OF CABBAGES AND KINGS . . .

------------oOo------------

The time has come,' the Walrus said,

To talk of many things:

Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —

Of cabbages — and kings —

And why the sea is boiling hot —

And whether pigs have wings.'

- Lewis Carroll, The Walrus and the Carpenter, Through the Looking-Glass

------------oOo------------

Reader writes:

Byter John P sent me an email taking me to task for referring to our new king as King Charles 111.

John’s email:

Charles 111?

Did I miss the post-Stuart kings Charles III to CX, or were you using roamin' numerals?

Boom, boom!

I am still not sure what John is telling me, however, I note the following:

Charles I (1600 – 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649 for treason as part of the English Civil War. Unlike other civil wars in England, which were mainly fought over who should rule, these civil war conflicts conflicts were also concerned with how the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland should be governed. The outcome was threefold:

- the trial of and execution of Charles I (1649);

- the exile of his son, Charles II (1651); and

- the replacement of English monarchy with the Commonwealth of England, which from 1653 (as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland) unified the British Isles under the personal rule of Oliver Cromwell (1653–1658) and briefly his son Richard (1658–1659).

Charles II (1630 – 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Traditionally considered one of the most popular English kings,[1] Charles is known as the Merry Monarch, a reference to the liveliness and hedonism of his court. He acknowledged at least 12 illegitimate children by various mistresses, but left no legitimate children and was succeeded by his brother, James.

Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George) (1948 - ) is King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. He acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II.

------------oOo------------

Our Charles is the oldest and the longest-serving heir apparent in British history and the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held the title from 26 July 1958 until his accession.

At 73 years of age, Charles is also the oldest person ever to assume the British throne, a record previously held since 1830 by William IV at age 64.

------------oOo------------

Word origin:

The English term “king” is derived from the Anglo-Saxon “cyning”, which in turn is derived from the Common Germanic “kuningaz”. It is a derivation from the Old English “cynn”, the literal meaning being “descendant of noble kin", or perhaps "son or descendant of one of noble birth".

There is also a view that the word "king" is the distorted pronunciation of the Latin concept of caesar (Caesar, Caesar), which came to Russian through Byzantium.

In Old English, the term was used for chiefs of Anglian and Saxon tribes or clans, of the heads of states they founded, and of the British and Danish chiefs they fought.

------------oOo------------

Card Kings:

Playing cards appeared in Europe in the late medieval period, probably in the second half of the 14th century. Designs varied from country to country and from period to period. In Germany queens were removed entirely, and the original symbols were replaced with bells, hearts, leaves and acorns. French craftsmen learned new techniques to make the production of cards more efficient, and it was their designs that began to dominate within Europe. They reintroduced the queen, but kept some of the German icons to represent the suits, establishing the symbols that are so familiar today: hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds.

By the early 17th century, they had settled on four key figures as kings that resonated with France’s self image:

• The king of hearts was identified as Charlemagne, the iconic French hero who unified the Franks and created the great Carolingian Empire. This was a reminder of France’s great past and the longevity of its monarchy.

• The biblical figure of David was the king of spades, representing the triumph of the righteous over the strong.

• The king of diamonds was represented by Julius Caesar, Roman hero and the conqueror of Gaul.

• The king of clubs was Alexander, the ancient Greek leader who defeated the Persians and conquered lands as far away as the Hindu Kush.

Evolution of the King of Hearts

------------oOo------------

The Kings and Queens of England:

Willie, Willie, Harry, Ste

Harry, Dick, John, Harry Three

One, Two, Three Neds, Richard Two

Henry Four, Five, Six, then who?

Edward Four, Five, Dick the Bad

Harrys twain and Ned the lad

Mary, Bessie, James the Vain

Charlie, Charlie, James again

William and Mary, Anne Gloria

Four Georges, William and Victoria

Edward, George, Repeat the twain

Liz The Second, Charles again.

------------oOo------------

The Houses:

A mnemonic to remember the sequence of English and British royal houses or dynasties.

No Plan Like Yours To Study History Wisely

The initial letters give the royal houses:

Norman, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stuart, Hanover, Windsor

------------oOo------------

Cabbages:

An elephant escaped from a zoo and no trace had been found....

until a woman who had never seen an elephant before, called the police:

“There's a weird animal in my garden. It's pulling up the cabbages with its tail. And what is worse, I cannot describe what it is doing with them.”

------------oOo------------