Long to reign over us

Today marks 70 years since the death of King George VI and the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II, after seven decades on the throne the Queen is longest reigning monarch in British history and has been since 2015 when surpassed Queen Victoria's record. The life of Queen Elizabeth II is well known and her story embodies the history of post-war Britain. In this blog I want to take a look at three of the longest reigning British monarchs.

Queen Victoria, 1837-1901 (63 years, 216 days)

The previous record holder reigned for so long that she had an era named after her and even her son bitterly remarked that he 'must be the only man in the country afflicted with an eternal mother'. Victoria's reign saw the peak of British influence; the growth of the Empire and the advancements of steam power through the industrial revolution turned Britain into the foremost power in the world. This period of British history is a contradiction; there were huge strides in the democratisation of the voting system, police reform and scientific advancements brought Britain into the modern age. However, the Victorian age also saw the reinforcement of a class based society in which the rich profited from the labour of the working class who in turn were subject to harsh conditions and an establishment which believed in the concept of the 'deserving poor'. Internationally the Empire brought infrastructure and legal structures to the colonies while stripping them of their natural resources and robbing the native populations of their land, rights and often their lives. Victoria herself was also a contradiction, her reign saw the development of the symbolic monarchy we know today where power resides in parliament - she created the concept of the 'Royal Family' as a moral compass for the country. Nevertheless, the early years of her reign were rife with controversies and ill-judged attempts to influence politics that threatened the monarchy itself. Her self-imposed isolation following the death of her beloved husband Albert led many to question the point of having a monarch and her absence of leadership encouraged scandals within the royal family. In her later life she reconnected with her subjects and was held up as the embodiment of the Empire, but not all her subjects held her in such high record and throughout her reign she survived eight assassination attempts.

King George III, 1760-1820 (59 years, 96 days)

Known to many as 'Mad King George', George III is probably one of the most misunderstood monarchs in British history. His reign is infamous for his mental instability, the political chaos of the regency and the loss of the colonies in North America, however, his legacy is complex and there is much for which he deserves credit. Following the unpopular reigns of his grandfather and great-grandfather George III enjoyed long periods of popularity and was affectionately referred to as 'farmer George' reflecting his 'man of the people' image he encouraged through thrift and modesty. Although he influenced the delay of the abolition of slavery, fearing the economic consequences and public uprisings during the age of revolutions he personally denounced slavery, never owned a slave or invested in slave companies and signed the abolition of the slave trade in 1807. To the Americans George III was the symbol of British oppression, the Declaration of Independence was a catalogue of George's offenses against the American Colonies. The view of a tyrannical King George perhaps overstates George's role in the grievances of the colonies but it is true that the King relentlessly pursued the war against the 'rebels'. However, by 1803 he accepted that the colonies were lost and would become a leading voice for reconciliation laying the foundations for what modern leaders would call the 'special relationship'. Any account of George III's reign would not complete without mentioning his struggles with mental health, the exact cause of it has never been determined. There has been much written about this mental state and I don't want to dwell on it here, other than to say that the barbaric treatments he was subjected to in order to drive out the 'evil humours' demonstrates that not even the king could escape the contemporary misconceptions of mental illness. George III's long life provided many opportunities on which to judge his reign; the regency, the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars to name a few. Perhaps the best judge of his reign is the fact that in the age of revolution he kept his throne and his head.

King James VI (of Scotland) and I (of England), 1567-1625 (57 years, 246 days)

James was the first monarch who could legitimately claim to be King of Great Britain, although England and Scotland remained separate realms throughout his reign, James unified the thrones of these rival kingdoms and paved the way for the act of the union a century after his reign - he was also the first to use the union flag. James had barely turned one when he became King of Scotland, his ascension was part of a sad saga that started with the murder of his father and would end with the execution of his mother. James' father had been murdered in a gunpowder explosion, an irony not lost on Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators when planning the gunpowder plot. The implication that his mother Mary Queen of Scots was responsible led to her imprisonment and forced abdication, she would later flee to the 'safety' of England which saw her put on trial for treason and executed under the orders of her cousin Elizabeth I. With his Catholic parents out of the way James was raised in the Calvinist Scottish Kirk and firmly adhered to the Protestant faith. A savvy political operative James would not let the execution of his mother get in the way of his main goal - the English throne. When it became obvious that Elizabeth I was never going to marry and produce an heir, James made it his business to position himself as the logical successor. He ingratiated himself with Elizabeth and her advisers, and although she never confirmed him when the time came he ascended to the throne of England without contest. James had a complicated relationship with women, despite producing seven children with his Queen he never showed much sexual interest in women and there were widespread rumours he was homosexual, allegedly expressing his excitement on meeting the 'pretty boys' of London upon his ascension to the English throne. His obsession with witches cannot be understated, he launched a series of witch trials and personally attended torture sessions of accused women - his belief in demonography was firmly rooted in his theology. You could speculate that when you believe your mother murdered your father and your godmother ordered the execution of your mother an unhealthy relationship with women was inevitable. James' legacy is multifaceted, politically he laid the foundations for the UK and encouraged the establishment of colonies in America. His religious legacy is represented in the King James translation of the Bible which is still used today, however, his reign also saw the fear of witchcraft become prolific in England and Scotland to devastating consequences for thousands of women.