Chapter King's Own to King-Maker of K by Brewer's Readers Handbook

II. was a grandchild of Edward III., and George III. was grandson of George II.; but their fathers did not succeed to the throne.

William I.; his sons, William II., Henry I.

Stephen (a usurper).

Henry II.; his sons, Richard I., John (discrowned).

From John, in regular succession, we have Henry III. (imprisoned), Edward I., Edward II., (murdered), Edward III.

Richard II., son of the Black Prince, and without offspring.

Henry IV., Henry V., Henry VI. (civil wars).

Edward IV., Edward V.

Richard III. (no offspring).

Henry VII., Henry VIII., Edward VI.

Mary, Elizabeth (daughters of Henry VIII.).

James I., Charles I.

Cromwell (called lord protector).

Charles II., James II. (two brothers).

William III., prince of Orange.

Anne, intervening between the prince of Orange and the Hanoverians.

George I., George II.

George III. (great-grandson of George I., but not in direct descent), George IV.

William IV. (brother of George IV.).

Victoria (the niece of William IV. and George IV.).

Kings of England. Three seems to be a kind of ruling number in our English sovereigns. Besides the coincidences mentioned above connected with the number, may be added the following: (1) That of the four kings who married French princesses, three of them suffered violent deaths, viz. Edward II., Richard II., and Charles I. (2) The three longest kings’ reigns have been three threes, viz. Henry III., Edward III., and George III. (3) We have no instance, as in France, of three brothers succeeding each other.

(Queen Victoria began to reign in 1837, and was still on the throne in 1897—her “diamond jubilee” year. Vivat Regina!)

Kings of France. The French have been singularly unfortunate in their choice of royal surnames, when designed to express anything except some personal quality, as handsome, fat, of which we cannot judge the truth. Thus, Louis VIII., a very feeble man in mind and body, was surnamed the Lion; Philippe II., whose whole conduct was overreaching and selfish, was the Magnanimous; Philippe III., the tool of Labrosse, was the Daring; Philippe VI., the most unfortunate of all the kings of France, was surnamed the Lucky; Jean, one of the worst of all the kings, was called the Good; Charles VI. an idiot, and Louis