On the 1980’s TV series Fame, David Greenlee played Dwight Mendenhall, who played the sousaphone.
King Charles III, who does not play the sousaphone, is the oldest British monarch to take the throne for the first time, as he did at age 73. He also served as Prince of Wales longer than anyone in history.
In order to finalise his conquest of Wales, Edward I began the custom of granting the title of prince of Wales to the heir apparent to the English throne. The title is neither automatic nor heritable; it merges with the Crown when its holder eventually accedes to the throne, or reverts to the Crown if its holder predeceases the current monarch, leaving the sovereign free to grant it to the new heir apparent (such as the late prince’s son or brother).
Much like Edward II, Charles was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. It is one of the most impressive castles in the UK, built by Edward I to consolidate his grip on Wales, along with nearby Conwy and Harlech castles. The polygonal towers and multi-colored masonry are evocative of the walls of Constantinople. It was effectively the capital of north Wales, and the scene of some fierce fighting. It was last used in war by the Royalists during the English civil war.
Three younger sons who were instituted as Prince of Wales after their older brothers died were Henry VIII, Charles I, and George V.
Two heirs who were instituted Prince of Wales after their fathers died holding that position were Richard II and George III.
During the reign of George III England saw victories over France in the Seven Years War, and later against Napoleon. He oversaw the loss of the North American Colonies, and later signed the Treaty of Ghent, ending the stalemate of the War of 1812.
John of Gaunt was the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. His birthplace, Ghent in Flanders, then known in English as Gaunt, was the origin of his name.
Gaunt died in 1399, months before his son Henry IV deposed his cousin Richard II. All English monarchs from Henry IV onwards are descended from John of Gaunt.
Elizabeth Gaunt was an English woman sentenced to death for treason after having been convicted for involvement in the Rye House Plot of 1683. She was the last woman executed for a political crime in England. Gaunt was implicated by James Burton, one of the participants in the plot, after she gave him shelter before he fled to Amsterdam. After his arrest in 1685, Burton implicated her as an accomplice in the hope of saving his life. She was in fact not involved in the conspiracy and the trial against her was seen as a show trial. Burton received a full pardon while Gaunt was sentenced to death by being burned at the stake.
The Treaty of Ghent was the peace treaty ending the War of 1812 between the US and England. It was signed on 24 December 1814 in Ghent, in what is now Belgium. Ghent is the third largest city in Belgium, behind Brussels and Antwerp. Historically, Ghent was known by the name of Gaunt.
NItpick: from Henry VII onward. Edward IV and Richard III were not descended from John of Gaunt.
The Treaty of Ghent was signed 24 December 1814, but news of it did not reach the US for several weeks. The Battle of New Orleans was fought 8 January 1815, where Andrew Jackson routed a larger British force.
St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. The St. Andrew cross, or cross saltire, is used as his symbol on the Scottish flag.
Double nitpick: Edward IV and Richard III were descended from John of Gaunt, via his daughter, Joan Beaufort, mother of Cecily Neville, mother of Edward and Richard.
Cool trivia, @Northern_Piper.
A saltire cross is also used on signs for when railroad tracks cross roadways.
(The correct wording is saltire, not saltire cross)
The Baltimore & Ohio railroad was the first company to complete and open railroad tracks in the United States. Fourteen miles of track were opened in 1830. Horses were used to pull the rail cars for the first year before an American-built steam locomotive was placed into service.
Ohio was carried twice by Bill Clinton with pluralities, and twice each by George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump with outright majorities.
Ohio has been called “Mother of Presidents” by virtue of seven US Presidents being born there.
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Rutherford B Hayes
- James Garfield
- Benjamin Harrison
- William McKinley
- William Howard Taft
- William G Harding
William Henry Harrison, who was born in Virginia but settled in Ohio following his service in the War of 1812, is sometimes claimed as an Ohio president as well.
-“BB”-
In the 1300’s in England, almost two-thirds of all boys were named either Henry, John, Robert, William, or Richard.
There have been multiple Kings of England named Henry, William and Richard. There have been none named Robert, and only one named John, who is so widely considered to have been a failure that royal historians doubt any British monarch will ever take the name again.
King John of England signed the Magna Carta on 15 June 1215. He was one of its authors.
The original draft of the Magna Carta (“Great Charter”) was promptly repudiated by King John and declared null and void by Pope Innocent III (to whom John was subject to), which led to the First Barons’ War. In later years the Magna Carta would be redrawn and reinstated several times, while successive regents to John I observed the status of fundamental law during their reigns.