I know more about the British than the average Belizean, not only because I did British (and European) history at the Ordinary and Advanced Levels in the 1960s, but because I had to read several of Shakespeare’s plays in a couple courses at Dartmouth. In addition, I read several of Charles Dickens’ novels, and the argument may be made that he was Britain’s greatest novelist.
During the time of Julius Caesar, which I believe was before the birth of Christ, the island of Great Britain was ruled by the Romans, who had crossed the English Channel from France (Gaul).
About a thousand or so years ago, some barbarian tribes — the Angles, the Saxons, and the Normans, came down from the north and began fighting each other for power on the island, and then English kings emerged who would cross the Channel (twenty-six miles wide) to wage war with the French, and vice versa.
I enjoyed those of Shakespeare plays which dealt with the power struggles and the various kings, especially the story of Henry V, who was England’s favourite king, I believe. A very interesting read consists of plays entitled Henry IV, Parts I and II, which tell the story of the young Henry V, when he was sowing his wild oats. When his father died, the new Henry V gave up his wild friends and turned to the serious business of national rule. “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more …”
A couple hundred years after Henry V, Henry VIII came along, succeeding his father, Henry VII, after the War of the Roses and the establishment of the Tudor line with their victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.
Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself the head of the Anglican Church around 1534 or so. He did so because he wanted to divorce his Spanish wife/queen, Catherine of Aragon, because she was unable to give him a son. The Pope forbade the divorce.
There was serious religious conflict in England and Scotland between the Catholics and the Protestants. Henry’s son, Edward VI, was sickly, and was succeeded (after Mary I) by the legendary Elizabeth I, the so-called Virgin Queen, who ruled from 1558 to 1603 and sponsored the pirates and slave traders, like Francis Drake and John Hawkins, who brought England war success on the high seas, enriched the island, and pushed Spain into second place in the Atlantic.
Remember, in 1594, the Pope had divided the New World between Spain and Portugal. England forced its way into the mix.
After Elizabeth I, a kind of confusion began with Catholic kings of the Stuart line coming to power, and then around the middle of the seventeenth century, the Puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell, beheaded the Catholic king, Charles I. The Catholics later came back to power and butchered the Puritans.
Trying to cover more than a millennium is no kind of way to bring history to you. On the occasion of the coronation of Charles III this weekend, my purpose in writing this column is to suggest to you that Charles I is probably not totally white. Nor was his mother, Elizabeth I. If you studied the late Queen Elizabeth’s hair closely, you would have noticed that it was not entirely straight.
Since the Europeans invaded Africa five hundred years ago, race became a very big issue. This was not so before on the planet. The Africans were wealthy kings and queens all over the continent.
I write this column to have you see a picture of Charlotte Sophia, Queen of England, consort of George III, great great grandmother of George VI. This would make her the great great great grandmother of Elizabeth I and the great great great great grandmother of the new king, Charles III.
You may say this is somewhat trivial, but you have seen some of the problems Prince Harry and his half-black wife have been having. So, then, though it seems trivial, this race and color thing can be bitterly serious.
For the picture of Charlotte Sophia, we give thanks to the great work of the late J. A. Rogers, entitled SEX AND RACE.
Nothing in this column will change the planet. But you will not see such a revelation anywhere else in Belize. You can now use your computer to confirm and complete the research. Then you can tell me if I lie.
Power to the people.