and almost synonymous terms ; because it made the Crown the central symbol of the Empire's unity, the visible object of a world-wide allegiance, the special token of a common aspiration and a common sentiment amongst many millions of English-speaking people — the subject of untutored reverence and unquestioned respect amongst hundreds of millions of other races.

THE POSITION OF THE CROWN.

The chief factor in this development was the late Queen Victoria, and to the inheritance of the fabric thus evolved has come a son who was educated amid the constitutional environment in which she lived and was trained in the Imperial ideas which she so strongly held and so wisely impressed upon her statesmen, her family and her people. King Edward has now come into responsibilities which are greater in some respects than those ever before inherited by a reigning sovereign. He 2 17 has not only the great example and life of his predecessor as a model and as a comparison ; not only the same vast and ever-changing and expanding Empire to rule over ; not only a similar myriad-eyed press and public to watch his every expression and movement ; but he enters with his people upon a new century in which one of the first and most prominent features is a decay in popular respect for Parliament and a revival of the old-time love for stately display, for ceremonial and for the appropriate trappings of royalty. With this evident and growing influence of the Crown as a social and popular factor is the knowledge which all statesmen and constitutional students now possess of the personal influence in diplomacy and statecraft which was wielded by the late Queen Victoria and which the experience and tact of the present Monarch must assuredly enable him to also exercise. Side by side with these two elements in the situation is the conviction which has now become fixed throughout the Empire that the Crown is the pivot upon which its unity and future co-operation naturally and properly turns ; that the Sovereign is the one possible central figure of allegiance for all its scattered countries and world-wide races ; that without the Crown as the symbol of union and the King as the living object of allegiance and personal sentiment the British realms would soon be a series of separated units.

These facts lend additional importance to the character and history of the Monarchy ; to the influences which have controlled the life and labours of King Edward ; to the abilities which have marked his career and the elements which have entered into the making of his character. He may not in the succeeding years of his reign declare war like an Edward I., or make secret diplomatic arrangements like a Charles II. He may not manipulate foreign combinations like a William III., or dismiss his Ministers at pleasure like a George III., or work one faction in his Kingdom against another like a

Charles I. None of these things will be attempted, nor will he, it is safe to say, desire to undertake them. But none the less there lies in his hand a vast and growing power — the personal influence wielded by a popular and experienced Monarch over his Ministry, his Court, his Diplomatic Staff throughout the world, and his high officers in the Army and Navy. The prestige of his personal honours or personal wishes and the known Imperialism of his personal opinions must have great weight in controlling Colonial policy in London ; while his experience of European and Eastern statecraft through many years of close intercourse with foreign and home statesmen must have its pronounced effect in the control of British policy abroad.

To the external Empire, as constituted at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Crown is a many-sided factor. The personal and diplomatic influence of the Sovereign is obvious and was illustrated by Queen Victoria in such historic incidents as the personal relations with King Louis Philippe which probably averted a war with France in the early forties ; in the later friendship with Louis Napoleon which helped to make the Crimean War alliance possible ; in the refusal by the Queen to assent to a certain casus belli despatch during- the American War which saved Great Britain from being drawn into the struggle ; in her influence upon the Cabinet in connection with the Schleswig-Holstein question, which was exerted to such an extent (according to Lord Malmesbury) as to have averted a possible conflict with Germany.

The political power of the Crown and its wearer is proven to exist in the dismissal of Lord Palmerston for his rash recognition of the French coup d'etat ; in the occasional exercise of the right of excluding certain individuals from the Government — notably the case of Mr. Labouchere a decade ago ; in such direct exercise of influence as the Queen's intervention in the matter of the Irish Church Disestablishment

2o THE CROWN AND THE EMPIRE

Bill as related by the late Archbishop Tait. The Imperial influence of the Sovereign has been shown in more than merely indirect ways. The Queen's refusal to approve the first draft of the Royal Proclamation for India in 1858 and her changes in the text were declared by Lord Canning to have averted another insurrection. Her personal determination to send the Prince of Wales to Canada in i860 and her own visit to Ireland in one of the last years of her reign were cases of actual initiative and active policy. South Africa owed to the late Oueen the several visits of the Duke of Edinburgh and the exhibition of her well-known sympathy with the views of Sir George Grey — who, had he been allowed a free hand, would have consolidated and united those regions many years ago and averted the recent disastrous struggle.

Australia owed to her the compliment of various visits from members of the Royal family, the kindly personal treatment of its leaders and a frequently expressed desire for its unity in one great and growing nationality — British in allegiance and connection and power; Australian in local authority, patriotism and development. India was indebted to its Queen- Empress for continued sympathy and wise advice to its Governors-General ; for the phraseology in the Proclamation after the Mutiny, already referred to, which rendered the new conditions of allegiance comprehensible and satisfactory to the native mind ; for the important visit of the Prince of Wales to that country in 1877 ; and for the support given to Lord Beaconfield's Imperial policy of asserting England's place in the world, of purchasing the Suez Canal shares in order to help in keeping the route to the East and of paving the way for that acquisition of Egypt and the Soudan which has since made Cecil Rhodes' dream of a great British-African empire a realizable probability. The Colonies, as a whole, owed to Queen Victoria a condition of government which made peaceful

> o

"i o

O *5J

3 H

p z

3 w r n

2 E

5 | I a constitutional development possible ; which extinguished discontent and the elements or embers of republicanism ; which gradually eliminated the separative tendencies of distance and slowly merged the Manchester school ideas of the past into the Imperialism of the present ; which made evolution rather than revolution the guiding principle of British countries in the nineteenth century.

THE MONARCHY IN HISTORY.

How has the Crown become such an important factor in the modern development of British peoples ? The answer is not found altogether in personal considerations nor even in those of loyalty to somewhat vague and undefined principles of government. These considerations have had great weight but so also has the traditional and actual power of the Monarchy in moulding institutions and ideas during a thousand years of history. To a much greater extent than is generally understood in these democratic days has this latter influence been a factor. Through nearly all British history the Sovereign has either represented the popular instincts of the time or else led in the direction of extended territory and power under the individual influence of royal valour or statecraft. The history of England has not,of course, been confined to the biography of its Kings or Queens, but it would be as absurd to trace those annals without extended study of the rulers and their characters as it would be to write the records without reference to the people and popular progress. And the Monarchy has done much for the British Isles. Its influence has effected their whole national life in war and in peace, in religion and in morals, in literature and in art. The individual achievements and actions of some of these rulers constitute the very foundation stones in the structure of modern British power. Others again have helped to build the walls of the national edifice until the Sovereign at the beginning of the twentieth century has become the pivot upon which turns the constitutional unity of a great Empire and which forms the only possible centre for a common allegiance amongst its varied peoples.

At first this monarchical principle was embodied in the form of military power, was based upon feudal loyalty, and was associated with the noble ideals, but somewhat reckless practices, of mediaeval chivalry. The victories of Egbert and Alfred the Great transformed the Heptarchy into a substantial English Kingdom. The military skill of William the Conqueror gave an opportunity to blend the graces of Norman chivalry, and a somewhat higher form of civilization, with the rougher virtues of the Saxon character. Henry II. personally illustrated this combination, with his ruddy English face and strong physical powers, and impressed himself upon British history by the conquest of Ireland. Richard Cceur de Lion gave his country many famous pages of crusading in the East, and embodied in his life and character the adventurous and daring spirit of the age. Edward I. dominated events by his energy and ability, subdued Wales, and for a time conquered the Kingdom of Scotland. Edward III., in his long reign of fifty years, carried the British flag over the fields of France, and won immortality at the battles of Crecy and Poictiers. Henry V. gained the victory of Agincourt, and won and wore the title of King of France. Then came the Wars of the Roses and the turbulent termination to a period of six centuries during which the English Monarchs had represented the military spirit of their times, and had led in the rough process of struggle and conquest out of which was growing the United Kingdom of to-day.