Current History, the British Royal Family

Part 1 Tudor

Tudor family tree
Chapter 1: Hans Holbein, The Ambassadors
Chapter 2: Antonis Mor, Mary Tudor
Chapter 3: Isaac Oliver, "Rainbow Portrait of Elizabeth I"

Part 2 Stewart

Stewart Family Tree
Chapter 4 John Gilbert, Guy Fawkes Before King James
Chapter 5: Paul Delaroche, Cromwell Viewing the Body of Charles I
Chapter 6: John Michael Wright, Charles II

Part 3 Hanover

Hanover family tree
Chapter 7 William Hogarth, The South Sea Bubble
Chapter 8 William Beach, George III
Chapter 9 William Turner, "Slave Ship"
Chapter 10: Franz Winterhalter, The Family of Queen Victoria
Chapter 11: Franz Winterhalter, Prince Edward
Chapter 12: The Royal Family at Buckingham Palace, by John Lavery

In conclusion
Key References
Chronology
Painters covered in this book

From 15th-century absolute monarchy to 21st-century constitutional monarchy in Britain
When you look at a famous painting, you can read history!
A storytelling masterpiece class that draws you in without you realizing it as you read.

In some countries, including Korea, it is called 'England', but in fact, there is no country called England.
The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (abbreviated as UK), and it is a union country consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
However, it took centuries of war after war for this UK national system to be completed.
Within the small island nation, the English, Scots, Welsh, and Northern Irish fought for dominance, with England at the center, and foreign invasions and religious wars were constant.


The United Kingdom (UK) in the 21st century is a constitutional monarchy, with Charles III of the House of Windsor ruling the UK after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
While powerful European royal families like Austria's Habsburgs and France's Bourbons have faded into the dustbin of history, how has the British royal family managed to write a history that continues to unfold?
From the powerful absolute monarchy represented by Henry VIII in the 16th century to the establishment of the English constitutional monarchy, which 'sovereigns but does not rule.'
Kyoko Nakano presents a captivating account of the evolution of the British royal family and pivotal moments in British history through her fluid storytelling and illustrations.


John Gilbert's "Guy Fawkes Before King James" depicts the attempted bombing of Parliament in 1605 during the reign of James I of the Stuarts.
James, his right hand resting on the back of the chair, his usually large, bright eyes widening even further, glares at the kneeling man.
Even though he roughly pulled both of her hands, which were tied with rope, from behind her back, the man's attitude was extremely arrogant.
If there had been no pushback, the Capitol might have been completely blown away.
After severe torture, he confesses his real name, 'Guy Fawkes', and the names of his companions, who were plotting an unprecedented conspiracy to depose James I and install a Catholic king.
Long-standing religious conflicts and the royal family's incompetence and extravagance brought about a backlash.


During the reign of his son, Charles I, the king continued to abuse his power, such as forcing the Church of England on his homeland of Scotland without holding parliament and trying to increase his revenue through church taxes, which led to the 'Philadelphia Revolution'.
As a result, Charles I was executed for 'despotism, treason, murder, and treason', and England abolished the monarchy and declared a republic.
Based on this series of events, the 19th-century French painter Delaroche captured the relationship between the king and the revolutionaries on canvas.
It is “Cromwell Viewing the Body of Charles I.”
Charles's distinctive beard lying in the coffin, the vivid traces of blood remaining on his cut neck, Cromwell's complex and intricate expression wrapped in simple clothes...
Is it because it was drawn by someone who knows what happens next?
After the Restoration, Cromwell's entire family was murdered, and his own body was exhumed, beheaded, and left on the rack for a long time.
The monarchy was restored in 1660, but the era of absolute power of the king came to an end, and Parliament gained greater power than before, and a constitutional monarchy in England was established.


If you look at a painting knowing the changing times and the story behind it, even the same painting will come across differently.
Author Kyoko Nakano introduces twelve famous paintings related to figures representing the five royal families of England, along with numerous other famous paintings related to them. Through the historical background and anecdotes, she vividly conveys what kind of lives the figures in the paintings lived and what influence they had on history.
The famous paintings introduced in this book are also beneficial in that they range from oil paintings depicting solemn and splendid royal scenes to works satirizing the absurdity of reality and the royal family, such as William Hogarth's "The South Sea Foam" and James Gillray's "Caricature of George III."
As you follow the author's clear and exciting story, your understanding of history and the work will naturally deepen.

Elizabeth I, Queen Anne, Victoria I, Elizabeth II…
Jinx flourishing in the age of queens?
The Queens Who Created the 'Land Where the Sun Never Sets'

Because Britain was a country that did not apply 'Salic law', which only allowed males to inherit the throne, it produced many queens compared to neighboring European countries.
Perhaps because of this, England has produced so many outstanding queens that there is a jinx that says, "Britain prospers during the reign of a queen." The most representative figure is Elizabeth I.
The era of Elizabeth I, represented by the saying, “I married England,” is evaluated as having ushered in a golden age for England with her transcendent presence and charisma as a virgin queen.


The painting representing Elizabeth I, “Portrait of Elizabeth I in the Armada,” was painted after the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
At the time, no one thought that Britain could defeat the world-famous Invincible Armada.
But even though she was outnumbered, Elizabeth said, “I am only a very weak woman, but I have the heart of an English king in my heart.
He raised the morale of the British Navy by sending out a proclamation saying, “I will share life and death with everyone!” and at the same time, he showed his charisma as a monarch and led the war to victory.
The two paintings hanging behind Elizabeth, located in the center of the painting, depict the English and Spanish armies facing each other inside the bay on the left, while the one on the right depicts the enemy forces sinking in a storm.
Elizabeth, at the center, places her hand on the globe as if all the world's oceans are hers, naturally overwhelming her opponents with her innate dignity and confident aura.

In this way, paintings were used not only as portraits but also as political tools.
In fact, Elizabeth I had an image strategy of deifying herself as the Virgin Queen from early on, and had many artists paint her portrait, and she also appeared in prints, book illustrations, maps, and playing cards.
In another portrait, Isaac Oliver's "Portrait of Elizabeth I with a Rainbow," Elizabeth is shown wearing her usual abundance of pearls, a symbol of her virginity, and holding a rainbow in her right hand, just above which is inscribed the Latin phrase "Non sine Sole Iris" (No sun, no rainbow).
In the Old Testament, the rainbow signifies the 'promise between God and man' and is a symbol of peace.
The middle part has large eyes and ears scattered all around, representing great wisdom, and on the left sleeve is a snake symbolizing eternity, as if it were shedding its skin, and a red heart symbolizing love.
The gauntlets (armor that protects the forearms) that symbolize loyalty are also drawn on the pleated collar that covers the face.
In short, this painting is more of a propaganda icon than a portrait.

Another queen who led England to its golden age, Victoria I, was the first queen of the House of Hanover. During the Victorian era, Britain gained wealth through colonies that expanded around the world, earning it the nickname "the empire on which the sun never sets."
Unlike Elizabeth I, who reigned over the people with a kind of transcendent presence and charisma as the virgin queen, Queen Victoria was loved by the people for her image as a 'beloved wife' and 'caring mother'.
In Franz Winterhalter's painting "The Family of Queen Victoria," Victoria is surrounded by five children after only six years of marriage, and she later gives birth to a total of nine children, forming a happy family.
Victoria also decorated the living room with a tree and distributed photographs and prints of the royal family celebrating happily, showing the romance of her love marriage with her husband, Prince Albert, and the resulting ideal family to the public as a real family rather than a fairy tale, creating an ideal era of 'the union of the throne and virtue.'


In European history, England, in particular, prospered and enjoyed a golden age during the reign of her queen, boasting charisma and presence on par with the kings who led Europe's golden age, such as Frederick the Great of the Habsburgs and Louis XIV of Bourbon.
Perhaps the reason Britain is called 'the empire on which the sun never sets' and has been able to maintain its monarchy to this day is because of the prosperity brought about by the reigns of successive queens and the success of 'reigning but not ruling.'