Britain's Royal Line of Succession: A Three Part Course with Nick Salmond
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During this three-part course, we will trace the English Royal family tree through the ages, learning about the lives of each of the forty Monarchs in turn, from William to Elizabeth II. Our Context expert will teach us how leaders attained the throne, who their "spare heirs" were, and contextualize the perpetual work that is involved to enable the succession of each distinct bloodline.
British Kings and Queens have lost their thrones through weakness, circumstance, or death. Some Monarchs have taken the throne by force, while others have succeeded by chance, often due to the untimely death of an older sibling. Several have been proclaimed rules, simply because they were of the "right" religion. And occasionally, monarchs were murdered (or even lawfully executed) by the state they once ruled. During this course, we look at how and where they died and where they each are entombed.
The first lecture takes us from the Norman Invasion in 1066 through the Anarchy and The Wars of the Roses, to the creation of the Tudor Dynasty in 1485. The second takes us through the court of Henry VIII and his six wives and onto the Stuart Dynasty. While the third takes in Queen Victoria and brings us to the current day and the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1952.
Led by award-winning guide Nick Salmond, the creator of the top-rated smartphone app Royal Family Tree, this Conversation will help expand your knowledge of the origins of the English Royal Family. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of each Monarch's place in history.
Our time together will begin by tracing the Line of British Succession from William the Conqueror through to King Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, taking in the Anarchy and the Wars of the Roses.
Lecture Two – From the Tudors to The Stuarts:
The second part of this course takes us through the Tudor Court (and Henry VIII’s desperate attempt to get a healthy male heir), to the English Civil war (where the Monarchy was temporarily abolished), to the English Restoration in 1660, and the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Lecture Three – From the Hanoverians to the Windsors:
This course's final session takes us through the Hanovarian Monarchs to the second-longest reigning Monarch, Queen Victoria. It tells the story of the King who gave up his throne for love and finishes with the accession of England's current Queen in 1952.
After graduating from the University of Bristol, Nick Salmond joined the BBC in 1988 where he worked for over thirty years in both Radio and Television, covering stories from the fall of the Berlin Wall and the death of Princess Diana to 9/11 and the COVID pandemic. Additionally, he covered numerous political stories from the departure of Margaret Thatcher to the election of Boris Johnson. In 2019 Nick switched courses and qualified top of his class as a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide. The two-year course is one of the highest recognised tourism qualifications in the world. He was awarded the Katrine Prince award as Guide of the Year.
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
Mr. Salmond is an entertaining and very knowledgeable speaker. The outline of the royal line, with all its twists and turns, was clear and interesting.